Module 2 – Watershed Descriptions – Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield

Much of the information here comes from the active learning program for local community working groups, first created in 2006 and 2007 and instructed between 2008 and 2009.

Information here is provisional, provided for local education and information purposes, and subject to change. Please let us know if there is information here that is out of date or in error. This website is in development. Many of the activities and discussion points here remain relevant. Students may compare information here with current Watershed Report Cards; Assessment Reports; and Source Protection Plans for the best, most current, and most accurate information.

Welcome to … Module 2, Watershed Descriptions for Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield Source Protection Areas

Please visit sourcewaterinfo.on.ca for Assessment Reports which include watershed description information.

Chapter 2 of the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield Assessment Reports is called Watershed Characterization.

Please consult current Watershed Report Cards at abca.ca and mvca.on.ca for up-to-date information on local watersheds.

A Glossary is Appendix A of the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield Source Protection Plans.

A List of Acronyms and Abbreviations is Appendix B of the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield Source Protection Plans.

Learning Expectations:

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe what a watershed is and recognize the importance of its health on humans and other living things, the environment, and the economy.
• Make connections between, and compare, assessment reports and drinking water source protection plans – focusing on municipal wellhead protection areas – and broader, watershed-wide documents such as Conservation Strategies, Watershed Management Strategies, and Watershed Report Cards.
• Demonstrate an understanding of common watershed approaches to protect groundwater and surface water.
• Understand how surface and groundwater moves in a watershed.
• Recognize the unique features and characteristics of the watersheds of the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley source protection areas.
• Understand some ways you interact with your own watershed.

Download presentation: Overview of Module 2

Section One – Module Content

Unit 1 – Watersheds
What is a watershed?
Why are watersheds important?
Why do we plan on a watershed basis?

Unit 2 – Impacts on Watersheds
Watershed features
Human characterization

Unit 3 – Our Watersheds
Ausable River Watershed
Bayfield River Watershed
Maitland River Watershed
Nine Mile River Watershed
Shore Gullies and Streams Watersheds

Field Learning – Module 2 Field Assignments

Take a personal visit to a local watercourse (see details at end of module).

Unit 1 – Watersheds

• What interesting news or information did you find, in review of a water article, that you would like to share with others?
• What terms were used in the article that we used in the previous session?
• What concerns or issues were raised?
• Are there any concerns or issues which relate to watersheds?
• Does your article refer to a specific watershed area?

Group Activity

Review samples of water from different locations. Make observations about the water in terms of:
Visual clarity
Smell
Does one sample of water ‘look’ safer than the other?
Use a sampling ‘disc’ to determine how far the disc can be lowered before it’s not possible to see it anymore.
Use ‘Observations’ chart on next page to write down your thoughts.

Observations

A

B

C

D

E

After everyone has completed this task, share your thoughts with the larger group.

Your facilitator will then share some facts about the three water samples – including from where they originate and their quality.

Small Group Activity – Define Watershed

As a small break-out group come up with your own definition of watershed:

Your facilitator will provide you with three definitions of a watershed:

1. Conservation Ontario definition
2. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry definition
3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) definition.

Review their definitions.
Conservation Ontario definition of watershed
MNRF definition of watershed
EPA definition of watershed

Venn Circles diagram to compare definitions of watersheds.

Taking a look at the ‘Watershed definitions’ circle diagram and the words and concepts that are common to the four definitions (your group’s and the three organizations’) and the words or ideas that are unique.

Write them down in the appropriate spaces in your notes

Image Source: Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region

How did the three definitions differ from the definition you developed?
What did your definitions and their definitions have in common?
Write down an example of how that saying has been true in your own life.
What is an environmental example of this maxim’s importance? Globally?
Locally?
Do you know of an example of a boil-water advisory in the area? To what was it in response?
What water-based activities do you do for recreation?
How do you use water in your home?
How do you use water in your place of business (for example, small business, farm, industry, volunteering site, etc.)?
How is water required in your business and what do you do to protect it?
What is the relationship between water and tourism in your watershed?
What is the relationship between water and the broader economy in your watershed?

Think about these relationships:
How does the economy affect water?
How does water affect the economy?
How does the individual affect water quality and quantity?
How does water quality and quantity affect the individual?

