Publications & Reports
South Nation Conservation produces a variety of publications, reports, and brochures that you can download from this website and pick up from our office.
These reports are released annually to inform you about what SNC has been doing to improve services, protect our environment, and connect with the people of the South Nation watershed over the preceding year.
South Nation Conservation Annual Reports:
South Nation Conservation (SNC), together with municipalities, community partners, and local stakeholders, is leading a multi-year study to plan for the future of the Bear Brook Watershed.
The watershed faces new challenges: rapid urban expansion, agricultural intensification, and climate variability. Recognizing these pressures, the City of Ottawa retained SNC to complete a comprehensive watershed study to guide sustainable management and protection of this important area.
Healthy watersheds support biodiversity, reduce flooding and erosion risks, provide clean water, and help communities adapt to climate change. The Bear Brook Watershed — covering 488 km² of urban areas, farmland, forests, and wetlands in Ottawa and Prescott-Russell — faces growing pressures from development, agriculture, and a changing climate. This study will identify actions to protect watershed health while supporting
sustainable growth.
SNC acknowledges that the Bear Brook Watershed is located within the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe People, and is also part of the traditional hunting and fishing territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, including the Mohawk Nation. In the spirit of shared stewardship and reconciliation, SNC is committed to working alongside Indigenous partners and local communities to safeguard the land and water for current and future generations.
Access the Bear Brook Watershed Study Story Map in a separate window
:
What Is a Watershed Study?
A watershed study is a science-based plan that looks at how land, water, and communities interact within a watershed. It combines technical research with local knowledge to set shared priorities for protection, restoration, and sustainable management.
The Bear Brook Watershed Study will:
- Assess current watershed conditions
- Examine how future land use and climate change may affect natural systems
- Recommend actions and policies to keep the watershed healthy for future generations
Study Phases
The study is being completed in three phases between 2023 and 2027:
Phase 1: Watershed Characterization (2023–2025)
- Describes the current state and recent trends of water, natural hazards (flooding, erosion, unstable soils), and natural heritage.
- Includes seven chapters on key themes within the watershed.
- View the Characterization Report
Phase 2: Scenario Planning & Risk Assessment (2024–2026)
- Examines future land use and climate change scenarios to understand risks and opportunities.
- Includes a Class Environmental Assessment for flood mitigation options.
- Read the Notice of Intent
Phase 3: Implementation Planning – Watershed Plan (2025–2027)
- Develops recommendations, policies, and monitoring frameworks to guide sustainable watershed management.
Get Involved!
Community input is central to the watershed study. Residents, landowners, and partners are invited to participate at key milestones.
- Read the Report: Bear Brook Watershed Study Report
- Provide Feedback: Online Feedback Form
- Access more information on Phase 2 Study: Bear Brook Watershed Study - Notice of Intent
- Attend the Public Information Centre
- Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
- Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
- Location: Bear Brook Community Centre, 8720 Russell Road, Ottawa, ON K0A 3H0
Next Steps
Feedback collected from the community will shape recommendations for stewardship, monitoring, and restoration in the Bear Brook Watershed. A summary of public input will be shared here.
Contact Us
South Nation Conservation
info@nation.on.ca | 1-877-984-2948
SNC’s Watershed-based Resource Management Strategy (Watershed Strategy) and Conservation Lands Strategy have been developed to establish guiding principles and objectives for the delivery of Conservation Authority Mandatory Programs and Services.
Conservation authorities are required to assess their land holdings, along with the programs and services they provide in compliance with O.Reg 686/21.
The Strategies will:
- Help improve the delivery of local programs
- Identify current and future risks to program delivery
- Outline opportunities and future actions needed to support objectives and long-term goals
- Highlight SNC's current assets and future needs
- Provide guiding principles and objectives to the design and delivery of SNC's programs and services
- Address challenges and program gaps (development pressures, funding requests)
WATERSHED-BASED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
"State of the Nation" 2023 Watershed Report Card
South Nation Conservation monitors the health of natural resources in the watershed because it helps to better understand the local environmental issues, to focus actions where they are needed the most, and track progress over time.
Watershed Report Cards are a means of collecting and reporting on surface water quality, forest conditions and groundwater over a five-year cycle. They also provide a summary of key watershed features and actions being undertaken locally. These reports provide local residents and agencies with easily understood environmental information.
To access Watershed Report Cards from all of Ontario's 36 Conservation Authorities, visit www.watershedcheckup.ca!
Sub-Watershed Reports:
There are a number of reasons why water quality and tree and wetland cover change over time, including development and agriculture. To be able to monitor these trends across the watershed, we prepare annual reports using Geographic Information System (GIS) maps and text that reflect Point in Time results. SNC conducts sub-watershed studies that look at these indicators that speak to the health of the watershed.
We are committed to gathering and monitoring relevant information about the condition of our watershed resources and features. These efforts help us better understand watershed trends and focus resource management actions where they are needed the most.
SNC reports on the South Nation River’s five major sub-watersheds:
South Nation Conservation (SNC) is dedicated to fostering strong partnerships with its 16 member municipalities across its 4,480 square-kilometer jurisdiction in Eastern Ontario.
SNC creates annual Municipal Work Plans to update its member municipalities on local programming, service delivery, and priorities for the upcoming year.
These bilingual summary documents also include an overview of our programs and services, accomplishments to date, highlights and statistics.
2020 Municipal Workplans:
The Healthy Home Guidebook is designed especially for you, the rural homeowner, to rate how your activities affect both the environment and your family’s health. Each chapter explains possible risks based on a household topic and why you should be concerned. By completing the assessment in each chapter, you will become aware which of your activities are good home care practices and which activities need changing.
Many people do not realize there are possible risks in and around their homes, which can affect their family’s health, their home environment and the quality of their drinking water. Knowing about the risks today may help prevent costly cleanups, repairs and legal troubles in the future. In addition, taking steps to cut back on water usage, energy and other resources, can save you money in the long run.
Taking care of your home in an environmentally sensible way has a bigger impact than you might think. Your home occupies only a small piece of land, but add up all the homes across the country, and you’ve suddenly covered a lot of ground. That means your home care activities, along with everyone else’s, can have a big impact. Taking care of the environment begins in your own home!
Indian Creek Fishway - Ecology of Freshwater Fish Paper
Publication Type: Annual Report
Solutions for Shoreline Erosion
Publication Type: Annual Report