6.0 Blueberry Creek Catchment: Accomplishments/Activities
Achievements noted by the Friends of the Tay Watershed Association (FoTW) are indicated by an asterisk.
Development
The Town of Perth Official Plan Amendment (2009) has generally changed the land use designation in the northwest quadrant of the Town of Perth (area of the Town that is north of Highway 7, east of Highway 511 and south of the Blueberry Marsh) from Commercial Highway to Residential. This has required the annexation of approximately 30 hectares of land from Drummond/North Elmsley Township and the need to undertake an infrastructure master plan (initiated in 2010) to provide direction for the servicing of these lands for water, wastewater, stormwater and transportation. The Environmental Assessment for the area was competed in 2016 with input from the RVCA being incorporated into the overall master design.
In-stream/Fish Habitat
1.5 kilometres of Blueberry Creek have been surveyed and 11 headwaters are sampled once every six years by the RVCA using the Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol.
Shoreline Naturalization
Seventy-three native trees and shrubs have been planted along shoreline in the Blueberry Creek catchment with services provided by the RVCA Shoreline Naturalization Program.
Tree Planting
3,800 trees have been planted at five sites in the Blueberry Creek catchment by the RVCA Private Land Forestry Program, resulting in the reforestation of two hectares.
Water Quality
Since 2012, one monitoring site on Blueberry Creek is sampled yearly by the RVCA for 22 parameters, six times a year, to assess surface chemistry water quality conditions.
Since 2011, one Ontario Benthic Biomonitoring Network site on Blueberry Creek is sampled by the RVCA in the spring and fall of each year with three replicates, to assess instream biological water quality conditions.
Fifteen Rural Clean Water Program projects were completed by the RVCA Rural Clean Water Program.
Waterway Planning and Management
The Tay Watershed Management Plan (2002) brought together a diverse group of watershed stakeholders to exchange information and opinions on the challenges facing the watershed. This forum focused the community on the need for managing the Tay Watershed, requiring positive cooperation amongst a range of stakeholders and helped develop a foundation of data and information on the watershed and resources against which later developments and trends are being measured and decisions are being made.
The Plan also led to the formation of the Friends of the Tay Watershed Association, who have been instrumental in implementing 20 of 24 management plan recommendations. In the opinion of the Association, one of the most significant measures of success for the water protection activities carried out in the Tay watershed is that there has never been a serious environmental pollution incident that threatened the area’s drinking water or its recreational waterbodies. To this day, the Friends of the Tay Watershed remain committed to preserving and enhancing the health of the Tay River watershed through their work.*