Feel free to jot down some of your ideas on notes page opposite this page.

After creating the Mind Map poster, share your results with the larger group.

Lecture – Why are watersheds important?

Theory, Lecture, Expert

What are some synonyms for watershed, words commonly applied to the same thing?
How are watersheds related to the environment?
How are watersheds related to the economy?
How do people affect watersheds?
How do watersheds affect people?

How are watersheds important?
Why are watersheds considered to be the most practical unit for managing water?
Why can we not restrict drinking water source protection planning to areas within municipal borders?

Protection around the area of a municipal wellhead is one measure to protect drinking water.

What watershed approaches are also required to protect our sources of water – including shallow groundwater sources and unconfined aquifers?

Unit 3 – Our Watersheds

Group Activity

There will be maps at tables showing five main watersheds in the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield source protection areas.

Using a game called ‘Graffiti’ walk around as a group to the different tables and write in any fact you know about that watershed.

Answer these questions:
From where do residents of this watershed get their water?
Are there sinkholes in this area?
Are there GUDI (Groundwater Under the Direct Influence of surface water) wells in the area?
What else do you know about the features of the watershed?

In your smaller groups report back to the larger group about what each ‘map’ shows.

Watershed Name:

Facts and Features:

Watershed Name:

Facts and Features:

Watershed Name:

Facts and Features:

Watershed Name:

Facts and Features:

Watershed Name:

Facts and Features:

Watershed Name:

Facts and Features:

What watershed do you live in? (Watershed and/or Subwatershed).

Your group will be asked to become ‘experts’ on the features of an assigned watershed (e.g., Nine Mile River Watershed or Ausable Watershed or Maitland Watershed, etc.).

You will be provided with materials such as a map, watershed description document, or fact sheet about one of the watersheds. (You may also visit
mvca.on.ca or abca.ca for Watershed Report Cards.)

Within your small group, list some of the features and geological characteristics of this watershed (e.g., Size, Physiography, Topography, Soil,
Natural Heritage, Aquatic Ecology, Surface Hydrology, Natural Resources or Human Characterization).

Once your list of features is complete join with another small break-out group.

Comparing watersheds using Venn diagram.

Use a Venn Diagram to compare the similarities and differences between the characteristics of your two subwatersheds.

Once the diagram is completed, present the overview of the watershed feature comparisons to the larger group so they will have greater understanding of the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley planning region.
What can different aquatic species tell us about the health of the watershed?
What species indicate healthy trends in the watershed?
What species indicate unhealthy trends in water quality?

Field learning activity.

Field Learning – Module 2 Field Assignment

There is one field learning assignment to complete before the next module:

To really get an up-close and personal appreciation of your watershed we are suggesting group members take a personal field trip.

Between now and the next time we meet, you are encouraged to take a trip to a local lake, river or pond and – keeping a safe distance from the watercourse – make written observations, answering the questions provided.

Take your watershed maps (a duplicate set is provided in Section 3) with you, a pen (or your smart phone) and take a few notes to help answer these questions:
Can you identify from where the water comes / originates?
How far do you think the watershed extends?
From where do the people nearby obtain their drinking water?

Optional field learning activities:

A) You might even want to take a few photographs and video and bring them back to share with the class! (Be sure to ask for prior permission from the property owner if you want to ask to be on private land).

B) Visit a site where a stream empties into a river or a river empties into a lake. Report back to the group about any features or activities visible from the site which could potentially impact water quality or quantity (e.g., garbage along a ravine; septic systems or abandoned wells; industrial activities or application of pesticides or fertilizer or nutrients; outflow from a municipal sewage or wastewater treatment plant).

C) Visit the site of a municipal intake and report on what you see within a five-minute walk.

D) From visual observation, identify any ways it appears your watershed is changing.

Is there evidence of development, increasing population, changes in industry practices or sizes, industrial growth?

SECTION TWO

Priming the Pump

Unit 1 – Watersheds

It has been said that: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

“An ounce of prevention” to save “a pound of cure” is the idea behind the watershed approach to protection of clean water at the sources.

What is a watershed?

