2009 Niagara Escarpment Baseflow Study
Submitted to the Niagara Escarpment Commission and Trout Unlimited Canada
Completed by: Ryan Post and Allan Rodie
Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority Utopia, Ontario
May, 2010
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Executive Summary The Niagara Escarpment is recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and is a protected area under the Province of Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (1985), administered by the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC). Groundwater discharge on the Niagara Escarpment is inferred to be influenced by the porosity/permeability of the geological units and the overburden, supporting a sustainable coldwater fishery. Focusing on the Boyne River, Noisy River, and the Upper Nottawasaga River (north and south branch) subwatersheds, this study evaluated regional baseflow characteristics and identified the temporal and longitudinal flow and temperature variability in reference to the coldwater fisheries. Hydrologic and thermal characteristics of the watercourses were determined using data generated from a regional spot baseflow sampling event and through the deployment of continuous level and temperature loggers at key locations on the Niagara Escarpment. The baseflow index (BFI) generated from the continuous logger data, indicate that all sampled watercourses are marked by considerable groundwater contributions. All systems, except for the Noisy River indicate that flows increase downgradient. North and South Branches of the Upper Nottawasaga River typically exhibit an increased volume of groundwater contributions as defined by the BFI and flow volumes, unlike the Noisy River where flow increased proportionately downstream. Thermally, the majority of the logger sites exhibit maximum daily temperatures which infrequently to frequently fall above the thermal threshold for brook trout, predominately in the summer months (July and August). The watercourses in the Escarpment are categorized using the Stoneman and Jones protocol as:
cool water- Noisy River
cool to coldwater- North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River
cool to cool-coldwater system: South Branch- Upper Nottawasaga River. This study has indicated that the use of baseflow and watercourse thermal data alone cannot prove the relationship between bedrock geology and groundwater discharge where deeply incised, high gradient systems along the escarpment are mantled with moderate to thick overburden deposits. Subwatershed land use characteristics along with permitted water takings may impact local and subcatchment flows. However, given the variability but the importance of groundwater to maintaining critical thermal regimes for fisheries habitat, continued collection of stream discharge and temperature data, particularly in small catchments can provide information on critical importance to fisheries resources. Further, information obtained from baseflow studies can assist in accomplishing the mandate of the NEC ONE monitoring program and more broadly, for sustainable water management for the benefit of water users and the environment. This information will provide the opportunity to address future opportunities including, but not limited to: climate change predictions, fish and habitat temporal trend data, and watershed-scale to reach-scale habitat data (response to climate change and influence on streams and fishes). It is recommended that the NVCA continue monitoring the Niagara Escarpment watercourses with the monitoring rolled into the NVCA watershed monitoring program.
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Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Trout Unlimited Canada and the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve for funding this study. Sincere appreciation is extended to the following individuals for their efforts and support during the completion of study design, field work and data analysis: Sandy Halliday, Chris Ferguson, Monique Smart, Lyle Wood, Tina DesRoches, Andrew Claydon, Ian Ockenden, Glenn Switzer, and Brian Smith.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 2. Physiography .................................................................................................................. 2 2.1 Hydrogeology ........................................................................................................... 2 3. Fisheries ......................................................................................................................... 3 4. Niagara Escarpment Plan and monitoring ...................................................................... 3 5. Methodology ................................................................................................................... 4 6. Results and discussion ................................................................................................... 6
6.1 Noisy River ............................................................................................................... 6 6.2 North Branch- Upper Nottawasaga River .................................................................. 7 6.3 South Branch- Upper Nottawasaga River ................................................................. 8 6.4 Nottawasaga Main Branch ........................................................................................ 8 6.5 Boyne River .............................................................................................................. 9
7. Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 9 7.1 Proposed future Niagara Escarpment streamflow monitoring ..................................10
8. References ....................................................................................................................12 Appendix A: Baseflow Measurements .......................................................................................40 Appendix B: Site hydrographs with Baseflow Separation curves ...............................................44 Appendix C: Sample Dates for Temperature Analysis (Acceptable dates in yellow) ..................49 Appendix D: Thermal Stream classification (Stoneman and Jones, 1996) .................................50
