Displaying items by tag: flood management

May 14, 2019 – As homeowners and municipalities look to clean up after another record flood on the Ottawa River, the need to prevent such damage from happening again and again is clear.

We don’t yet know how much the 2019 flood will cost, but we know it will be much more than prevention. Hundreds of homes were damaged, millions of sandbags were filled, residents were evacuated, public infrastructure was compromised, and military and government staff logged significant overtime. And don’t forget the incalculable loss of photo albums and family keepsakes floating in soggy basements, and the exhaustion of homeowners and volunteers fighting the rising water.

But it could have been worse. Without current regulations, more homes and businesses would have been built in the floodplain, meaning more buildings damaged and more people affected.

The good news is, prevention is possible and infinitely cheaper than recovery – all we have to do is invest in it.

Ottawa’s conservation authorities are a key part of preventing flood damage, as they’re responsible for mapping flood-prone areas, monitoring flood conditions, giving municipalities and residents advance warning, keeping infrastructure like berms, dikes and dams in good working order, and prohibiting new development in flood zones. They also require homeowners in the floodplain to floodproof their homes and septic systems when they rebuild, to prevent future damage.

They do all this on a pretty tight budget (even tighter now due to recent provincial cuts), with the support of their partner municipalities.

Conservation authorities also prevent floods by planting hundreds of thousands of trees each year and protecting critical wetlands to build natural flood resilience right into our communities. Forests and wetlands act like sponges, catching and storing runoff so it percolates slowly into waterways. Without forests and wetlands, rain and snowmelt would have nowhere to go but directly into rivers and lakes, swelling them faster and higher.

Flooding is a natural function, and it will happen more often as extreme weather intensifies. And when today’s flood waters recede and the memories of sandbag walls begin to fade, conservation authorities will need continued public and political support when we are directing development away from floodplains, requiring existing structures to be floodproofed and taking steps to protect forests and wetlands.

We need financial support from all levels of government to continue updating floodplain mapping, operating and maintaining water control structures and monitoring flood conditions. It’s also time for the three levels of government to have serious conversations about buy-out and relocation programs for homeowners in the path of floods.

Cancelling the provincial 50 Million Trees program, reducing conservation authority funding and any weakening of regulations aimed at protecting wetlands or floodplains will only lead to more flooding and millions or billions in damages down the road.

Taxpayers foot the bill when major floods damage communities. Supporting the work of conservation authorities and municipalities to protect people and property from flooding in the first place is much better bang for our buck.

By Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority

May 16, 2019 – The cancellation of the provincial 50 Million Trees program has generated a lot of conversation – and with good reason. As Ontario residents mop up from record flooding, and as climate change promises more intense weather to come, we need to be adding tree programs, not chopping them.

Trees are a vital part of a healthy environment: they clean our air, they create habitat, they capture carbon and they reduce runoff and erosion. They also help us fight floods like the one Ottawa saw this spring.

At the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), we’ve relied on the 50 Million Trees Program since 2007 to help us plant +200,000 seedlings every spring. Without it, we may find ourselves planting 20,000 trees instead of 200,000 – unless our generous community, corporate and individual supporters can help.

Under the program, landowners currently pay as low as $0.15 per tree, or $120 per acre, to reforest their retired farm fields and marginal lands. But without the provincial funding, tree planting will becoming unaffordable for many landowners and that will drastically reduce the number of trees being planted in the Rideau Valley watershed.

It will also mean local job losses. Our seedlings are grown at Ferguson Forestry Centre in Kemptville, which will face layoffs and financial losses because of the program cuts.

But all is not lost. We know there is an appetite in this community to work together to fight floods, combat climate change and make our community liveable now and in the future.

Donations, corporate sponsorships and community partnerships can save this cost-effective and successful tree planting program and continue growing a living legacy right here in our backyards.

And if we can do that, everybody wins.

To support the program, visit canadahelps.org or contact Diane Downey, executive director of the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation, a registered charity which supports the RVCA’s conservation and watershed management goals. She can be reached at or 613-692-3571 ext. 1126.

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June 3, 2019 — More of the Rideau Valley watershed will be mapped for flood risks and other hazards thanks to a new agreement between the City of Ottawa and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA).

Over the next three years, the RVCA will update existing hazard mapping reports and map new areas along four waterways inside the City’s boundaries: Mud Creek in Manotick, Stevens Creek in North Gower, Mosquito Creek in Riverside South and Monahan Drain in Kanata South.

Previously known as “floodplain mapping” or “regulations mapping,” these studies show areas that are prone to natural hazards such as flooding, erosion and unstable slopes. They will also map natural features such as wetlands.

“Current mapping in these areas is outdated or non-existent, making it difficult to ensure public safety, protect property and make sound planning decisions,” said Ferdous Ahmed, RVCA Senior Water Resources Engineer.

The City has provided funding and high-quality topographical information for the projects, allowing the conservation authority to move ahead with studies sooner than otherwise possible. The agreement builds on a previous collaboration that mapped 11 areas between 2012 and 2019.