Water as it is drained from the land into a creek, river, and lake does not recognize county or municipal borders.

No matter where you live … you live within a watershed.

If the term watershed is new to you, it might be useful to consider for a moment, that the watershed is the community in which you live.

It is your natural home.

As we explore this module, you will find that this natural community is truly amazing!

Watersheds possess a free infrastructure that filters many pollutants. The not-so-amazing part is that human activities have the potential to negatively impact the natural environment, if not properly managed, resulting in ‘knocking holes’ in its infrastructure.

For instance, deep clay soil over top of an aquifer may provide some protection for the groundwater underneath but if a well is abandoned that could create a pathway that may allow pollution or contaminants in runoff (water running over land and picking up pollutants) to enter the groundwater below without filtration.

In this module, we will explore the characteristics of the watersheds in which we work, play, and call home.

To make the most of nature’s infrastructure – protecting it and using it efficiently and using water wisely – we must understand our ecological neighborhood, our watershed.

These definitions here are quoted here for the purposes of this education program. (Please visit the appropriate agencies for current information).

Definitions

Here is how Conservation Ontario defines a watershed:

“A watershed is an area of land that is drained by a river or a stream, and its tributaries, to a body of water such as a lake or ocean.”

– Conservation Ontario

Here is how the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry defines a watershed:

“What is a watershed? A watershed, also known as a catchment basin or area, includes all of the land that is drained by a watercourse and its tributaries. It is a dynamic and complex web of natural resources – soil, water, plants and animals – where we live, work and play.”

– Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines a watershed as: “an area of land from which all surface and groundwater flows from higher elevations downhill to a common body of water such as a stream, river, lake, wetland, estuary or ocean.”

Synonyms

Drainage basin’ or ‘catchment area’ are synonyms for watershed, words commonly applied to the same thing.

Watersheds may be large or small, and several smaller watersheds may join together to form a larger watershed.

Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes and cross provincial, township, county and municipal boundaries.

No matter where you are, you are in a watershed!

Why are watersheds important?

A watershed is nature’s unit of management. It makes coordination efforts
effective.

When we understand our role in the watershed, we can work with nature to ensure our water is safe and plentiful.

Each watershed is unique with different features, processes and concerns.

Fundamentally, watersheds are important for life because everyone relies on water and other water-based resources in our watersheds to exist.

What we do on the land impacts the quality and quantity of water and our other natural resources.

Healthy watersheds are also vital for a healthy environment and economy. Our watersheds provide water for drinking, human needs, livestock and poultry needs, recreation, irrigation and industry. Wildlife also requires healthy watersheds for food and shelter.

The best way to protect the vital natural resources is to understand and manage them on a watershed basis. Everything that is done in a watershed affects the watershed’s system.

Watersheds are considered to be the most practical unit for managing water. Why? Because impacts are felt at the watershed level, and impacts go beyond political boundaries of a hamlet, village, town, township or municipality.
The discharge of a single municipality’s treated waste into a body of water may combine with the discharges of another municipality’s discharges. The cumulative effects of discharge from these two towns could have dramatic consequences downstream on a third town, unless the discharges are managed on a watershed basis.

The last town/municipality/community downstream could end up paying the price.

Download, from conservationontario.ca, the fact sheet Everybody Lives Downstream (PDF file).

How is this true? (Discuss)

Similarly municipalities may not have full control over the quality of their water sources because the source is impacted by activities that reach far out into the watershed, well beyond any municipal boundaries.

A town may be able to manage its water facilities, both drinking and waste within their boundaries but have limited control outside these boundaries.

Watershed management represents a new way of doing business.

Partnerships cross all lines – jurisdictional, governmental, and local – and are crucial to drinking water source protection and why source protection planning must involve stakeholders from across the watershed.

You will recall from Module 1, that we learned about the multi-barrier approach.

The Walkerton Inquiry recommended a number of barriers of protection for drinking water safety.

Multi-Barrier Approach

What is it?

(Consult the Walkerton Water Inquiry and ‘A Multi-Barrier Approach to Drinking Water Safety’: Multi-Barrier Approach (PDF) Link

“The best way to achieve a healthy public water supply is to put in place multiple barriers that keep water contaminants from reaching people. The voluminous technical literature and all of the submissions made to the Inquiry on this point emphasized the importance of the multiple-barrier approach in ensuring the safety of drinking water.”