List of Figures Figure 1: Base map of sampled subwatersheds, 2008 and 2009. .............................................13 Figure 2: Noisy River Baseflow locations. .................................................................................14 Figure 3: North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River baseflow locations. .....................................15 Figure 4: South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River baseflow locations. ....................................16 Figure 5: Boyne River baseflow locations. .................................................................................17 Figure 6: Map of 2009 baseflow stations outlining the net low-flow discharge per catchment area. .........................................................................................................................................18 Figure 7: Map of net low-flow discharge per catchment area, Noisy River, 2009. ......................19 Figure 8: Map of net low-flow discharge per catchment area, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009. ..............................................................................................................................20 Figure 9: Map of low-flow discharge per catchment area, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009. ..............................................................................................................................21 Figure 10: Map of low-flow discharge per catchment area, Boyne River, 2009..........................22 Figure 11: Map of 2009 baseflow stations outlining the net low-flow discharge per stream length of the catchment area.. .............................................................................................................23 Figure 12: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, Noisy River, 2009. .........................................................................................................................................24 Figure 13: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009. ..............................................................................................25 Figure 14: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009. ..............................................................................................26 Figure 15: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, Boyne River, 2009. .........................................................................................................................................27
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Figure 16: Land use and Permit to Take Water, Upper Nottawasaga River, Boyne, and Mad (Noisy) rivers subwatersheds. ...................................................................................................28 Figure 17: Baseflow, Noisy River. .............................................................................................29 Figure 18: Baseflow, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. ................................................29 Figure 19: Baseflow, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. ................................................30 Figure 20: Maximum daily temperature- Noisy River. ................................................................30 Figure 21: Maximum daily temperature: North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. ...................31 Figure 22: Maximum daily temperature, south branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. ...................31 Figure 23: Maximum daily temperature, Upper Nottawasaga River. ..........................................32 Figure 24: Minimum daily temperature, Noisy River. .................................................................32 Figure 25: Minimum daily temperature, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. ....................33 Figure 26: Minimum daily temperature- south Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. ....................33 Figure 27: Minimum daily temperature- Upper Nottawasaga River. ...........................................34 Figure 28: Average daily temperature, Noisy River. ..................................................................34 Figure 29: Average daily temperature- North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. .....................35 Figure 30: Average daily temperature: South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. .....................35 Figure 31: Average daily temperature: Upper Nottawasaga River. ............................................36 Figure 32: Daily range in temperature, Noisy River. ..................................................................36 Figure 33: Daily range in temperature, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. .....................37 Figure 34: Daily range in temperature, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River. ....................37 Figure 35: Daily range in temperature, Nottawasaga River. ......................................................38 Figure 36: Stream classification for the Noisy River sites. .........................................................38 Figure 37: Stream classification for the North Branch Upper Nottawasaga River. .....................39 Figure 38: Stream classification for the South Branch Upper Nottawasaga River s. ..................39
List of Tables
Table 1: Locations of logger field sites. ...................................................................................... 5 Table 2: Baseflow Index. ............................................................................................................ 7 Table 3: Subwatershed sampling calendar for NVCA watershed report cards. ..........................10
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1. Introduction The Niagara Escarpment is an environmental treasure, stretching 725 kilometres in Ontario from Queenston on the Niagara River to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and is a protected area under the Province of Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (1985), administered by the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC). A portion of this feature is located on the western side of the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) watershed. The Upper Nottawasaga River, Mad River, Pine River, Boyne River, and the Blue Mountain subwatersheds all cross the Niagara Escarpment, draining into Georgian Bay. The climate, ecology, and geology of the escarpment is significantly influenced by the Great Lakes that surround it, creating unique microenvironments that support a diversity of life including many threatened and endangered resources. The Niagara Escarpment is a cuesta, which is a ridge formed by gently tilted rock layers. Geologically, the Niagara Escarpment consists of erosional-resistant dolostone caprock of the Amabel Formation- underlain by less resistant shales of the Clinton-Cataract Group and mantled by deposits of varying thickness of unconsolidated sand and gravels of the Horseshoe Moraines.
NVCA watercourses in the Niagara Escarpment area are categorized as having cool and cold water fisheries (NVCA, 2009). Coldwater fish are very sensitive to changes in water temperature, driven largely by groundwater contributions and other environmental conditions and may be important ecological indicators for climate change. In addition, native coldwater fish are an integral part of Ontario’s natural legacy and anglers make a significant contribution to the local and provincial economies in pursuit of their passion. Small volumetric changes in groundwater contribution can significantly impair cold-water habitats.
