Surface water resources

The Grand River system includes the Grand and four major tributaries: the Conestogo, Nith, Speed and Eramosa rivers. There are also many smaller streams. In all, the rivers and streams have a total length of about 11,000 kilometres in an area of 6,800 square kilometres.

These rivers and streams are vitally important to the people and communities of the watershed:

  • Four communities get some or all of their drinking water from the river. These municipal water systems serve more than 650,000 people in Guelph, the Region of Waterloo, Brantford and Six Nations Territory.
  • Municipalities and First Nations operate 30 wastewater treatment plants that discharge treated effluent into the rivers and streams.
  • The rivers, streams and wetlands are rich ecosystems. More than 80 types of fish, representing half of the species in Canada, live in the river system.
  • Farmers depend on the river system for water for irrigation, watering cattle and other activities.
  • Watershed residents and visitors take advantage of the many recreational opportunities in and near the river: fishing, canoeing, boating, hiking and cycling.

Yet there are challenges. Floods can cause millions of dollars in damage and threaten human life. Low water conditions can have a serious impact on the ecosystem as well as the communities, businesses and others who depend on rivers and streams as a source of water.

We operate seven dams and reservoirs to manage the river system. This reduces flood damages, maintains water levels, protects water quality and sustains the ecoystem.

  • During the spring melt, water is stored in the reservoirs. This reduces the amount of water flowing downstream and reduces flooding. See our Flooding pages for more information.
  • During the summer and fall, water is released from the reservoirs to maintain minimum flows in the rivers. Augmenting the flow means there is enough water in the rivers to accept treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants. It also means there is enough water for municipalities that take drinking water from the river.

See our Reservoir levels page for more information on reservoir operations.

We have more than 35 automatic water level stations at key locations on rivers and streams throughout the watershed. For more information, go to our River flow pages.

We have an extensive program to monitor surface water quality. Read about it in our Water quality page.

The Clean Water Act protects the sources of municipal drinking water, including surface water. The Source Protection Plan for the Grand River watershed identifies the programs and policies to protect water quality and quantity. For more information, visit the website of the Lake Erie Region Source Protection Program.

The Grand River Watershed Water Management Plan outlines the steps being taken by the GRCA, municipalities, senior governments and First Nations to address many issues including securing our water supplies and improving surface water quality.

We work with municipalities, the provincial government and others to develop a better understanding of the surface and groundwater resources of the Grand River watershed. Here are some of the studies they have done.

 

Please note the following documents may not be accessible to people with disabilities. If you have a disability and require a document in an alternate format, please contact us.

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