What are the Three Ts?

(Treatment of water; training for water operators; testing of water).

The Three Ts are testing of water; training for water operators; and treatment of water.

What are the Two Ms?

Monitoring and management.

These are barriers of defence to protect your drinking water sources.

What are the barriers of protection for our drinking water sources in Ontario?
Drinking water source protection (planning and risk management with a priority on threat activities near municipal wells and intakes) and source water protection (voluntary efforts to protect drinking water and water sources throughout watershed communities).
Secure distribution systems.
Monitoring and management.
Treatment, testing, and training.

(Review: The barriers such as water treatment plants, secure distribution systems, careful water monitoring and well-planned responses to emergencies … along with source water protection and drinking water source protection, help keep our drinking water safe.)

It is much, much less expensive to protect drinking water sources than it is to try to replace or repair a drinking water system or to pay the human costs and financial costs if a system is damaged.

Activity – The cost of not protecting water

Review the financial and human costs of harm to drinking water systems. Find local examples; provincial examples; national examples; and international examples.

The more we repair the holes in nature’s infrastructure, the less we’ll need to rely on costly human-made interventions.

Unit 2 – Impacts on Watersheds

Watersheds are vibrant places. The watershed where you live is an active, vibrant and a distinct place. It is a complex web of natural resources – soil,
water, air, plants and animals. Yet, everyday activities can impact these resources, and in particular, the drinking water supply sources.

Chapter 2 of the Assessment Reports delineates the Maitland Valley Source Protection Area and Ausable Bayfield Source Protection Area and provide the overview of the watersheds, the physiography, human geography, and interactions of humans on the landscape.

Features

Size

One important feature is the size of the watershed. The Maitland Valley watershed basin is the largest of the five main watershed units.

It includes the South, Middle, Little and North Maitland River tributaries.
Normally it is easier to develop watershed source protection plans for smaller watersheds, implementing the plan and eventually seeing water quality improvements.

Physiography

Another important characteristic is the physical features of the Earth’s surface within the watershed with an emphasis on the origin of landforms. For instance the Nine Mile River watershed headwaters are in the large Wawanosh Kame Moraine.

A moraine is an accumulation of earth, stones, and other debris deposited by a glacier.

The Wyoming Moraine that abuts the Kame to the west is present in Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley watersheds.

The spillway that supports the major coldwater streams to the south, the closest being Sharpe’s Creek, splits this till moraine.

Topography

The topography (terrain) is another important feature. How steep the land is impacts how fast water drains. Flooding and soil erosion can increase as the speed of drainage increases. Moderate and gentle slopes permit surface runoff to cleanse itself before discharging into body of water or percolate into the groundwater.

Soil type

Soil type is also very important. For example, sandy soils allow the ground to soak up water faster. This reduces surface runoff but can affect groundwater and its quality. Clay soils, on the other hand, are tighter and do not allow as much water infiltration. This can lead to more runoff and soil erosion.

Many chemicals and pathogens attach themselves to clay so soil erosion is a contributor to poor water quality. Groundwater quality tends to be protected by clay soils.

Surface Hydrology

The physiography, topography and soils discussed above greatly influence surface hydrology. Surface hydrology is the distribution and movement of surface water in the watershed as opposed to groundwater hydrology. Surface hydrology includes water in the streams, rivers, surface drainage systems, natural or constructed channels, ditches, and swales.

A swale is a land feature, human-made or naturally occurring, that is low and is often wet. When designed by people, artificial swales can help to manage water running off of land; increase infiltration of rainwater, and help to filter contaminants.

Two-stage ditch

One form of drainage design being used to better manage runoff and reduce erosion is the two-stage ditch.

The area nearest the water greatly affects water quality. This is why maintaining grassy areas located on the edge of lakes or streams are important as they remove sediment and other types of pollution as well as provide a home for wildlife.

The portion of precipitation or irrigation water that moves across land as surface flow and enters streams or other surface receiving waters is the runoff and it occurs when the precipitation rate exceeds the infiltration rate.