Discharge of groundwater plays an important role in maintaining stream flows, moderating thermal regimes, and providing habitat for flora and fauna. Groundwater will discharge to a stream where the stream intersects with the water table while the amount of discharge varies with catchment area, climate, local geology and the hydraulic gradient of the water table (Stanfield et al., 2009). Groundwater discharge on the Niagara Escarpment is inferred to be influenced by the porosity/permeability of the geological units and the overburden. The Amabel Formation yields significant groundwater discharge to the escarpment streams while the underlying Clinton-Cataract Group acts as a regional aquitard and is a poorly transmissive unit. Significant groundwater discharge is believed to occur at the contact between the porous Amabel Formation and the underlying relatively impermeable shales of the Clinton-Cataract Group. Given the legislative mandate, the management of the Niagara Escarpment watercourses requires an understanding of the locations of high groundwater discharge areas and the relative groundwater contributions on a subcatchment level. This will aid in the development of effective, science-based and measurable coldwater conservation solutions in the field and provide new information for use by local and regional water resource managers and other stakeholders, contributing directly to regulatory decision making. Similar to the 2008 Niagara Escarpment Baseflow Study (Rodie and Post, 2009), this study focuses on subwatersheds of the Boyne River, Noisy River, and the Upper Nottawasaga River (north and south branches; Figure 1). The objective of this report is to determine regional baseflow characteristics for the targeted subwatersheds and identify the temporal and longitudinal flow and temperature variability.
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2. Physiography The study area consists of 3 main physiographic units: the Dundalk Till Plain, the Horseshoe Moraine, and the Niagara Escarpment. The Dundalk Till Plain is a flat area of land on the western margin of the NVCA area of jurisdiction. It exhibits a mix of natural forests and wetlands as well as significant areas of agricultural land use. Part of the interlobate Orangeville Moraine is situated on the Dundalk Till Plain. The surficial geology exhibits a wide range of permeability, marked significantly by the undulating basal till. It forms the headwater area of several large Nottawasaga River tributaries including the Mad, Noisy, Pine and Boyne rivers as well as the Upper Nottawasaga River (north and south branches). This headwater area generally is characterized by a significant groundwater recharge/discharge cycle and supports coldwater fisheries habitats utilized by native brook trout. Unconsolidated glacial deposits corresponding to the Horseshoe Moraine physiographic unit (Chapman and Putnam, 1984) overlie the bedrock and range in thickness from zero metres near the crest of the Escarpment (i.e. the Nottawasaga Bluffs) to greater than 30 metres in the Niagara Escarpment Plan area. The Horseshoe Moraine is bracketed by the Dundalk Till Plain to the west and the Simcoe Lowlands to the east, bisected by the Niagara Escarpment. Sloping regionally to the east, two main landform components of the Horseshoe Moraine have been identified within this region by Chapman and Putnam (1984): (i) irregular, stony knobs and ridges predominantly composed of till with lesser amounts of sand, and (ii) gravel and pitted sand, gravel terraces and swampy valley floors. Three moraines, predominantly composed of tills, have been identified. From oldest to youngest, they are the Singhampton Moraine, the Gibraltar Moraine and the Banks Moraine. Lastly, the Niagara Escarpment is a bedrock feature mantled by unconsolidated sediments of the Horseshoe Moraines. Stratigraphically, the Niagara Escarpment consists of the Queenston Formation overlain by the Clinton-Cataract Group and capped by the Amabel Formation (figures 3 and 4). The Upper Ordovician Queenston Formation, ranging in thickness from 45m to 335m is characterized by shales with interbeds of limestones and calcareous siltstones. Overlying the Queenston Formation is the Lower Silurian Clinton-Cataract Group which is subdivided into the Whirlpool, Manitoulin, and Cabot Head formations. This group locally consists collectively of shales with subordinate dolostones and sandstones. The Amabel Formation corresponds to the top of the Escarpment and is often visible as near-vertical cliffs. It is a Middle Silurian sedimentary deposit composed essentially of poorly fossiliferous dolostone (Liberty and Bolton 1971). Karst features such as sinking streams and small sinkholes are locally present along the top of the Escarpment in the Amabel Formation and the Manitoulin Formation. The major watercourses within the Niagara Escarpment are situated in large incised bedrock valleys (e.g. Hockley Valley for the Upper Nottawasaga River). These steep-walled, NE-SW oriented valleys often have abundant glacial outwash material mantling it, covering the underlying geological bedrock contacts. It is noted that the valley dimensions (length, slope) are not similar within the studied subwatersheds.
