Watershed Report Card

Lake Erie is under stress. The Lake Erie basin is surrounded
by over 11 million people and is dominated by urbanization
and agriculture. While Lake Erie’s health suffers from
multiple issues such as climate change and invasive
aquatic species, the rising proportion of dissolved
reactive and total phosphorus is seen as the primary
cause of this decline.

In 2008, Kettle Creek Conservation Authority (KCCA) released its first ever Watershed Report Card. This initial Report creates a benchmark for the public and for KCCA from which to set goals and objectives for improvement. The follow-up report card was released in 2013 which revealed that the KCCA watershed was maintaining a solid C average with respect to surface water quality, forest conditions and groundwater quality.

Future Watershed Report Cards – to be released every five years, with yearly updates – will show trends, positive or negative change over time or if a particular indicator has remained stable. In this way, the Report Card is not only a communication tool but a management tool allowing staff to target funding dollars to stewardship projects for optimal results.

Dodd Creek Subwatershed

Dodd Creek is the largest tributary to the main branch of Kettle Creek. As such, it is a highly important natural feature located in an extensively agricultural subwatershed. As a result, this relatively flat clay plain has very few natural areas and even fewer wetlands.

Priority stewardship activities in the Dodd Creek subwatershed must focus on erosion prevention, wetland and riparian restoration and drain maintenance.

Upper Kettle Creek Subwatershed

The headwaters of the Kettle Creek watershed originate at Lake Whittaker, an 11-hectare groundwater-fed kettle lake which is the jewel of Lake Whittaker Conservation Area. Historically, this lake suffers from poor water quality stemming from low levels of dissolved oxygen and high levels of phosphorus in the water column and trapped in the sediment.

Environmental issues and restoration needs for the subwatershed include: erosion prevention, invasive species control, protection and creation of wetlands, source water protection and reforestation.

Lower Kettle Creek Subwatershed

The Lower Kettle Creek subwatershed is characterized by predominantly sandy soils resulting in higher groundwater recharge capabilities than the other subwatersheds. The Lower Kettle Creek subwatershed also has the highest amount of forest cover and the lowest number of municipal drains.

Similar to the Upper Kettle Creek subwatershed, the top environmental priorities for the subwatershed are erosion prevention, protection and creation of wetlands, source water protection and reforestation.

Watershed Report Card 2013

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