Overview
The South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Region spans 10,000 square kilometers and includes four watersheds: Black Severn, Lake Simcoe, Nottawasaga Valley and Severn Sound.
Our region provides drinking water to its residents through 107 drinking water systems, 275 municipal wells and 16 surface water intakes.
The Lake Simcoe watershed is dotted with densely populated urban centres in Barrie, Aurora and Newmarket, with prominent agricultural communities in most other areas. More than 450,000 people live and work here and its largest single land use (more than 51%) is natural heritage features such as wetlands, tall grass prairies, woodlands and open water.
The watershed includes four regions and counties (Durham, Peel, Simcoe and York), 18 local municipalities and separated cities (cities of Kawartha Lakes, Barrie and Orillia) and one Indigenous community – The Chippewas of Georgina Island. The watershed has a total drainage of 3,324 square kilometres, comprised of 18 subwatersheds: Barrie Creeks, Beaver River, Black River, East Holland River, Georgina Creeks, Hawkestone Creek, Hewitt’s Creek, Innisfil Creeks, Lake Simcoe, Lake Simcoe Watershed Islands, Lovers Creek, Maskinonge River, Oro Creeks North, Oro Creeks South, Pefferlaw Brook, Ramara Creeks, Talbot River, Uxbridge Brook, West Holland River and Whites Creek.
The watershed’s source water protection is managed by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.
The Nottawasaga Valley watershed is diverse in terms of its population density, economy and land use, ranging from urban centers such as Collingwood and Wasaga Beach along the shoreline of beautiful Georgian Bay, to prosperous agricultural communities in most other areas. The watershed includes 18 municipalities that span three counties (Dufferin, Grey and Simcoe) and the City of Barrie..
An unusual characteristic of the watershed is its virtual lack of natural lakes – it’s strongly river-based. The main branch of the river’s source is in the till moraines of Amaranth Township at an elevation of almost 490 metres with a total drop of 310 metres to its outlet into Georgian Bay. The Nottawasaga Valley has a drainage area of 3,147 square kilometres and nine subwatersheds: Blue Mountains, Boyne River, Innisfil Creek, Lower Nottawasaga River, Mad River, Middle Nottawasaga River, Upper Nottawasaga River, Pine River and Willow Creek.
The watershed’s source water protection is managed by the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority.
The Severn Sound watershed varies from built-up urban centres, found in the larger municipalities, to beautiful waterfront communities along the coastline of Georgian Bay. Even with more than 70,000 people living in our watershed, natural vegetative features are the largest single-land use in the watershed (55%), followed by agriculture.
The watershed lies within two upper-tier municipalities – the County of Simcoe and District of Muskoka – and nine lower-tier municipalities. There are 16 Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI): one of them, the Penetanguishine Harbour ANSI, is an Earth Science ANSI (these are areas identified by the Ministry of Natural Resources as having provincially or regionally-significant representative geological features).
The watershed has a total drainage area of approximately 1,380 square kilometres and is divided into 19 subwatersheds (excluding Severn Sound Islands): Coldwater River, Copeland Creek, Hog Creek, Honey Harbour to Port Severn, Lafontaine Creek, Midland Area, North River, Penetang Bay West, Penetanguishene and Tay Point, Port Severn and Matchedash Bay North, Severn Sound Islands, Sturgeon River, Tiffin Basin and Port McNicoll Area, Tiny Coastal Area North West, Tiny Coastal Area South, Tiny Coastal Area West Central, Tiny Coastal North East, Victoria Harbour Area, Waubaushene and Matchedash Bay South and Wye River.
The watershed’s source water protection is managed by the Severn Sound Environmental Association.