2.1 Hydrogeology The caprock of the Niagara Escarpment, the Amabel Formation, is considered to be a regional aquifer. The underlying Cabot Head Formation is considered to be a regional aquitard. Large-scale groundwater movement is postulated to be along the dip of the formations, i.e. westward (R.J. Burnside (2001a,b,c) and Golder Associates (2004) for additional information). Near the brow of the Escarpment, the groundwater movement in the regional aquifers is generally sub-
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horizontal towards the Escarpment to the east due to pressure gradients. This is recognized by the discharge areas occurring as diffuse seepage zones, springs, wetlands, water courses; notwithstanding the karst features. Bedrock unit hydraulic conductivity differences suggests that, along the brow of the Niagara Escarpment where the contact between the generally porous overlying Amabel Formation and the impermeable underlying Clinton-Cataract Group occurs, a noted discharge of groundwater locally occurs. As evidence, the discharge of groundwater at the base of the Amabel Formation has been well documented for coldwater tributary streams entering Lake of the Clouds, a 1km long on-stream pond located in the headwaters of Silver Creek southwest of Collingwood. Unconsolidated sands and gravels of varying thickness mantle the slope of the Escarpment and unconformably overly the bedrock. The groundwater discharge generated at the Amabel-Clinton-Cataract contact may occur considerably down gradient of the contact and mixed with recharge waters originating in the Horseshoe Moraine area. This influences the traceability of the contact-generated discharge along with the steep groundwater gradients that exist in the Plan area with maximum gradients of 53 m/km (Golder Associates, 2004). 3. Fisheries Based on water temperatures, fish species can be grouped into three broad fish communities: cold water (<19oC), cool water (19-25oC), and warm water (>25oC). Salmonids, especially brook trout, are representative of cold water fisheries. Salmonids are particularly vulnerable to changes in stream flows, groundwater influx, and water temperatures at various life stages. Low flows and high temperatures impede upstream migration and survival of adult salmonids, large reductions in upwelled groundwater decrease survival rate of salmon eggs (Bjornn and Reiser 1991; Battin et al. 2007). Cool water streams are characterized by a cool/cold summer temperature regime (as defined by Stoneman and Jones 1996) and/or the presence of cool water indicator fish species such as mottled sculpin, slimy sculpin and burbot. Trout or salmon species are not present. Warm water indicator species include smallmouth and largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, perch. The general thermal regime of discharging groundwater is between 8-10oC, resulting in a strong linkage between coldwater fisheries habitat in areas of groundwater discharge. Significant reaches of the major watercourses cascading off the Niagara Escarpment along with the associated headwater systems/tributaries have been defined as coldwater fisheries habitat (NVCA, 2009), including the Noisy, Boyne, and Upper Nottawasaga River (north and south branch) systems. These systems in the study area typically support healthy resident and migratory trout populations (NVCA, 2007). The following fisheries management objectives are outlined for these systems:
Boyne River Sub-watershed: Manage the Boyne River and tributary streams, consistent with the protection, enhancement and restoration of the coldwater fisheries habitat ecosystem.
Upper Nottawasaga River Sub-watershed: Manage the upper Nottawasaga River and tributary streams consistent with the protection, enhancement and restoration of the coldwater fisheries habitat ecosystem.
Mad River Sub-watershed (including the Noisy River): Manage the Mad River and tributary streams upstream from Simcoe Road 10 consistent with the protection, enhancement and restoration of the coldwater fisheries habitat ecosystems.
