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Rideau Waterway

State of the River 2005-2006

Rideau Waterway, Ontario
Designated 2000

Rideau Valley Conservation Authority update:

Several ongoing and new CA initiatives are helping to maintain/improve the heritage river values (environmental) of the Rideau Waterway including-

  • Ongoing negotiation with ten contributing agencies to harmonize environmental management on the Lower Rideau (the Lower Rideau Watershed Strategy), Burritts Rapids to Rideau Falls
  • Planting of 140,000 new trees in the watershed
  • 72 clean water projects completed including shoreline  buffers, system repairs, livestock fencing, and well decommissioning
  • the early stages of the Rideau Lakes Watershed Planning process are underway
  • nearly 20 km of neglected Ottawa streams and creeks were assessed and recorded under the City Stream Watch program
  • RVCA and Ducks Unlimited received a visionary gift of 37 acres of Rideau shoreline/wetland in the City of Ottawa from Dr Ron Curtis
  • Watershed Watch program recorded the water quality details of 22 lakes in the Rideau system as baseline information for future trends
  • second Annual Childrens’ Water Festival was held at Baxter Conservation Area near Kars (participation 1000 grade 4 kids)
  • Lake Management Planning Program to provide professional assistance to lake associations was established on the Tay with help from Ontario Trillium Foundation
  • Generic Regulations in Ontario administered by CAs will mean more protection for valley lands and provincially significant wetlands
  • Source Water Protection (also an Ontario government project administered by CAs) is underway with huge technical studies on how the watershed works, water budgets, watershed characterization and identification of threats to the quality and quantity of source water in the Rideau and Cataraqui watersheds

Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority update:

  • Contact: Karla Maki-Esdon 613-546-4228 ext 226

Rideau Canal, Parks Canada update:

  • Contact:  Dave Ballinger 613-283-0677
  • 175th preparations
  • designation of Rideau Waterway as World Heritage Site pending