Rainfall in the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley source protection region easily infiltrates the coarse textured deposits of Kame moraines, eskers and spillways and, as groundwater, steadily discharges from these units to maintain stream flow.

Rainfall on clay till – both plains and moraines, however, tends to flow over the surface to generate spikes of flow during storms but little ongoing baseflow. The coarse textured units increase northward in the source protection region, as does the baseflow and incidence of coldwater streams.

Natural Heritage

Terrestrial natural areas play important roles in source protection. They trap contaminants to cleanse surface and groundwater and are a vital link in the hydrological cycle. They also rely on clean, adequate water – generally from surface sources but sometimes from seepage areas and springs. Typical natural heritages include wetlands and forest areas. Wetlands utilize nutrients and tie up sediment to help improve water quality. Wetlands also act as natural sponges to absorb peak flows of water and reduce flooding. Many fish and wildlife species rely on wetlands for rearing their young, and for food and shelter.

Aquatic Ecology

The aquatic ecology in your watershed can tell you a lot about the quality of water in the systems and the effects that discharges of contaminants are having over a period of time. For instance, before the area became settled the rivers had more cold or cool water habitat maintained by springs and forest shade.
Except for riverbank erosion at meanders and gorges, complete ground cover minimized soil erosion and stream sediment. Today, species sensitive to warm water or sediment are severely limited by land use activities, turbidity and sedimentation, increased temperatures and modified hydrology.

The core aquatic ecology to review when investigating water quality:

Fisheries – Most of the fish in the watershed today are warm water species but some of the coldwater streams do support trout.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates – Narrow tolerance ranges of certain species of aquatic macroinvertebrates make them a valuable indicator of water quality.

Species and Habitats at Risk

Species and Habitats at Risk – The presence of threatened or rare aquatic species can suggest unique habitat characteristics.

There is a current list of aquatic species classified ‘at risk’ by the federal Species at Risk Act and the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley source protection areas / watersheds support many of these. As these species decline greater efforts are initiated to protect them and this can result in improved water quality.

Invasive Species – Some invasive species can affect water quality. They can negatively impact water quality by crowding out other native species. Examples include Round Goby and the Zebra mussel and Quagga mussel.

Human Characterization

To fully understand the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley watersheds, you’ll also need to consider how land is used.

That use may include:
Land uses and trends
Natural resource uses
Economic trends
Land uses and trends

All activities within the watershed have an impact on its natural resources.

Towns, homes, roads and factories modify the watershed and affect its natural resources.

The land-use activities associated with economic sectors such as manufacturing, mining, agriculture, construction, forestry, tourism and recreation, and other industries – including residential activities such as septic systems; private wells; and home heating oil – can all affect a watershed.

Changes in land use can lead to competing interests and even disagreements.

The population of the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley watersheds is approximately 105,000 with a majority of its residents being rural.

Natural resource uses

You may also find natural resources – including water – are used in many different ways in your watershed.

Municipalities and local industries use water. So do golf courses.

Farms also rely on water for irrigation and livestock.

Clean water supports fisheries and tourism.

Many people enjoy water for recreational uses like fishing, swimming and boating.

Water quality and quantity issues are important to the watershed’s stakeholders for public health, food production, economic health, recreation, habitat, and as a drinking water source.

Consider local, national, and international examples of water issues to underline the importance of water to the economy and public health.

Economic trends

A sound local economy is important to everyone with a stake in the watershed.

Agriculture remains the major economic foundation for communities in the watershed. Manufacturing is also significant as well as tourism, heritage, and culture. These industries are pillars of our local economy.

The attraction of Lake Huron – a Great Lake traditionally viewed as having relatively clean water for swimming – is a major driver of tourism and the addition of craft breweries and local wines are adding to the tourism draw.

Fish from Lake Huron are a delicacy for locals and tourists.

Good roads are also an attraction for people from outside the watershed to purchase property in the area and live, year-round or seasonally.

Those good roads have also provided ready access to Canadian and U.S. markets which has encouraged industry beyond agricultural support and processing.

For all these reasons, it is important to consider the local economy and ways to sustain or improve it through successful watershed management.