4. Niagara Escarpment Plan and Monitoring The Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC), established under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act, is a provincial government agency responsible for administering
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the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP). The purpose of the NEP is to provide for the maintenance of the Niagara Escarpment and land in its vicinity substantially as a continuous natural environment, and to ensure only such development occurs as is compatible with that natural environment. The purpose of the Ontario Niagara Escarpment (ONE) Monitoring Program, mandated under the 2005 NEP Review, is to determine whether the Niagara Escarpment Plan, with its unique land use policies, is working to achieve its objectives. One of these objectives being “to maintain and enhance the quality and character of natural streams and water supplies.” A monitoring framework has been developed that identifies indicators for each of seven theme areas, to be monitored, analyzed and reported on in order to determine the effectiveness of Plan policies. Provision of baseflow analysis on the Niagara Escarpment will assist in the collection of data as part of the Monitoring Program Framework, which will ultimately support and inform planning decisions being made in the NEP Area. Information from this study will be used to enhance effective water management in the sensitive headwater areas along the Escarpment, and may contribute to future Plan reviews. The data generated from this project, integrated with existing data, will provide the necessary understanding needed by local and regional water resource managers and other stakeholders, contributing directly to regulatory decision making. 5. Methodology Subwatersheds targeted for this project included the north and south branches of the Upper Nottawasaga River, as well as the Boyne and Noisy rivers. HOBO pressure transducers were deployed in the Noisy River (3 loggers) and the Upper Nottawasaga River- north (2 loggers) and south branch (3 loggers), and 1 logger after the confluence of the south and north branch (Table 1 and Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5). The station locations were based on the underlying bedrock geology and targeted for one site above, at, and below the Amabel-Clinton-Cataract contact plus a buffer, where possible. (It is noted that continuous loggers were not deployed on the Boyne River due to limited equipment.) The loggers were set to record temperature and water level data on a 10 minute interval with data continuously logged for the period of June 18 to October 15, 2009. Sites were surveyed using a Sokkia Automatic Level C320. Data recorded for each site during the survey consisted of the cross-sectional elevations of stream bottom and bank, a water surface elevation, and the upstream/downstream elevations required to find the slope of each site. Three manual streamflow measurements for each data logger site were recorded under low, medium and high flow conditions to calibrate the rating curves. Streamflow measurements were conducted using a Valeport Model 801 (Flat) EM Flow Meter following the methodology developed by Hinton (2005). Following retrieval, the logger data was corrected for atmospheric pressure and a plot generated of sensor depth over time. Total discharge for streamflow measurements were calculated from the cross-sectional area of flow and average velocity readings taken at the center of each panel. The Manning Formula was used to establish rating curves, based on the cross-sectional dimensions recorded during the survey and a coefficient of roughness determined from the substrate characteristics. Rating curves were then calibrated to the three manual streamflow measurements. Hydrographs were developed through interpolation of the rating curve, using water surface elevation data recorded by the level loggers. Estimated baseflow was calculated by hydrograph separation, using the 5-day running average of the 7-
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day minimum daily average discharge. The baseflow index for each site was determined by dividing the average rate of baseflow by the average rate of total discharge. In addition to the deployment of HOBO loggers at key sites, a regional baseflow sampling event was completed. Single measurements of stream discharge under baseflow conditions (72 hours with a total of less than 5mm precipitation) were collected (please refer to Figures 2,3,4,5 for station locations). Standard methods were employed to collect the field data. Depending on the size of the stream, either a point transect survey and Valeport Model 801 (Flat) EM Flow Meter or volume-over-time measurements were used employing the methodology outlined in Hinton (2005). Observations were recorded at sites when discharge measurements were not possible due to extremely low flow or shallow depth. The stations were located where the water courses were publicly accessible (i.e. road crossings). Water temperature analysis was performed using the temperature data generated from the HOBO loggers. Daily maximum, minimum, average and range were calculated for each site. Water temperature was also used to determine the thermal fisheries regime, employing the Stoneman and Jones (1996) protocol. Based on this analysis, data logger sites were then classified as coldwater, cool water or warm water.
Table 1: Locations of logger field sites.
Site Name Road Underlying geological formation
Logger Deployed
Easting (NAD83,
Zone 17T)
Northing (NAD83,
Zone 17T)
Noisy 24 County Rd 124
Amabel Fm (Dolostone)
Level/Temp 561583 4900179
Noisy 40 9 South
Queenston Fm
(Shale) Level/Temp 564898 4904149
Noisy 46 County Rd
9
Georgian Bay Fm
(Shale) Level/Temp 565846 4905242
North Branch
44 Hurontario Amabel
(Dolostone) Level/Temp 576441 4871063
North Branch 54 3
rd Line
EHS
Queenston Fm
(Shale) Level/Temp 576441 4871063
South Branch
30 County Rd
7 Clinton Fm
(Shale) Level/Temp 573619 4867428
South Branch
35 2
nd Line
EHS Clinton Fm
(Shale) Level/Temp 575546 4869033
South Branch
36 3
rd Line
EHS
Queenston Fm
(Shale) Level/Temp 576585 4870732
Nottawasaga 55 4
th Line
EHS
Queenston Fm
(Shale) Level/Temp 577786 4871602
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The regional spot baseflow data was compiled into Excel spreadsheet and imported into ArcGIS. This data was used to develop two shapefiles:
1. Contributed Baseflow per Catchment Area Layer: Upstream drainage areas of spot baseflow stations were calculated using ArcHydro and ArcMap 9.3. If stations were unmeasurable, their drainage area was merged with the closest downstream measurable station. The baseflow observed at each station was divided by the upstream catchment area for that station. The result is measured in litres/second/hectare. This provides the spatial context of areas of proportional contribution (or net [loss]) for each station’s unique catchment area.
