Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek, and Hewitt's Creek Subwatershed Plan

The Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek and Hewitt’s Creek Subwatershed Plan
3.5.2.2.
Urban – construction practices
Projected growth within these subwatersheds dictates that rate of construction is going to
increase. Significant deterioration to tributary water quality can occur during construction phase
as exposed soils are very susceptible to run-off and wind erosion if codes of practices are not
followed. While site alteration by-laws, and policies in the LSPP (e.g. 4.20-DP) aim to minimize
construction phase impacts, further improvements could be made through use of current BMP
and improved enforcement.
Recommendation 3-9 - That the LSRCA and watershed municipalities promote and
encourage the adoption of best management practices to address sedimentation and
erosion controls during construction and road development.
Recommendation 3-10 - That subwatershed municipalities and LSRCA review and,
where necessary, revise current monitoring, enforcement, and reporting on site
alteration and tree cutting by: 1) undertaking a review of the current programs and
actions, 2) encouraging the allocation of adequate resources for the improvements, and
3) monitoring and reporting on results.
3.5.2.3.
Urban – reducing salt (chloride)
Chloride concentrations with Lovers Creek have been increasing since monitoring was initiated
in the 1970s, however the rate of increase has escalated in the last 15 years to the point where
levels regularly exceed the guidelines. While there is insufficient long-term trend data for other
creeks, monitoring at Hotchkiss Creek since 2008 shows that chloride rarely (7% of the samples
collected) meets the standards, and often (10% of the time) exceeds Canadian Water Quality
Guidelines for acute toxicity. This analysis highlights that despite the municipalities having Salt
Management Plans, elevated chloride levels are already an issue in many of the tributaries, and
is likely impacting the health of aquatic communities.
Recommendation 3-11 - That the LSRCA, with the support of subwatershed
municipalities, develop a program to determine relative contribution of chloride from road
salt application, establish baseline indicators, and examine the effectiveness of current
protocols on salt storage, application, and disposal, as outlined in their respective Salt
Management Plans, adapting them as necessary.
Recommendation 3-12 - That the LSRCA, with the support of subwatershed
municipalities, identify areas within the Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek, and Hewitt’s Creek
subwatersheds which are vulnerable to road salt (as outlined by Environment Canada).
This assessment may be refined through further examination of relative salt tolerance of
local biota. As outlined in Environment Canada’s Code of Practice for the Environmental
Management of Road Salt, municipalities should examine alternate methods of
protecting public safety while reducing environmental impacts in these areas, once
identified.
Recommendation 3-13 - That the LSRCA, in collaboration with subwatershed
municipalities, develop and deliver a salt education program, to increase awareness and
understanding of the importance of salt management by snow removal contractors,
property managers, and the general public.
Recommendation 3-14 - Recognizing that increasing concentrations of chloride in
watercourses is an emerging issue shared by all municipalities in the Lake Simcoe
watershed, that the watershed municipalities, LSRCA, MOE, and MNR form a Salt
Working Group as a mechanism to share information on best practices for salt
Chapter 3: Water Quality – Surface and Groundwater 133