ABCA Board of Directors approves updated Accessibility Policy and Plan
The Board of Directors of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) approved an updated and more fulsome Accessibility Policy and Plan at its February 17, 2022 meeting.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is committed to ensuring equal access and participation for people with disabilities and treating people with disabilities in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence.
ABCA believes in integration and is committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner. This will be done by removing and preventing barriers to accessibility and meeting our accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and Ontario’s accessibility laws.
The ABCA is committed to building an inclusive society that values the contributions of people with disabilities. It is committed to providing an accessible environment in which people with disabilities can access the ABCA’s goods, services, and facilities, including buildings, public spaces, information and communications, in a way that meets their individual needs.
ABCA is committed to the identification, removal and prevention of accessibility barriers, including attitudinal, systemic, information, communications and technology, and built environment and physical barriers.
While many practices are already in place, we can always do more to serve. In 2022, there will be improvements to printed material, website material, and customer service.
Check out the accessibility page on our website for the complete Accessibility Policy and Plan.
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Signs and Sounds of Spring
As the days get longer we begin to see (and hear) the first sounds of spring. In Ausable Bayfield watersheds, the first warm nights of March and April signal the beginning of mating season for Ontario’s frogs and toads.
Spring Peepers, Chorus Frogs, and Wood Frogs are among the first species to start making sounds in spring and the best place to hear them is your local wetland!
To learn more about local frog species and to identify their calls, visit this website:
Wetlands are areas of land that are wet for all, or a portion, of the year. Wetlands tend to have soils that drain poorly and support water-loving plants such as Cattails, Sedges, Rushes, Blue Flag Iris, Willows, and Dogwoods.
Wetlands filter water, help to remove contaminants and capture carbon. At Ausable Bayfield Conservation, the Healthy Watersheds department works with municipalities and landowners to enhance, create and restore wetland areas. This provides valuable habitat for waterfowl, as well as more than 600 species of plants and animals, some of which are species at risk.
Wetlands are one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems in Ontario and can even help with groundwater recharge. They collect surface water and allow it to percolate down through soil and rock to enter an underground aquifer.
This year, the Healthy Watersheds department is in the process of designing 12 wetland restorations which will help us reach a very special milestone.
Stay tuned to find out more!
The photo at top shows a Wood Frog. The photos below show a wetland restoration project in our watershed and a Spring Peeper.
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Groundwater Awareness Week
Our southern neighbours at The Groundwater Foundation and National Ground Water Association (NGWA) are celebrating Groundwater Awareness Week from March 6-12, 2022.
They encourage:
- Use of native plants
- Reduced chemical use
- Managing waste
- Shutting off water when not in use
- Fixing the drip
- Washing smarter
- Using water wisely
- Finding natural alternatives
- The three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle)
- Learning and doing more!
Find out more:
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It's Groundwater Awareness Week from March 6-12, 2022.
Learn about groundwater, and protecting this drinking water source, in this video.
Watch the video now:
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Dine for Your Community
The #VirtualConservationDinner online auction begins on Thursday, March 31, 2022 and ends on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 9 p.m.
On certain dates of that online auction week, a number of generous local partner restaurants are offering special feature fundraising dinners with proceeds to community projects of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and Exeter Lions Club.
For some of the restaurants that are offering these meals, and for other restaurants as they are announced, please visit the Dine for Your Community page here:
Even though we won't all be together in one hall in 2022 to raise funds for the community you can still support needed local projects (like conservation education, recreation, trails, job experiences and bursaries for youth, community habitat projects for aquatic species, etc.) through your donations of funds or auction items, your online auction bids, and your support of partner restaurants on feature dinner days.
Thank you for your support!
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Conservation Authorities Act Update
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) works with municipalities, landowners and the community to provide a comprehensive suite of programs and services to protect, improve, conserve and restore the watershed.
Ontario Regulation 687/21: Transition Plans and Agreements for Programs and Services under Section 21.1.2 of the Conservation Authorities Act requires each conservation authority to complete an inventory of programs and services.
This document lists all the programs and services the conservation authority is providing as of February 28, 2022, and intends to provide after February 28, 2022.