2. Baseflow per Stream Length Layer: The NVCA watercourses layer was clipped using the upstream drainage areas detailed above. The baseflow observed at each station was divided by the total length of all watercourses within the drainage area. The result is measured in litres/second/kilometre. This provides the spatial context, effectively showing where the stream is gaining (or losing) the most rapidly.
6. Results and discussion Data was successfully retrieved and downloaded from all loggers that were launched. Results generated from this project are located in Appendices A-D and consist of baseflow locations, baseflow measurements, site hydrographs with baseflow separation curves, sample dates for temperature analysis, and thermal stream classification (Stoneman and Jones, 1996)
6.1 Noisy River From the HOBO level logger, the estimated average baseflow at site Noisy 24 (up-gradient site) was 0.261 m3/s, with a minimum and maximum of 0.179 and 0.417 m3/s, respectively (Figure 17). Site Noisy 40 (mid-gradient site) was characterized by 0.344 m3/s averaged estimated baseflow with a maximum and minimum of 0.419 and 0.252m3/s. Site Noisy 46 (down gradient site) was characterized by 0.556 m3/s averaged estimated baseflow with a maximum and minimum of 0.935 and 0.370 m3/s. The BFIs (average baseflow vs average streamflow) at the sites were 0.869 (Noisy 24), 0.916 (Noisy 40) and 0.858 (Noisy 46), supporting that the Noisy River, at these locations, is significantly driven by groundwater (Table 2). Further, the BFIs indicate that, although baseflow contribution increased downstream, the contribution of groundwater relative to streamflow did not significantly increase downstream suggesting that flow increased proportionately downstream. In general, the Noisy River regional spot baseflow sampling event indicates that the Noisy River is a gaining system above the Escarpment, losing along the upper part of the escarpment and gaining near the down end of the Escarpment slope as based on the weighted catchment area; broadly supporting the logger data information. A similar regional trend for the low flow per water course length is apparent in this subwatershed (Figure 6, 7, 11, and 12). This suggests that the length of water courses per catchment area contribute similar comparable trends of volumes. It is noted that several short, headwater watercourses located in the Dundalk Till plain were dry. Daily maximum temperature for all three sites frequently fall above the upper thermal threshold for brook trout and above the optimums for brown trout, especially in the later summer months (July and August; Figure 20). The daily minimum and average temperature are within the reasonable range for brook trout (4-20oC, Power, 1980; Figure 24). All sites display similar low daily ranges and rate of changes, which is reasonable for a free flowing, unimpacted creek with good riparian cover (Figures 8 and 32). No longitudinal downstream thermal trends can be ascertained.
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The thermal stream classification of these sites (Stoneman and Jones, 1996) indicate that this reach of the Noisy River is considered a cool water system (Figure 36).
Table 2: Baseflow Index.
Station Average Rate of Baseflow (m3/s)
Average Rate of Total Streamflow (m3/s)
BFI
Noisy 24 0.2610 0.3003 0.869
Noisy 40 0.3438 0.3756 0.916
Noisy 46 0.5564 0.6484 0.858
North Branch 44 0.2475 0.3416 0.725
North Branch 54 0.5438 0.6136 0.886
South Branch 30 0.2131 0.2395 0.890
South Branch 35 0.2847 0.3045 0.935
South Branch 36 0.4816 0.5376 0.896
Nottawasaga 55 1.2718 1.5214 0.836
6.2 North Branch- Upper Nottawasaga River From the HOBO logger data, the estimated average baseflow at the NB 44 (up gradient site) was 0.248 m3/s, with a maximum and minimum of 0.451 and 0.188 m3/s, respectively (Figure 18). Site NB 54 (down gradient) was characterized by 0.544 m3/s averaged estimated baseflow with a maximum and minimum of 0.770 and 0.0409 m3/s. The BFI at the two sites was 0.725 (NB 44) and 0.886 (NB 54), indicating a moderate to significant volumetric groundwater contribution, respectively (Table 2). Further, the contribution of groundwater relative to streamflow increases downstream suggesting that groundwater driven- flow increases downstream, reflective of geology and slope. The North Branch regional spot baseflow sampling event indicates that this water course is a net gaining system as per flow per catchment area (Figure 6, 8, 11, 13). There is a strong correlation of increased baseflow along the Niagara Escarpment on both per catchment and per water course length, supporting the BFI information. It is noted that several short, headwater watercourses located in the Dundalk Till Plain were dry. Daily maximum temperature for NB44 frequently falls above the upper thermal threshold for brook trout and above the optimums for brown trout (Figure 21). The daily minimum and average temperature are within the reasonable range for brook trout (4-20oC, Power, 1980), except for NB44 which infrequently exceeds the reasonable range (Figure 25). The sites display similar low daily ranges and rate of changes, which is reasonable for a free flowing, unimpacted creek with good riparian cover (Figure 29 and 33). The thermal stream classification of these sites (Stoneman and Jones, 1996) indicates that NB44 is considered a coolwater system with some tendencies towards warm water and NB54 is considered coldwater with some cool water tendencies (Figure 37). NB44 is located above the Escarpment on the relatively flat to rolling, clay rich Dundalk Till Plain which is noted for limited groundwater contributions. In comparison, NB54 is located on the toe slope of the Escarpment, reflecting significant groundwater contribution as supported by the BFI (0.886).
