Grand River Conservation Authority
Encyclopedia
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is a conservation authority in Ontario
, Canada
. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It is a corporate body, through which municipalities, landowners and other organizations work cooperatively to manage the Grand River
watershed and natural resources within it.
Created in 1932, the GRCA is the oldest water management agency in Canada. It is one of 36 conservation authorities in Ontario and is a member of Conservation Ontario
.
The GRCA also owns and manages many conservation areas, parks and trails within the watershed.
provided transportation, water supply, and waterpower attracting settlement to the valley in the 1800s. The combined deforestation and urban settlement aggravated flood and drought conditions.
A main part of the Grand River's course flows through the Carolinian
life zone, which contains a southern type of forest that is found only in this area of Canada. A wide variety of rare plants and animals are found here.
The water quality in the river started to deteriorate to the point where it was a major public health
concern. To deal with these problems, a group of eight municipalities came together in 1934 to form the Grand River Conservation Commission. The Commission completed the Shand Dam, the first multi-purpose dam in Canada in 1942. It was built for flood control and the low flow augmentation to improve water quality during the dry summer months. The Commission also started planting trees to re-vegetate the landscape along the river.
Prior to World War II
, renewable natural resources were exploited to encourage economic and industrial expansion and growth. As a result of public concern over the state of the environment in Ontario
, the Province passed the Conservation Authorities Act, 1946. The Act was based on three main principles:
The Grand River Conservation Authority is a corporate body established to enable municipalities to jointly undertake water and natural resource management on a watershed basis - for the benefit of all.
The broad goal of all conservation authorities in Ontario is specified in Section 20 of the Conservation Authorities Act:
Under the terms of the Act, the Grand Valley Conservation Authority was formed in 1948. This allowed all watershed municipalities to work collaboratively to address a broad range of resource management issues.
The practicality of two conservation organizations operating in the same watershed was closely scrutinized in the 1960s. To avoid potential conflict over roles and responsibilities and to eliminate duplication of programs the Grand River Conservation Authority was established in 1966 through the amalgamation of the Grand River Conservation Commission and the Grand Valley Conservation Authority.
Passive
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It is a corporate body, through which municipalities, landowners and other organizations work cooperatively to manage the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
watershed and natural resources within it.
Created in 1932, the GRCA is the oldest water management agency in Canada. It is one of 36 conservation authorities in Ontario and is a member of Conservation Ontario
Conservation Ontario
Conservation Ontario is the umbrella organization which represents all of the conservation authorities in Ontario. This nonprofit organization was founded in 1980/81...
.
The GRCA also owns and manages many conservation areas, parks and trails within the watershed.
History
The Grand RiverGrand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
provided transportation, water supply, and waterpower attracting settlement to the valley in the 1800s. The combined deforestation and urban settlement aggravated flood and drought conditions.
A main part of the Grand River's course flows through the Carolinian
Carolinian
-Languages:*The Carolinian language, an Austronesian language spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean-People:*A person from the Carolinas...
life zone, which contains a southern type of forest that is found only in this area of Canada. A wide variety of rare plants and animals are found here.
The water quality in the river started to deteriorate to the point where it was a major public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
concern. To deal with these problems, a group of eight municipalities came together in 1934 to form the Grand River Conservation Commission. The Commission completed the Shand Dam, the first multi-purpose dam in Canada in 1942. It was built for flood control and the low flow augmentation to improve water quality during the dry summer months. The Commission also started planting trees to re-vegetate the landscape along the river.
Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, renewable natural resources were exploited to encourage economic and industrial expansion and growth. As a result of public concern over the state of the environment in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the Province passed the Conservation Authorities Act, 1946. The Act was based on three main principles:
- Initiative for the establishment and support of a conservation authority must come from the local people (all watershed municipalities).
- The best unit for dealing with renewable resource conservation is the watershed.
- If initiative and support were shown locally, the Ontario government would provide technical advice and financial assistance in the form of grants.
The Grand River Conservation Authority is a corporate body established to enable municipalities to jointly undertake water and natural resource management on a watershed basis - for the benefit of all.
The broad goal of all conservation authorities in Ontario is specified in Section 20 of the Conservation Authorities Act:
The objects of the Authority are to establish and undertake in the area over which it has jurisdiction, a program designed to further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources other than gas, oil, coal and minerals. (RSO 1990, c. 27)
Under the terms of the Act, the Grand Valley Conservation Authority was formed in 1948. This allowed all watershed municipalities to work collaboratively to address a broad range of resource management issues.
