The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) is an inter-municipal environmental protection and advisory agency that works with local municipalities, government agencies, special interest groups and the general public to protect the natural resources of the Rideau River

Rideau River

thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...

 watershed. The watershed drains an area of over 4,000 square kilometres of Eastern Ontario and includes towns such as Portland, Perth

Perth, Ontario

Perth is a town in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada . It is located on the Tay River, 83 km southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County.-History:...

, Smith Falls

Smith Falls

Smith Falls, at 63 feet , is the highest waterfall in the state of Nebraska. Located 18 miles east of Valentine, the falls is part of Smith Falls State Park and is adjacent to the Niobrara National Scenic River...

, Merrickville, Kemptville, and Manotick. About 620,000 live in the watershed, mostly deriving from the City of Ottawa

City of Ottawa

The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws...

. There are 18 municipalities within the valley and most people, outside of Ottawa, draw their drinking water from the river or from groundwater.

The mission of the RVCA is to have clean drinking water, natural shorelines, and sustainable land use throughout the Rideau Valley watershed.