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6.3 South Branch- Upper Nottawasaga River The estimated average baseflow at the SB30 (up gradient site) was 0.213 m3/s, with a maximum and minimum of 0.339 and 0.184m3/s (Figure 19). Site SB35 (mid-gradient) was characterized by 0.285 m3/s averaged estimated baseflow with a maximum and minimum of 0.318 and 0.264m3/s. Site SB36 (down gradient) was characterized by 0.482 m3/s averaged estimated baseflow with a maximum and minimum of 0.601 and 0.409m3/s. It is noted that the average flow increases marginally from SB30 to SB35; however, doubles from SB35 to SB36. The BFIs at the sites were 0.890 (SB30), 0.935 (SB35), and 0.896 (SB36), indicating significant volumetric groundwater contribution to stream volume at all three sites (Table 2). Further, the contribution of groundwater relative to baseflow (i.e. the ratio of BFI to average baseflow) suggests that the main area of considerable groundwater contribution is between stations SB35 and SB36, with the estimated 210 m3/s increase of flow derived largely by groundwater contribution. The South Branch regional spot baseflow sampling event indicate that the upper reaches on the agricultural Dundalk Till Plain exhibit both gaining and losing reaches (Figures 6, 9, 11, and 14). Net gaining catchment areas are located on the Niagara Escarpment slope. There is a strong correlation of increased baseflow along the Niagara Escarpment on both a per catchment and per water course length. This suggests that the length of water courses per catchment area contribute similar comparable trends of volumes. Daily maximum temperature for the South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River sites infrequently falls above the upper thermal threshold for brook trout and above the optimums for brown trout with exceedances generally limited to July and August (Figure 22). The daily minimum and average temperature are within the reasonable range for brook trout (4-20oC, Power, 1980; Figures 26 and 30). All sites display similar daily rate of changes, which is reasonable for a free flowing, unimpacted creek with good riparian cover (Figures 22 and 34). No longitudinal downstream thermal trends are evident in this system. The thermal stream classification of these sites (Stoneman and Jones, 1996) indicates that:
SB37 and SB30 are considered coolwater systems
SB35 is considered a cool-coldwater systems
SB36 is considered a coolwater system with coldwater tendencies (figure 38) It is noted that SB35 and 36 is located in a steep walled, well forested valley tract whereas site 30 is located just above the valley system. Geologically, SB30 is overlying the Amabel, SB35- the Clinton-Cataract Group, and SB36 the Queenston Formation. 6.4 Nottawasaga Main Branch This reach is limited to one logger site- N55 and is at the downstream location of the coalesced North and South Branches. The estimated average baseflow at the N55 was 1.274 m3/s, with a maximum and minimum of 1.674 and 1.051 m3/s, respectively. The BFI at this site was 0.836 (Table 2). The daily maximum temperature infrequently exceeds the upper threshold for brook trout, especially in the later summer months (July and August; Figure 23). The daily minimum and average temperature are within the reasonable range for brook trout (4-20oC, Power, 1980; Figures 27, 31 and 35).