There has been a direct demonstration relation between the quality of the water in the lake and commerce. The cleanliness of streams and rivers flowing into Lake Huron can have a direct impact on the water quality in the lake – posing potential dangers to those swimming in the lake and threatening the tourism economy built around the lake.

Visit healthylakehuron.ca for the study on Determining the Economic Impact of Beaches: Lake Huron Shoreline from Sarnia to Tobermory.

Unit 3 – Our Watersheds

There are five core watersheds in the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley
region:
Ausable Watershed
Bayfield Watershed
Maitland Watershed
Nine Mile River Watershed
Shore Gullies and Streams Watersheds

Other main watersheds include Mud Creek and Parkhill Creek.

For the complete lists of watersheds visit mvca.on.ca and abca.ca for Watershed Report Cards.

Let’s get to know a little more about the watersheds in our area.

Ausable River Watershed

The first major watershed in the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley source protection region is the Ausable River watershed.

This basin includes the sub-watersheds of the Ausable River, Parkhill Creek, Mud Creek and Dune areaa.

The total area of the watershed is 1,233 square kilometres in the shape of a broad J.

Ausable gets its name from the shifting sands at its mouth.

Factors and characteristics of the Ausable River Watershed that have the potential to affect water quality include:
Rain or snowmelt normally runs quickly off the watershed’s clay soil, accelerated by numerous municipal drains.
Water can carry bacteria, nutrients and/or chemicals from septic tanks, off of lawns, fields, and industrial lands and parking lots as well as institutional sources.
Water running off of land can carry pollutants – including chemicals and pathogens such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria – to creeks and streams, rivers, groundwater, and Lake Huron.
Less natural vegetation remains to filter out contaminants.

Hay Swamp is a valuable exception in terms of natural cover.

Once each storm passes, without sand and gravel deposits that can release cold, clear groundwater and without storage wetlands, streams dwindle.

River diversions at The Cut and Grand Bend protect the Old Ausable Channel, in Pinery Provincial Park and area, from upstream contamination.

(However, more study may be required about potential threats to the water quality in the Channel’s unique ecosystem. Please look at the Old Ausable Channel OAC Long-Term Management Plan at abca.ca).

Visit the Fisheries and Oceans Canada web pages for the proposed Ausable River Action Plan.

The forest in the Ausable Gorge prevents erosion and is an important wilderness remnant. The flats downstream of the Gorge were once a huge pool of water – cut off from the river – behind the dunes. It trapped the river’s natural nutrients to nurture the only large marshes along eastern Lake Huron. Now drained and cleared, some spring flooding still occurs and marshes could be restored.

The dunes beyond Highway 21 support much of the remaining Oak Savanna woodland to be found in North America. Their sands are easily disturbed and warrant strict protection.

Watershed residents obtain their water from groundwater or from the surface supply, drawn from Lake Huron with treatment. Most wells are drilled into the high-yielding bedrock aquifers but some tap the sand and gravel layers in the overburden.

Most of the area’s groundwater is protected from contamination by deep clay deposits above the aquifers but a few shallow more vulnerable areas occur.
Sinkholes are extremely susceptible. They develop where shallow overburden collapses into holes dissolved in bedrock. Then surface water can flow straight into the aquifer with no chance to filter out pollutants.

Where shallow groundwater aquifers occur in surface sand and gravel deposits, they often feed streams. These aquifers are vulnerable. Cottage septic systems in the dunes – if not properly maintained – could readily leak into groundwater that supplies many shallow wells or can feed Lake Huron.

Beaches are sometimes posted with advisories.

Bayfield River Watershed

Please review the watershed plans developed by local communities in the Main Bayfield and Bayfield North (Gullies) watersheds. Those plans are available online at abca.ca.

The Bayfield River Watershed is 497 square kilometres (Malone, 2003) flowing east to west and entering Lake Huron at Bayfield.

The basin has an almost rectangular shape pinched off at both the upper and lower ends.

Factors and characteristics of the Bayfield River watershed that affect water quality:
Rain or snowmelt runs quickly off the upper watershed’s clay soil, accelerated by numerous municipal drains.
Water can carry bacteria, nutrients and/or chemicals from septic tanks, farms, homes or industries. Storms flush the pollutants down to Lake Huron if there are not enough barriers to manage water running off of land during storm events.
There is little natural vegetation remaining to filter out contaminants.
Once each storm passes, without sand and gravel deposits that can release cold, clear groundwater and without storage wetlands, streams dwindle.

