MVCA Looking At Putting Together A Strategic Plan

Craig Bakay | Jun 12, 2024

North Frontenac Council welcomed two representatives of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) at its Jun 6 meeting in Plevna.

First to speak was Sally McIntyre, general manager, who spoke on the MVCA’s Land Conservation Strategy as well as a future strategic plan that’s in the works.

She said the strategic plan is necessary to address policies for the acquisition and disposition of lands, as well as programs and services on those lands.

“Where needed, we will have an assessment of how those lands augment any natural heritage and integrate with other provincially or municipally owned lands,” McIntyre said. “We have conservation areas and dams (and) we get offers of land every year.

“We have no plans to acquire more land so we have to ask ‘do we need more lands,’”

She said they are in the process of transferring some lands to Frontenac County for the K & P Trail and they may look at creating three more conservation areas in the next 20 years.

“We do own a lot of dams and most of these are in North Frontenac,” she said.

Dep. Mayor John Inglis said he suspects there are lots of people who would donate lands but they have to realize that “there’s work to be done and money to be spent before they can take it on.”

Mayor Gerry Lichty said there is an agreement in place and the County does want to buy the K & P lands .

“It’s just a matter of cleaning up the legal issues.”

Jennifer North, water resources technologist, spoke on Water Management on the Mississippi River.

“Management is system-based,” she said. “We do not adjust the level of any specific lake (with the exception of Crotch Lake) for any reason.”

She said the 212-kilometre-long river, along with its 7,000 kilometres of feeder rivers and streams, drains about 4,000 square kilometres of land.

“There are about 250 lakes in the system, with the majority of them in the upper portion of the watershed,” North said. “The MVCA operates 19 of the 23 dams, 13 of which are in North Frontenac.

“The system begins at an elevation of 325 metres just above Mazinaw Lake and runs into the Ottawa River near Galetta (elevation 73 metres),” she said. “All of the dams in the western portion of the watershed were originally built for the lumber industry in the mid- to late-1800s.

“They were built to maintain enough water in the system to allow timbers to be floated downstream two or three times a year.”

But now, these structures have become more diversified, she said. They are now managed for flood and drought control as well as maintaining sufficient flow for the various fish species, loons, frogs, muskrats, and beavers. Recreation, tourism and navigation have also become priorities as a result of the extensive development in the watercourse over the last 70 years.

They also have to be managed for erosion control as well as sufficient flow for hydro electricity production.

She said Crotch Lake is unique in that it’s the only reservoir on the system.

“From late June to early October, Crotch Lake is drawn down to ensure flows into the lower portion of the system,” she said. “Throughout the fall, all the other lakes are being drawn down and Crotch is then filled again.

“We wouldn’t be able to manage the way we do without Crotch Lake.”

The biggest problem they face is the weather.

“We can’t make it rain when we need it or make it stop when we have enough,” she said.

Senior of the Year

Former councillor Harriett Riddell was honoured as Senior of the Year.

Watershed Signage

Council approved putting up a sign to acknowledge that the terrain at Mackie appears to be significantly different from much of the rest of the Township owing to the fact it represents the split between the Madawaska and Mississippi Watersheds.

“Is this something we should be worried about?” said Coun. Fred Fowler.

“It’s not a very well travelled area (along Mountain Road),” said Coun. Roy Huetl. “I don’t see the point.”

“There’s at least one other area like this in the Township,” said Mayor Gerry Lichty. “Do we have to do them all?”