The practicality of two conservation organizations operating in the same watershed was closely scrutinized in the 1960s. To avoid potential conflict over roles and responsibilities and to eliminate duplication of programs the Grand River Conservation Authority was established in 1966 through the amalgamation of the Grand River Conservation Commission and the Grand Valley Conservation Authority.
Conservation Areas
Active- Apps’ Mill Conservation Area
- Belwood Lake Conservation Area
- Brant Conservation Area
- Byng Island Conservation Area
- Conestogo Lake Conservation Area
- Elora GorgeElora Gorge-External links:* * ** * *...
Conservation Area - Elora Quarry Conservation Area
- Guelph LakeGuelph LakeGuelph Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Speed River, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa. It is located upriver and slightly northeast of the city of Guelph, Ontario. The reservoir was created in 1974, with the construction of the Guelph Lake dam...
Conservation Area - Laurel Creek Conservation Area
- Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area
- Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area
- Rockwood Conservation Area
- Shade's Mills Conservation Area
Passive
- Bannister Lake Conservation Area
- Chesny Conservation Area
- Chilligo Conservation Area
- Dumfries Conservation Area
- Puslinch Tract Conservation Area
- Starkey HillStarkey HillStarkey Hill is the highest point in Puslinch Township, southwestern Ontario and is located southeast of Guelph, Ontario. The property is currently owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority and sports a 4 km loop hiking trail. Parking and access to the trail is located off Arkell Rd., 1...
Conservation Area - Taquanyah Conservation Area
- Wrigley Lake Conservation Area
Other
- The Arboretum, University of GuelphUniversity of GuelphThe University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
- Avon Trail
- Blue Springs Creek Wetland Complex
- CambridgeCambridge, OntarioCambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
-ParisParis, OntarioParis, Ontario is a community on the Grand River in Ontario, Canada. The town was established in 1850. In 1999, its town government was amalgamated into that of the County of Brant, Ontario, thus ending about 149 years as a separate incorporated municipality.-History:The town was first settled in...
Trail - City of Cambridge Trails
- Chicopee Park, KitchenerKitchener, OntarioThe City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
- Chilligo Restoration Area, Cambridge
- Conestogo Dam
- Damascus Dam
- Dickson Wilderness Area
- Dunnville Marshes
- EloraElora, OntarioElora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture, its artistic community and the geographically significant Elora Gorge.-History:...
Cataract Trail - Emerald Lake Recreation Area
- Eramosa River Valley
- F.W.R. Dickson Wilderness Area
- Gordon Memorial Pathway, BrantfordBrantford, OntarioBrantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
- Grand River Forest
- Grand River Scenic Parkway
- Grand Valley
- Guelph DamGuelph LakeGuelph Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Speed River, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa. It is located upriver and slightly northeast of the city of Guelph, Ontario. The reservoir was created in 1974, with the construction of the Guelph Lake dam...
- Guelph Lake Rotary Forest
- Guelph Radial Line Trail
- Heritage Park
- Homer Watson Park
- Homer Watson Scenic Lookout
- HamiltonHamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
-BrantfordBrantford, OntarioBrantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
Trail - Idylwild ParkIdylwild ParkIdylwild Park was a park located on the Speed River in what is now Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It attracted people from across Southwestern Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe, via the Grand Trunk Railway and the Galt, Preston & Hespeler Street Railway....
, Cambridge - City of Kitchener Trails
- Kortright Waterfowl Park
- Laurel Creek Nature Centre
- Laurel Dam
- Lover's Leap Scenic Lookout
- Luther Dam
- Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area
- Mohawk Island National Wildlife Area
- Murray Overlook
- Paris-Brantford Trail
- St. George Camp Ground
- Shand Dam
- Spottiswood Lake
- Sudden Tract
- Taquanyah Nature Centre
- Walter Bean Trail
- City of WaterlooWaterloo, OntarioWaterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
Trails - Woolwich Dam
- Town of Woolwich Trails
External links
- Conservation Ontario
- Grand River Conservation Authority
- Conservation Authorities Act. R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER C.27. e-Laws. ServiceOntario. Government of Ontario.
- Conservation Authorities Act. R.R.O. 1990, REGULATION 106. CONSERVATION AREAS — GRAND RIVER. e-Laws. ServiceOntario. Government of Ontario.