Central Welland River Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

CENTRAL WELLAND RIVER WATERSHED PLANOverview of Restoration StrategyThe Welland River watershed has been the focus of restoration for several decades due to itsdegraded water quality, and its restoration requires a collaboration of all stakeholders with a vestedinterest in the watershed. As indicated earlier, the IJC designated the Niagara River as one of 43Areas of Concern in 1987. The Welland River is the largest tributary of the Niagara River and itsdrainage basin accounts for approximately 80 percent of the Canadian portion of the AOC.Some have even described the Welland River as „too thick to drink, and too thin to plow!‟. One of theprimary challenges in this watershed is nutrient management “with elevated concentrations of totalphosphorus being a widespread cause of water quality impairment” (NPCA 2010c). Based on currentdata, 100% exceedance is observed at stations WR003 (upstream of CWR study area) through toWR007 (within CWR), with total phosphorus concentrations up to 20 times greater than the provincialobjective (NPCA 2010c). In addition, of 68 NPCA surface water quality monitoring stations, the BeaverCreek station [again] has the highest mean concentration of total phosphorus in 2009. This stationcaptures the cumulative impacts of land use in the Beaver Creek, Black Ash Creek, Parkers Creekand Unnamed Creek subwatersheds with “manure from livestock operations, sewage discharges, soilerosion, fertilizers, and pesticides [being the] likely sources of total phosphorus in these tributaries”(NPCA 2010c). Accordingly, upstream activities need to be managed in a sustainable manner asthese actions affect not only the ecosystems in its direct and surrounding vicinity, but the WellandRiver and its related ecosystems.As outlined in the Restoration Strategy, many of the watercourses in many of the subwatersheds donot have a sufficient riparian buffer (Table 22) and the establishment and/or enhancement of a numberof riparian buffers has been recommended (e.g. riparian habitat, buffering land uses). It is important tonote that the role of a buffer and its function is directly related to its location. For a list of objectives andfunctions for conservation buffers, please refer to the chart in Appendix G. This chart was takendirectly from Conservation Buffers; Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways (Bentrup2008) and can be a useful tool when planning such a restoration project.The primary objective for the establishment of riparian buffers in this study area is to reduce erosionand runoff of sediments, nutrients and other potential pollutants. Buffers with the function of waterquality enhancement will be more effective when combined with best management practices beingimplemented on land; together these strategies will work towards improving water quality issues.As mentioned earlier and as identified through the NPCA Water Quality Monitoring Program and theWelland River Eutrophication Study (NPCA 2010a), total phosphorus is a major water quality issue inthis watershed. Phosphorus in runoff either occurs as particulate phosphorus (sediment bound) ordissolved phosphorus. Sediment bound phosphorus can be moderately well trapped by deposition inbuffers whereas dissolved phosphorus must infiltrate with runoff water and be trapped in the soil.Therefore key considerations when designing a buffer to help trap phosphorus are to a) avoid trappingin riparian zones which can be remobilizing by flood waters (upland buffer may be required); and b)unlike nitrogen (which can be released to the atmosphere through denitrification) phosphorus willaccumulate in the buffer; once saturated it can then turn into a source of phosphorus (Bentrup 2008).However, “buffers consisting of unfertilized crops or hayfields can trap and utilize phosphorus.Removing this vegetation through harvest may help export phosphorus, as well as nitrogen, out of thewatershed” (Bentrup 2008).Restoration should initially be focused in the Beaver Creek, Black Ash Creek, Unnamed Creek andParkers Creek subwatersheds. In most cases in these subwatersheds, the amount of riparian habitatpresent is roughly one-third of Environment Canada‟s recommendation of 75% of a streams length be174
