Healthy land and water resources ensure safe drinking water and resilient forests, wetlands and wildlife, enabling us to adapt more easily to climate change. The Raisin Region Conservation Authority monitors the health of natural resources in our watersheds because it helps us to better understand the local environmental issues, to focus actions where they are needed the most and track progress over time.
What Do We Monitor?
Conservation Authorities monitor three key environmental conditions that are important indicators of a watershed’s health: Forest Conditions, Surface Water Quality and Groundwater Quality.
Forest Cover & Forest Interior — Forests provide habitat and shade; they help to clean our air and water and they protect the soil which promotes water infiltration and reduces both erosion and flooding. Forests also help to cool the land and air – nature’s air conditioner! We assess the area of our watersheds covered by forest; and the amount of forest “interior” (areas that are more than 100 meters from the forest edge which provides critical habitat for many species including songbirds.
Surface Water Quality — Surface water is the water that makes up our rivers, lakes and streams. We assess the quality of these water bodies by measuring water chemistry (phosphorous, oxygen) and organisms that live in the sediment at the bottom of streams and rivers.
Groundwater Quality — Groundwater is the water found beneath the earth’s surface, in water bearing layers known as aquifers. Groundwater is difficult if not impossible to clean once contaminated, so it is critical to protect areas of groundwater recharge. We monitor water chemistry (nutrients, metals, chloride & nitrates).
2017 Watershed Report Cards
- Finney Creek
- Fraser Creek
- Gray's Creek
- Gunn Creek
- Pattingale Creek
- Raisin River
- Sutherland Creek
- Westley's Creek
- Wood Creek
2006/2007 Reports
- Beaudette River
- Delisle River
- Finney Creek
- Fraser Creek
- Garry River
- Gray's Creek
- Gunn Creek
- Hoasic Creek
- Hoople Creek
- Pattingale Creek
- Raisin River
- Rigaud River
- Sutherland Creek
- Westley's Creek
- Wood Creek