5.0 Jock River-Leamy Creek Catchment: Stewardship and Water Resources Protection
The RVCA and its partners are working to protect and enhance environmental conditions in the Jock River Subwatershed. Figure 53 shows the location of all stewardship projects completed in the Leamy Creek catchment along with sites identified for potential shoreline restoration.
5.1 Rural Clean Water Projects
From 2010 to 2015, one precision farming project was completed. Between 2004 and 2009, two septic system replacements, one windbreak buffer and one well upgrade were completed. Prior to 2004, four crop residue projects, two manure storage/wastewater runoff projects, one septic system replacement and one milkhouse wastewater treatment facility. Total value of all 13 projects is $106,974 with $25,982 of that amount funded through grant dollars from the RVCA.
Figure 53 Stewardship site locations
5.2 Private Land Forestry Projects
The location of RVCA tree planting projects is shown in Figure 53. No trees were planted in the catchment between 2004 and 2015. Prior to 2004, 1,950 trees were planted at two sites for a total value of $9,065 with $3,795 of that amount coming from various fundraising sources.
5.3 Shoreline Naturalization Projects
With the assistance of the RVCA’s Shoreline Naturalization Program, 715 trees and shrubs were planted at a total project value of $12,158.
5.4 Valley, Stream, Wetland and Hazard Lands
The Leamy Creek catchment covers 20 square kilometres with 6.7 square kilometres (or 33 percent) of the drainage area being within the regulation limit of Ontario Regulation 174/06 (Figure 54), giving protection to wetland areas and river or stream valleys that are affected by flooding and erosion hazards.
Wetlands occupy 1.2 ha (or less than one percent) of the catchment and are located outside the regulated area limit.
Of the 32.2 kilometres of stream in the catchment, regulation limit mapping has been plotted along 23.9 kilometers of streams (representing 74 percent of all streams in the catchment). Plotting of the regulation limit on the remaining 8.4 km (or 26 percent) of streams requires identification of flood and erosion hazards and valley systems.
Within those areas of the Leamy Creek catchment subject to the regulation (limit), efforts (have been made and) continue through RVCA planning and regulations input and review to manage the impact of development (and other land management practices) in areas where “natural hazards” are associated with rivers, streams, valley lands and wetlands. For areas beyond the regulation limit, protection of the catchment’s watercourses is only provided through the “alteration to waterways” provision of the regulation.
