Property Management
The GRCA owns about 19,400 hectares of land (48,000 acres) located across the watershed.
All GRCA lands are privately owned. The GRCA does not receive tax dollars to maintain and operate these lands. Grand River Conservation areas, for example, operate only on the funds they receive through gate access fees, camping revenue and other pay-for-use items.
GRCA landholdings fit into five broad categories.
Land for Infrastructure
These properties include seven major Dams and Reservoirs and 25 kilometres of dikes protecting Kitchener (Bridgeport), Cambridge (Galt) and Brantford.
Conservation Areas
The 12 Grand River Conservation Areas provide a wide range of recreational opportunities. Operating costs of these parks are covered by admission and camping fees.
Conservation Lands
Conservation lands include properties such as Dumfries Conservation, Starkey Hill, FWR Dickson and Taquanyah, which are open for hiking, nature appreciation and other uses. Also included in these lands, are 75 kilometres of GRCA owned rail trails.
Natural Areas
These properties include protected natural areas with no public access such as the Keldon Source Area, Beverly Swamp and Roseville Swamp. More information on how the GRCA maintains and improves its natural areas is available in the Natural Heritage section.
Land Under Maintenance Agreement
About 1,400 acres of urban parkland is owned by the GRCA, but maintained by municipalities. The GRCA has a number of maintenance agreements in place with municipalities throughout the Grand River watershed in order to make these lands accessible to the public. Scott Park in New Hamburg and Stanley Park in Kitchener are examples of some of the many GRCA lands under a maintenance agreement. In Brantford, Cambridge and Kitchener, the GRCA owns some of the dikes that are maintained by the municipalities.
Rental Properties
The GRCA enters commercial leases, licence agreements or residential leases with various tenants.
- Cottage lots: The GRCA leases more than 730 Cottage Lots to tenants who build and maintain their own cottages.
- Residences: Several residences were acquired by the GRCA when it acquired land for construction of dams, dikes or other projects. The GRCA is currently winding down its residential tenancy program.
- Agricultural properties: The GRCA acquired these lands when building reservoirs. The lands not needed for the reservoirs are leased to farmers. Several thousand acres are leased, though some properties are being restored to forests or natural habitat.
- Service clubs and not-for-profit organizations: The GRCA has more than 20 agreements to lease land to groups for children's camps, boating clubs and other uses. Chicopee Ski Club in Kitchener is a tenant on GRCA land.
- Commercial leases: Land is leased for acceptable commercial use at market rates, e.g.: barns, billboards, communication towers.