Roles of Conservation Authority Geoscientists in Ontario. Geoscientist s Day Donald Ford, P.Geo. Toronto and Region Conservation

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1 Roles of Conservation Authority Geoscientists in Ontario Geoscientist s Day Donald Ford, P.Geo. Toronto and Region Conservation

2 Points to Ponder What are Conservation Authorities? What purpose do they serve? When did they start hiring geoscientists? What do these geoscientists do? Why do they matter?

3 What are Conservation Authorities? 36 Local environmental agencies Created in 1946 by the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario Operate on a watershed basis Hold land on behalf of the public 3

4 BANANA Philosophy Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything

5 Key CA Responsibilities Flood warning and protection Development review on behalf of Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Fisheries Act) and Ministry of Natural Resources (Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act) Review of stormwater management facilities on behalf of municipalities Land management and conservation Drinking Water Source Protection

6 Geoscience and CAs Groundwater monitoring post 2001 Watershed planning pre 2005 Source Water Protection post 2005 Development review Property issues land transfers 6

7 Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Monitoring began in 2001 Partnership with the Ministry of the Environment TRCA - 22 wells across 2400 km 2 Part of a network of 454 wells in Ontario Hourly measurement of water levels Annual quality sampling 7

8 Monitoring why we need it! Hydrograph - Well #W-366 (Heart Lake) Water Level (m Asl) W-366 Heart Lake Manual Measurements Ground Surface Elevation: masl /02 06/03 01/04 08/04 02/05 09/05 03/06 10/06 04/07 11/07 06/08 12/08 07/09 01/10 08/10 02/11 09/11 04/12 Date 8

9 Well 1999

10 Well 2002

11 Well 2005

12 Well 2007

13 Watershed Plan Development Required by Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Watershed plans in place for each of the TRCA nine major watersheds Groundwater management now a part of every plan Offer policies for protecting groundwater recharge and discharge 13

14 Source Water Protection Ecological and physical resources Terrestrial and aquatic ecology Human Characterization Water Budgets Identification of vulnerable areas Wellhead Protection Areas Intake Protection Zones Highly Vulnerable Aquifers Significant Groundwater Recharge Areas Enumeration of significant threats 14

15 Assessment Report Challenges Breadth of Analysis 2400 km 2 for TRCA Depth of Analysis Ecology species at risk; ecological land classification, aquatic and terrestrial Surface Water Quality and Quantity Groundwater Quality and Quantity

16 And Yet More Challenges Timelines Technical work has overlapped reporting and planning process Peer Review important, but time and budget consuming Public Consultation very important, but short timelines for complex reports Committee processes

17 Development Review Specific functions may be delegated by municipal partners, the province, or the Federal Government: Stormwater Management Septic Systems (few CAs) Water Balance Impacts to fish and fish habitat\ Alteration of a watercourse

18 Development Review Regulations under the Conservation Authorities Act: Impacts to wetlands Development in Regulated Area Deposition of fill in Regulated Area

19 Property Management CAs are large land holders TRCA owns about 50,000 acres Largest landowner in the GTA Valley lands and wetlands conveyed during development process Donations of land from citizens and other levels of government Conservation Areas

20 The Future? Source Protection Technical work and funding drawing to a close Potential future iterations of the Assessment Reports How do we retain the knowledge gained over the past 6 years?

21 Lessons Learned Technical Reporting Use in-house staff, where possible Maintain a small, committed, core team Be ready for continuous improvement Understand the science behind the models Stakeholder Consultation Engage early and often Make it meaningful Make it local

22 Summary CAs are your local environmental agencies in Ontario They have a long history of assessing ecosystems at the watershed scale Geoscientists, though a relatively new specialty at CAs, have important roles to play, now and in the future 22

23 Thank You! Don Ford, P.Geo. Manager, Geoenvironmental Toronto and Region Conservation