Downstream of Clinton, the situation changes markedly. The landscape includes forests lining most stream banks.

The abundant surface aquifer in a gravelly spillway deposited by a large glacial melt water river discharges clear cold water into Trick’s Creek and wetland. The wetland filters contaminants from overland flow to help keep the creek clean.

Trick’s Creek pours into the Bayfield, swelling its flow and boosting its quality to the point of supporting trout.

Bannockburn Creek flows in through the same spillway from the south and functions similarly to Trick’s Creek but with much less volume and effect.
Although the Bayfield’s augmented flow dilutes its upstream contaminant load, the river is one way pollutants can be carried to the lake where they often close beaches.

The lower Bayfield Valley gorge supports a large, rich forest – a valuable legacy of the lush pre-settlement ecosystems.

Watershed residents obtain their water from groundwater or the surface supply, Lake Huron, with treatment. Most wells are drilled into the high-yielding bedrock aquifers but some tap the sand and gravel layers in the overburden.

Most of the area’s groundwater is protected from contamination by deep clay deposits above the aquifers. The shallow water systems are very susceptible to contamination, especially surface water contamination because it doesn’t have a chance to filter through the soil.

Sinkholes are extremely susceptible. They develop where shallow overburden collapses into holes dissolved in bedrock. Then surface water can flow straight into the aquifer with no or little chance to filter out pollutants.

Where shallow groundwater aquifers occur in the surface sand and gravel, they often feed streams. These aquifers are vulnerable to contamination.

Maitland River Watershed

The Maitland watershed is 2,572 square kilometres and is the largest of the five main watershed units. It includes the South, Middle and Little Maitland River tributaries. The main stem can be divided into the North and Lower Maitland Rivers. The Maitland River is 150 km long and falls 235 m to Lake Huron at Goderich.

Factors and characteristics of the Maitland River watershed that affect water quality:
Rain or snowmelt runs quickly off the South Maitland and Middle Maitland watersheds’ clay soil, accelerated by numerous municipal drains. Some very flat sections flood.
The water can carry bacteria, nutrients and chemicals from individuals and businesses and activities such as septic systems, storage and application of pesticides, fertilizers, and nutrients, etc.
The Maitland watershed has the most livestock manure per acre in Canada and there is little natural vegetation remaining in the clay plain portions of the watershed to filter out contaminants.
Hullett Marsh dikes protect the wildlife area but hinder its filter and flow moderation roles for the South Maitland. Once each storm passes, without sand and gravel deposits that can release cold, clear groundwater and without storage wetlands, streams dwindle.

The rest of the Maitland watershed and downstream sections of the South and Middle Maitland basins have coarser soils and slopes associated with glacial meltwater rivers and moraines. More water percolates down and is gradually released; more forests and wetlands remain to filter contaminants. Streams have higher, cleaner and colder flows and healthier biota. Flooding is more infrequent and localized – for example, near Wingham where the Middle, Little and North Maitland Rivers meet.

An abundant surface aquifer in a large glacial spillway discharges clear cold water into Sharpe’s Creek and Saratoga Swamp. The wetland filters contaminants from overland flow to help keep the creek clean.

A number of permanently-flowing cold-water streams pour into the lower Maitland River, including Sharpe’s Creek, Belgrave Creek and Blyth Brook, swelling its flow.

Although the Maitland’s augmented flow dilutes its upstream contaminant load, the river still carries those pollutants to the lake where they often post information at beaches.

The lower Maitland Valley gorge supports a large, rich forest that controls erosion.

Watershed residents obtain their water predominantly from groundwater with approximately 10 per cent from the surface supply, Lake Huron with treatment.
Most wells are drilled into the high-yielding bedrock aquifers but some tap the sand and gravel layers in the overburden.

Most of the area’s groundwater is protected from contamination by deep clay deposits above the aquifers but a few shallow more vulnerable areas occur near Brussels.