Ottawa is beginning an Official Plan review this year, and these maps will help determine development boundaries and zoning overlays. They’ll also help the conservation authorities and municipality review development applications under the provincial Planning Act.

The RVCA is one of three conservation authorities collaborating with the City on new hazard reports. Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority and South Nation Conservation will complete similar projects in their watersheds under the new agreement.

Hazard mapping is the cornerstone of keeping people and property safe from floods, erosion and unstable slopes. The studies will use contemporary methods of hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, historical records of stream flow and/or water levels, and the most up-to-date topographical data to produce updated estimates of the 1:100 year flood line and erosion and steep slope zones.

Historical records of past flood events, news clippings, photographs, and even anecdotal stories and memories can help confirm the reasonableness of calculations and resulting hazard mapping. Local residents with this kind of information are encouraged to share their knowledge with RVCA’s Ferdous Ahmed, (613-692-3571, 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1170 or ).

Once the technical work is completed and the maps have been prepared, open houses will be held in nearby communities to collect public feedback. Any new information or comments will be taken into consideration to further refine the maps.

For more information about the project visit www.rvca.ca/ottawa-mapping-project.

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June 19, 2019 – Our hardworking forestry team has wrapped up another successful tree planting season, and they’re already looking ahead to next year.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) is now booking site visits with landowners wishing to reforest their retired farm fields or otherwise empty and idle lands.

The low-cost, full-service program includes free site visits, custom planting plans, site preparation, tree planting, follow-up assessments and maintenance to give the seedlings the best chance of survival. All of this is available for only $0.15 per tree, or $120 an acre!

“Increasing forest cover is critical to watershed health, but so much of the land is privately owned,” said forestry program manager Scott Danford. “This program offers landowners easy and affordable tree planting services while helping us meet our larger watershed management goals.” 

This year Danford’s team planted about 200,000 trees across the region. The RVCA has planted 6.4 million trees since 1984 and aims to hit 6.5 million in 2020.

“The RVCA staff have been a pleasure to work with since we started in 2014,” said Maberly landowner Peter Ginsberg. “I'm very happy with this program that made it possible for us to help support the planting of almost 12,000 trees on our property.”

The forestry team is booking site visits this summer to plan for the 2020 spring planting season. The planting area must be at least one acre in size, suitable for tree planting and the landowner must be willing to plant 1,000 trees or more.

Typical costs are $0.15/tree ($120/acre). The RVCA and its planting partners cover all other costs.

“We have several community-minded partners who support our tree planting program,” said Danford.

Planting partners include the City of Ottawa’s Green Acres program and Forests Ontario, Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, Eastern Ontario Model Forest, Pratt & Whitney Canada, McGarry Funeral Homes, Stingray LiVE 88.5, Carleton Refrigeration, Pratt & Whitney Canada and the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation also contribute to the forestry program to keep costs low for landowners.

Tree planting is one of the most practical ways to take care of our watershed and the wider environment. RVCA’s reforestation programs are a great way for landowners to improve their property by:

• Protecting soil from erosion
• Improving water quality
• Reducing the risk of flooding
• Carbon sequestration
• Improving wildlife habitat
• Increasing biodiversity
• Water conservation and so much more!

If you want to plant trees, book a site visit or to get more information, call Scott Danford at 613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1175 or email .

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August 28, 2019 — The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) has completed a hazard mapping study for Mud Creek in Manotick, from 3rd Line Road North to the Rideau River. Members of the public are invited to an upcoming open house to review hazard and regulations maps.

 The new mapping shows areas that are subject to natural hazards such as flooding and unstable slopes. The mapping will be used by the City of Ottawa when updating its Official Plans and Zoning Schedules and in the review of development applications under the provincial Planning Act. RVCA will also use the mapping to guide the review of development applications submitted under the provincial Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses regulation.

The goal of this mapping is to help ensure that sound planning decisions are made — keeping people and property safe. Accurate engineered hazard mapping is the foundation of effective floodplain and resource management.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend the open house and/or provide comments on the mapping. Conservation Authority staff welcome historical records of past flood events, slope failures, erosion, news clippings, photographs and even anecdotal stories to help confirm the reasonableness of their calculations.

Mud Creek Hazard Land and Regulations Mapping Open House:
Rideau Valley Conservation Centre
3889 Rideau Valley Drive, Manotick
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
4:30 to 8 p.m.

For those unable to attend the open house, mapping can also be viewed online at www.rvca.ca/mud-creek. To understand how mapping may affect your property or to provide comments, please contact an RVCA Resource Specialist at or complete an online property inquiry form at www.rvca.ca/regulations-planning/general-property-inquiries.

This study is being done through a collaboration involving the City of Ottawa and the Rideau Valley, Mississippi Valley and South Nation Conservation authorities. The City recognized a need to update its zoning schedules based on up-to-date hazard mapping and has provided contributions enabling the Conservation Authorities to move ahead with these studies sooner than would otherwise be possible. The RVCA is currently working on several studies in the Ottawa area. For a complete list of ongoing work, please visit www.rvca.ca/ottawa-mapping-project.

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