The need for a new approach to water quality & quantity

The Thames River watershed is located within the agricultural heartland of southwestern Ontario.  It covers 5,285 km2 and more than half a million people reside in the watershed. From its headwaters near Tavistock, the river flows 279 km southwest before reaching its outlet into Lake St. Clair and, ultimately, into Lake Erie.

Although many groups, including the Conservation Authorities, have been involved in monitoring and reporting on the state of Thames River watershed resources for many years, a comprehensive water management plan has not been developed for some time.  The most recent water management plan for the Thames River was prepared in 1975 as part of the Thames River Basin Water Management Study by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The 1975 study was initiated due to a growing concern over problems in the watershed related to water quality, flooding, erosion, and potential problems anticipated as a result of population growth and development (i.e., the assimilative capacity of the river).  The study was based on an assessment of the availability and quality of surface water and groundwater, an inventory of water uses and related land uses, and an evaluation of existing and potential water resource problems in the basin.

There are several reasons why a more current water management plan is needed for the Thames River:

• Information from recent climate change studies needs to be incorporated into water quantity resource management decisions and, in particular, models of flood and low water events to avoid and mitigate the challenges caused by these extreme flow regimes;
• Competing demands on, and inputs to, the Thames River have changed over time (e.g. increased pressure from urbanization) and baseline information on the health of the river in the 1975 study is outdated;
• Best Management Practices (BMPs) have evolved with improved technology and increased experience;
• Appreciation for Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of First Nation communities within the watershed was not incorporated in past water quality and quantity studies of the Thames River;
• The increased focus on the health of the Great Lakes, including the 2012 Canada – US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the provincial Great Lakes Strategy and the Lake Erie Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) Binational Nutrient Management Strategy, has identified the Thames River as a regional, provincial and national priority.

The updated Thames River water management plan, The Thames River (Deshkan Ziibi) Shared Waters Approach to Water Quality & Quantity, will be a key component of a broader watershed strategy, known as the Thames River Clearwater Revival (TRCWR), which considers all the interactions of land, water, plants, animals and people, with the overall objective of improving the ecological condition of the Thames River, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie.