The History of Conservation Authorities & Central Lake Ontario Conservation On July 17, 1958, Central Lake Ontario Conservation was established by an Order-in-Council under the Conservation Authorities Act. It was formed by the Ontario Government at the request of the municipalities located within the area of jurisdiction. As watercourses transcend municipal boundaries, all Conservation Authorities are established on the basis of natural watershed boundaries. A watershed is defined as an area of land that is drained by a river or creek. Similar to the branch of a tree, creeks empty into streams, which then empty into larger streams, eventually forming one main trunk. Within this system, everything is connected to everything else. In other words, actions which take place at the top of the system can and do affect those downstream. Today, the province’s 36 Conservation Authorities are regarded as world leaders in conservation, environmental protection, and flood control. Together Authorities own more than 407,550 acres (165,000 hectares) of land, including areas in the Oak Ridges Moraine, Carolinian zone, as well as Provincially Significant Wetlands and areas protecting important flora and fauna. Conservation Authorities operate in watersheds in which 90 per cent of the provincial population reside. Managing Ontario's watershed resources is a major undertaking that calls upon Conservation Authorities and their staff to work collaboratively with landowners, developers, educators, multi- levels of government, professionals and the general public. Central Lake Ontario Conservation (CLOCA) is located in Durham Region and borders the Toronto and Region Conservation to the west, Lake Simcoe and Region and Kawartha Conservation to the north and Ganaraska Conservation to the east. Our jurisdiction is based upon the watershed boundaries of four major watercourses draining an area of over 639 sq. km. The four major watercourses which begin with their headwaters in the Oak Ridges Moraine and drain into Lake Ontario are from west to east, Lynde Creek, Oshawa Creek, Black/ Harmony/ Farewell Creeks, and Bowmanville/ Soper Creeks. There are 17 additional watersheds which include Warbler, Cranberry, Whitby Shores, Heyden-shore, Pump House, Corbett Creek, Pringle Creek, McLaughlin Bay, Robinson Creek, Burk, Tooley, Osborne, Darlington, St. Mary’s, Westside, Bennett Creek and Rickard. The Municipalities within CLOCA’s watershed include the Regional Municipality of Durham, City of Pickering, Town of Ajax, Township of Uxbridge, Township of Scugog, Town of Whitby, City of Oshawa and the Municipality of Clarington. A diverse landscape exists within CLOCA’s jurisdiction which includes urban and rural settlements (hamlets), agriculture and natural areas. For the most part, the highly urbanized area is situated within the southern portion of the watershed, leaving the northern portion

Legislative Framework for Conservation Authority Roles and Responsibilities The Conservation Authorities Act provides that the objects of conservation authority are to establish and undertake programs to further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources. The scope of programs is intentionally broad, providing each conservation authority with the flexibility to develop local resource management programs tailored to meet local needs and priorities.

Current roles and responsibilities for conservation authorities fall under five headings:

Local Resource Management Agency:

• Watershed planning • Stewardship • Education outreach • Conservation land acquisition and

management • Science and research

MNRF Approved Projects

• Flood forecasting and warning • Natural hazards information • Administration of natural hazard

policies under the Provincial Policy Statement

Regulatory Authority

• Regulating development and other activities through a permitting process for the purpose of natural hazard and environmental management

Service Provider

• Provision of technical advice to municipalities related to environmental management, natural hazards and water management

Roles Under Other Acts

• Responsibilities under the Clean Water Act

dominated by rural land uses and significant undeveloped natural areas. There are 3 major physiographic features within CLOCA’s watershed being the Lake Ontario Waterfront, Lake Iroquois Beach and the Oak Ridges Moraine. Each of these distinctive landscape features contribute to the overall ecological functions that support healthy watersheds in CLOCA’s jurisdiction. The following programs and services are delivered by a core group of 40 full time staff under the direction of a Board of Directors comprised of elected officials appointed by Regional Council representing our 7 watershed municipalities.

Watershed Management Watershed Management is the process of managing human activities and natural resources on a watershed basis, taking into account, social, economic and environmental issues, as well as community interests in order to manage water resources sustainably. We are guided by a Watershed Plan for each of our 21 watersheds, which provide comprehensive, integrated and long-term approaches to management in the context of future watershed changes including growth and climate change.

Natural Heritage & Monitoring This work includes the collection of aquatic and terrestrial data and inventory of natural resources, including groundwater, in support of management and evaluation of ecosystem function, to determine trends in watershed health and implement action plans.

Conservation Areas &Land Holdings CLOCA undertakes a range of land acquisition and management programs aimed at improving land and water conservation of an estimated 2,691 hectares of land. These lands protect sensitive natural resources and incorporate public access and low impact recreation opportunities.

Planning & Regulations Staff deliver a variety of land use planning services to prevent or restrict development in areas where the control of flooding, erosion, dynamic beaches, pollution or the conservation of land may be affected. These conservation lands include ravines and valleys, Provincially Significant Wetlands, all waterways, including their floodplains and the Lake Ontario shoreline.

Groundwater Resources Staff provide a variety of hydrogeological expertise and services internally across departments and externally to the Conservation Authorities Moraine Coalition, Region of Durham and local municipalities on all matters relating to groundwater. In addition, they collect and analyze groundwater data and are responsible for the Source Water Protection Plan in our jurisdiction.

Engineering CLOCA manages a Flood Forecasting and Warning (FFW) system to reduce risk to life and property damage by providing local agencies and the public with advanced notice, information and advice to respond to potential flooding and flood emergencies. Floodplain mapping supports this program and is essential for Plan Review and Regulation activities identified above. Corporate Services These services support the day to day operations and include all aspects of administration including Full Authority Board meeting agendas and minutes, accounting, IT support, general inquiries from the public and reception at the 100 Whiting Avenue offices.

Stewardship We provide technical services to watershed landowners in both urban and rural communities to undertake habitat restoration, protection and best management practices projects that contribute to improved watershed health.

Education Our education programs provide hands-on experiential learning opportunities for families, students and volunteers to instill an environmental ethic in current and future generations and establish a passionate awareness in the value of environmental protection and stewardship in our watersheds.

Communication Being an active community partner we use a variety of electronic and printed media to create an awareness of watershed resources and ensure our corporate programs, projects, services and policies are understood by the general public.

Map of CLOCA Jurisdiction