It has been provided to the member municipalities and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
The complete document and background information is available on the ABCA’s Conservation Authorities Act web page.
ABCA has also submitted comments to the Province of Ontario on the Phase 2 Regulations related to municipal levy regulations and user fees.
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Local agencies meet for Flood Emergency Planning
Community Emergency Management Coordinators among more than 30 participants at annual Flood Emergency Planning Meeting held virtually in 2022
More than 30 people, including municipal Community Emergency Management Coordinators; local public health; police; and municipal personnel, took part in the annual Flood Emergency Planning Meeting.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) hosted the meeting, virtually, on February 22, 2022. A link to recordings of presentations to the meeting is on the Ausable Bayfield Conservation YouTube channel.
Davin Heinbuck, ABCA Water Resources Coordinator, outlined ABCA’s Flood Emergency Plan and the roles and responsibilities of the conservation authority, municipalities, and the Province of Ontario (through the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry).
He also outlined the different levels of flood messages including Watershed Conditions Statements – Flood Outlook and Water Safety; Shoreline Conditions Statements (for flooding and erosion); Flood Watches; and Flood Warnings. To learn more visit the flood messages page.
The three most common types of flood events in ABCA watersheds are heavy rains; rain and snowmelt; and ice jams, he said. There has also been coastal flooding along Lake Huron’s shoreline especially during the recent period of relatively high lake levels near record highs or at record monthly high levels. He also provided an overview of recent watershed conditions.
Ross Wilson, ABCA Water and Soils Resource Coordinator, provided an overview of the history, design and operations of the Parkhill Dam. He said the dam and diversion channel are integral parts of flood management on Parkhill Creek. About one third of the acreage in the Parkhill Creek Watershed has been protected by the dam since its creation in 1969, he said. ABCA staff are active in operation, maintenance, repair and monitoring of the dam structures which help to protect downstream infrastructure, and Parkhill properties, during flood events.
Tommy Kokas, ABCA Water Resources Engineer, reviewed flood events and responses in 2021. He focused on the watershed’s major flooding event of last year which was a heavy rainfall event in September. He said that event was a large and slow-moving low-pressure system which drew in warm moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. It brought heavy rains to the ABCA watershed in a short period of time.
Precipitation totals averaged between 90 and 130 millimetres (mm) in a 24-hour period and the Parkhill area received record streamflow. The heavy and intense rains, combined with saturated soil conditions, caused flash flooding of fields and washouts on some local roads. Riverine flooding resulted in some road closures and staff operated Parkhill Dam for six days.
New video describes role of snowpack monitoring in flood program
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority has created a new video about the monitoring of snowpack density and the importance of this snow survey data to the Flood Forecasting and Warning program.
The video features ABCA staff conducting the monitoring of the snowpack including measurement of the water equivalent in the snowpack.
The video also explains how this snow course data is needed (along with water level, weather, and precipitation data) for flood forecasting and warning for municipalities and agencies.
The snow monitoring answers questions such as:
- How deep is the snow?
- How much water is in it?
- How much water can it hold?
The snowpack monitoring video is posted to social media channels including Facebook and Ausable Bayfield Conservation’s YouTube channel.
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World Water Day is Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
The theme for World Water Day in 2022 is: Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible.
In Ausable Bayfield watersheds, groundwater is one of the main sources of drinking water.
Learn about local municipalities where groundwater is the drinking source:
Watch for social media posts, from Ausable Bayfield Conservation, about groundwater, leading up to, and on, #WorldWaterDay
Groundwater may be 'out of sight' but it can't be out of mind.
Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater.
Groundwater is under our feet in aquifers. It is invisible but its impact is everywhere.
Groundwater will become more critical as our climate continues to change. We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource.
Groundwater quality is monitored once per year at 14 monitoring wells within the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) watershed area.
Be sure to test private drinking wells regularly ...
... even if your area monitoring well receives an A grade for groundwater in the Watershed Report Card:
World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance which started in 1993.
It focuses on the importance of water.
It is coordinated by UN-Water.
Learn more here:
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