CENTRAL WELLAND RIVER WATERSHED PLANvegetated, as discussed earlier. Land use in all these subwatersheds is predominantly agriculture. It isrecommended that the Agricultural Non-Point Source (AGNPS) model be executed for the CentralWelland River Watershed Plan, starting in these subwatersheds, to assist the ImplementationCommittee in identifying „hot spots‟ in the watershed and therefore priority areas for remediation orrestoration in an effort to improve water quality. In addition, the AGNPS model can be used to evaluatethe success of restoration measures in subsequent years after the Watershed Plan has beenimplemented by re-evaluating pollutant loadings in the watershed.Numerous projects have already been implemented in these subwatersheds through the NPCA WaterQuality Improvement Program, including several non-point source pollution projects such as manurestorages and a clean water diversion. Investigation into other potential non-point source pollutionproject opportunities should be undertaken, as well as inquiry into expanding upon existingreforestation and riparian projects that have already been successfully implemented.The Restoration Strategy also identifies numerouspotential opportunities for enhancement of existingnatural areas; bulking them up to increase patch size.Larger patches tend to have a greater “diversity ofhabitat niches and therefore are more likely to supporta greater richness and/or diversity of wildlife species”(EC 2004c). Currently, the percent of wetland cover ishigh and should be maintained. Accordingly, theRestoration Strategy identifies opportunities for theestablishment of Critical Functions Zones. A CriticalFunction Zone “describes non-wetland areas withinwhich biophysical functions or attributes directlyrelated to the wetland [of interest] occur” (EC 2004c).These areas are functional extensions of the wetland into the upland area and provide a number offunctions for wetland-associated fauna that extend beyond the wetland boundary (e.g. nestinghabitats, foraging areas). These areas can also act as buffers, protecting the wetland and itsfunctionality.When the planning process is initiated to implement a restoration project in the study area, prairiesand meadows should be given consideration and incorporated in habitat creation as they play animportant role in creating habitat diversity and foraging areas for wildlife.Opportunities for the establishment of corridor connections between fragmented areas are alsoidentified. Such linkages not only provide shelter to facilitate in the movement of wildlife betweennatural areas, but they also promote seed dispersal and biodiversity in the watershed. The RestorationStrategy identifies core natural areas that should act as building blocks in which to connect and restoregaps in the surrounding landscape.As indicated earlier, the Central Welland River watershed currently contains approximately 16 percentwetland cover, 15 percent forest cover, and approximately 43 percent of the watercourses in thewatershed have riparian cover. Once again, Environment Canada recommends at least 30 percent ofthe watershed should be in forest cover, 10 percent wetland cover, and at least 75 percent of thewatercourses should have a recommended 30 meter riparian buffer. The guidelines are intended asminimum ecological requirements and are meant to provide guidance in setting local habitatrestoration and protection targets.The following chart (Table 22) specifies the upland, wetland and riparian habitat percentages for eachsubwatershed in the study area generated from the NPCA Natural Areas Inventory data and the MNR175
Page 3 and 4:
CENTRAL WELLAND RIVER WATERSHED PLA
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16:
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
PhysiographyCENTRAL WELLAND RIVER W
Page 23:
Page 28 and 29:
Page 30 and 31:
Page 32 and 33:
Page 34 and 35:
Page 36 and 37:
Page 38 and 39:
Page 40 and 41:
Page 42 and 43:
Page 44 and 45:
Page 46 and 47:
Page 48 and 49:
Page 50 and 51:
Page 52 and 53:
Page 54 and 55:
Page 56 and 57:
Page 58 and 59:
Page 60 and 61:
Page 62 and 63:
Page 64 and 65:
Page 66 and 67:
Page 68 and 69:
Page 70 and 71:
Page 72 and 73:
Page 74 and 75:
Page 76 and 77:
Page 78 and 79:
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
Page 84 and 85:
Groundwater ResourcesCENTRAL WELLAN
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 106 and 107:
Page 108 and 109:
Page 110 and 111:
Page 112 and 113:
Page 114 and 115:
Page 116 and 117:
Page 118 and 119:
Page 120 and 121:
Page 122 and 123:
Page 124 and 125: CENTRAL WELLAND RIVER WATERSHED PLA
Page 126 and 127: Upland and EcologicalLinkagesWetlan
Page 142 and 143: CCMaCCTaTaCCTbCCTb-2Investigatepote
Page 150 and 151: major removed, one major: statusunk
Page 204 and 205: Vegetated SwaleRoad and highway run
Page 224 and 225:
Page 226 and 227:
Page 228 and 229:
Page 230 and 231:
Page 232 and 233:
Page 234 and 235:
Page 236 and 237:
Page 238 and 239:
Page 240 and 241:
Page 242 and 243:
Page 244 and 245:
Page 246:
show all

Central Welland River Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?