Sinkholes are extremely susceptible. They develop where shallow overburden collapses into holes dissolved in bedrock. Then surface water can flow straight into the aquifer with no chance to filter out pollutants.

Where shallow groundwater aquifers occur in the surface sand and gravel, they often feed streams.

These aquifers are vulnerable to contamination and are common in the North Maitland.

Nine Mile River Watershed

The Nine Mile River watershed covers 243 square kilometres. It has a wide rectangular upper portion connected to the lake with a narrow “handle” that outlets into Lake Huron at Port Albert.

Factors and characteristics of the Nine Mile River watershed that affect water quality:
Clear, cold groundwater released by the surface aquifer of the large glacial spillway and Kame moraine maintains Nine Mile River’s excellent condition.
Forests line the river system and filter contaminants from runoff.
The Nine Mile River watershed has the highest proportion of wetland and forest.
Poorly-drained soils are infrequent so few municipal drains disrupt natural flows.

The river supports a valuable trout fishery.

The confluence of Anderson Creek, Dickies Creek, Ackert Drain/Kinloss Creek at Lucknow causes occasional flooding.

Watershed residents obtain their water from groundwater. Most wells are drilled into the high-yielding bedrock aquifers but some, like Lucknow’s, tap the sand and gravel layers in the overburden.

Most of the area’s deep groundwater is protected from contamination by the deep overburden and clay deposits above the aquifers. But the watershed’s important shallow groundwater aquifers in the surface sand and gravel are vulnerable to contamination.

Shore Gullies and Streams Watersheds

The total area of the shore gullies and stream watershed unit is 692 square kilometres.

It includes the basins of all the short streams flowing into Lake Huron from just north of Grand Bend to Eighteen Mile River.

They are numerous – the Maitland alone has 145.

The basin of each stream tends to be narrow and most are parallel, flowing westward and carving down to lake level.

Streams are usually about six to eight kilometres long.

The unit forms a very long narrow strip along the shore, interrupted only by the narrow outlet valleys of the larger basins.

Factors and characteristics of the Shore, Gullies and Streams watersheds that have the potential to affect water quality:
The numerous short shore streams are often parallel, cutting deep gullies down to the lake. Their clay soils, short length, tiled fields, straightened channels, and steep near shore gradients combine to cause very fast storm runoff. The water may carry bacteria and nutrients from sources such as faulty septic systems, activities such as storage or application of pesticides; fertilizers, and nutrients.
Little natural vegetation remains to filter out contaminants.
Once each storm passes, without sand and gravel deposits that can release cold, clear groundwater and without storage wetlands, most streams dry up.

A few exceptions, like Boundary and Gully creeks, extend to groundwater-rich coarse glacial deposits of the Wyoming Moraine.

These creeks have much more forest cover and better stream quality – Gully Creek reaches coldwater status important for fish.

Boundary Creek benefits from Saratoga Wetland in its headwaters.

The shore cliffs naturally erode; the sediment washes south to maintain the dunes and beaches beyond Grand Bend. For their safety, residences and seasonal residences and their septic systems must be set back from the bluffs.

For those watershed residents who obtain their water from Lake Huron, the extension of Lake Huron water supply pipelines and the conversion of cottages to year-round residences placed a heavier use on septic systems, sometimes beyond their design.

Clay soils have limited treatment capacity.

Sewage can seep from gully slopes and shore cliffs and immediately reach the shore.

SECTION THREE

Other Resources

Please visit sourcewaterinfo.on.ca for these documents:

Source Protection Plans – Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield

Assessment Reports – Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield

Terms of Reference – Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield

Watershed Report Cards – Maitland Valley Conservation

Watershed Report Cards – Ausable Bayfield Conservation

Watershed Characterization

Watershed Description Report (Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley Partnership, 2006)

Websites:

Pollution Probe

B.C. Watershed Plans

Ohio Source Protection Planning

Saskatchewan Source Protection

U.S. EPA Estuary Program

The Source Water Protection Primer, Pollution Probe.

Information here is provisional, subject to change, and posted for local information and education purposes. For current information visit Ontario.ca and sourcewaterinfo.on.ca. We would like to acknowledge the support of the Government of Ontario. Such support does not indicate endorsement of the contents of this material.