Watershed Documents
Terms of Reference
Beaverdams and Shriners Creek Phase One-Final
Copies of this document are available for review at the Thorold Public Library (Main Branch) and the Niagara Falls Public Library (Victoria Avenue Branch & MacBain Community Centre Branch) and forward comments to Tara Metzger at tmetzger@npca.ca
Introduction
The Regional Municipality of Niagara (RMN), Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) and the Ministry of the Environment formed a partnership to develop the foundation of a comprehensive water protection strategy for Niagara’s watersheds. The result of this partnership was the Niagara Water Quality Protection Strategy (RMN 2003), now known as the Niagara Water Strategy (NWS) (2006) The NWS is a multijurisdictional strategy that guides respective stakeholders on best management and protection strategies for Niagara’s water-dependant resources. The strategy has
identified the need to manage Niagara’s watersheds in such a manner as to “sustain healthy rural and urban communities in harmony with a natural environment, and rich in species diversity”.
The Provincial Policy Statement (Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing 2005), issued under the Planning Act, includes policies whereby planning authorities shall protect, improve or restore the quality and quantity of water by using the watershed as an ecologically meaningful scale for land use planning. The Beaverdams and Shriners Creek Watershed Plan will make recommendations to planning authorities, interest groups and landowners on the best way to protect, improve and restore water quality and quantity in the land use planning process as well as recommend a restoration
program and associated strategies to achieve the NWS (RMN 2006) vision. A Watershed Plan is a proactive document created cooperatively by government agencies and the community to manage the water, land/water interactions, aquatic life and aquatic resources within a particular watershed to protect the health of the ecosystem as land uses change. The Beaverdams and Shriners Creek Watershed Plan will provide strategies to allow the community to care for water resources, natural
heritage, settlement and agriculture in the context of land use planning documents (e.g., Official Plans). It will also provide strategies for implementing watershed initiatives and specify who is responsible for remedial actions outside of the land use planning process (e.g., restoration opportunities on public and private lands). The Beaverdams and Shriners Creek Watershed Plan will generally follow the process described in Water Management on a Watershed Basis: Implementing an Ecosystem Approach, (Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Ministry of Natural Resources 1993).
The Beaverdams and Shriners Creek Watershed Plan study area includes Local Management Areas 1.9 and 2.11 as identified in the NWS (RMN 2006). The study area falls within the municipal boundaries of the City of Thorold, City of Niagara Falls, and small portions of the City of St. Catharines, Town of Niagara on the Lake and Town of Pelham. The subwatersheds that form the Beaverdams and Shriners Creek Watershed Plan study area include Shriners Creek, Beaverdams Creek, Ten Mile Creek and Welland Canal North.
The most prominent features in the study area include the Niagara Escarpment, which bisects the study area in an east-west orientation, and the Welland Canal, which intersects in a north-south orientation.
Figure 1
The topography of the study area varies throughout the watershed. The Fonthill Kame in south western portion of the study area rises above 170 meters above sea level, while the topography of the remaining southern portion of the watershed is relatively flat. Slopes of varying steepness are found along the escarpment, but the remainder of the northern portion of the watershed is a relatively flat plain that slopes gently towards Lake Ontario.
Landuse in the study area is predominantly agriculture with a focus on grain and oilseed
production. Limited greenhouse production and specialty crop production is also present in the study area. One major concentration of urban land uses (residential, commercial, industrial) falls within the City of Niagara Falls with smaller concentrations in Fonthill and St. Catharines.
The hydrological network of the study area is complex. Ten Mile Creek, Shriners Creek and small tributaries of the Welland Canal North subwatershed all outlet to the Welland Canal which drains north into Lake Ontario; however, Beaverdams Creek on the east side of the Welland Canal outlets to Lake Gibson on the west side of the canal through a siphon and a flushing culvert that is operated by the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority.
Water quality is monitored at six stations (chemical and biological) in the watershed; 2 stations are located in Shriners Creek, 3 stations in Beaverdams Creek and one station along the western side of the Welland Canal at the headwaters of Lake Gibson. Water quality sampling was initiated in April 2008 and samples are collected on a monthly basis during the ice-free season. Samples are analyzed for several parameters including nutrients, metals, bacteria, suspended solids and general chemistry. Benthic macroinvertebrate samples are collected using the Biological Monitoring and Assessment Program (BioMAP) protocol, and are typically collected twice a year; once in spring and once in fall.
Fish habitat falls into 1 of 3 categories in Niagara; critical (Type 1), important (Type 2) and marginal (Type 3) fish habitat. Habitat type is based on the sensitivity and significance of current or potential habitats in a water body. The majority of the watercourses in the Beaverdams and Shriners Creek watershed have been delineated as important (Type 2) fish habitat according to the Ministry of Natural Resources stream classification data. These areas include feeding areas for adult fish, unspecialized spawning areas and require a moderate level of protection. In addition, these areas are considered the most suitable for enhancement or restoration. The Welland Canal has been classed as marginal (Type 3) fish habitat. Marginal fish habitats are highly degraded and do not contribute directly to fish productivity. Examples of marginal fish
habitat include channelized streams and artificially created watercourses.
There is one municipal drain in the study area; Singers Drain on the west side of the canal. Singers Drain has been classified as Type E under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans municipal drain classification system. This classification system is based on such variables as flow conditions, temperature, fish species present, and the length of time since the drain was cleaned out. Type E drains are permanent warm water systems with top predators present. These watercourses are sensitive to maintenance activities which are evaluated on a project to project basis to determine if the effects of maintenance can be mitigated.
Natural heritage features in the study area include over 200 hectares of provincially significant wetland; one regionally significant Area of Natural and Scientific Interest; numerous old growth heritage trees; and over 125 hectares of significant woodlands. In addition, 14 federally listed Species at Risk and 13 provincially rare species of flora and fauna have been identified in the study area by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The Beaverdams and Shriners Creek Watershed Plan study area offers numerous recreational opportunities throughout the watershed including the Welland Canal for rowing and walking, 3 campgrounds, 2 driving ranges, 2 golf courses and numerous biking and hiking trails, including the Bruce Trail for hiking along the Niagara Escarpment.
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