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N55 is considered coolwater with limited coldwater tendencies (Figures 27, 31, 42). The south and north branch coalesce just upstream of the station 55 and is reflective of the thermal regime of both station N55 (predominantly coldwater) and South Branch 36 (predominantly cool water with coldwater tendencies (Figure 37). The BFI at N55 is slightly below the averaged BFIs of the upgradient NB54 and SB36 sites. In addition, the average streamflow is roughly 30% higher then the combined baseflows of the two upgradient sites suggesting that additional streamflow/baseflow is entering the site between these stations and modifying the thermal regime. 6.5 Boyne River Data collection on the Boyne River is limited to the regional spot baseflow sampling event completed as part of the NVCA Watershed Report Card monitoring. Unlike the other subwatersheds in this study, the spot baseflow measurements were conducted for the complete subwatershed, instead of focusing on the Niagara Escarpment and the upgradient area. As a result, the Boyne River has a reduced concentration of sampling points compared to the other subwatersheds. The Boyne River subwatershed is generally a gaining system (Figure 6, 10, 11, and 15). There is no strong correlation between gaining catchments or reaches on the Niagara Escarpment, Conversely, it is noted that the subwatershed is a losing system at the upper part of the Niagara escarpment as per volume per catchment area. There is a strong correlation between baseflow conditions on the catchment and the per water course length. 7. Conclusions The regional baseflow characteristics and temporal and longitudinal flow and temperature variations were identified in the Niagara Escarpment area for the Noisy River, the North and South Branch- Upper Nottawasaga River, and regionally for the Boyne River. Hydrologic and thermal characteristics of the watercourses were determined using data generated from a regional spot baseflow sampling event and through the deployment of continuous level and temperature loggers at key locations on the Niagara Escarpment. Through the baseflow index generated from the continuous logger data, the water courses indicate considerable groundwater contributions along the Niagara Escarpment. All systems, except for the Noisy River, flow per catchment area and flow per stream length as determine from the regional spot baseflow data indicate that flows increase downgradient. North and South Branches of the Nottawasaga River typically exhibit an increased volume of groundwater contributions as defined by the BFI and flow volumes, unlike the Noisy River where flow increased proportionately downstream. On the subcatchment scale, the Noisy and Boyne rivers both exhibited losing reaches at the top of the Escarpment. It is noted that the amount of groundwater discharge varies with catchment area, climate, local geology, and the hydraulic gradient which collectively affects the thermal regime of the watercourse (Stanfield et al., 2009). Thermally, the majority of the logger sites exhibit maximum daily temperatures which infrequently to frequently fall above the thermal threshold for brook trout, predominately in the summer months (July and August). The daily average and minimum temperature profiles at the individual sites; however, are within the thermal thresholds for brook trout. Further, through the continuous temperature logger data, the watercourses on the Niagara Escarpment are categorized using the Stoneman and Jones protocol as:
cool water- all Noisy River Sites
10
cool to coldwater- North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River
cool to cool-coldwater system: South Branch- Upper Nottawasaga River. It is noted that the NVCA Fisheries Habitat Management plan (2009) lists management objectives for all three system consistent with the protection, enhancement, and restoration of the coldwater fisheries habitat ecosystems. Physiographically, warmer temperatures and reduced flows are encountered on the top of the Escarpment where loggers are situated in the Dundalk Till Plain (e.g. NB44) and increased downgradient except for the Noisy River. Subwatershed land use characteristics along with permitted water takings may impact local and subcatchment flows. This project hypothesized that significant groundwater contribution would be apparent near the geological contact between the Amabel-Clinton Cataract Group. Although all sites exhibit significant groundwater contributions and corresponding cool to cold water thermal regimes, it is noted that the use of baseflow and watercourse thermal data alone cannot prove this hypothesis where deeply incised, high gradient systems along the escarpment are mantled with moderate to thick overburden deposits (e.g. the Upper Nottawasaga and Noisy rivers). This project hypothesis may work in situations where minimal overburden masks the bedrock formational contact, i.e. the Silver Creek subwatershed. However, given the variability but the importance of groundwater to maintaining critical thermal regimes of water courses for fisheries habitat, Stanfield et al. (2009) recommended that practitioners invest in the collection of stream discharge, particularly in catchments less than 1,1000 ha in size. These surveys will provide information of locations for gaining/losing reaches of the water courses that can direct additional work to areas of uncertainty and/or critical importance to fisheries resources. Information obtained from these baseflow studies can assist in accomplishing the mandate of the NEC ONE monitoring program and more broadly, for sustainable water management for the benefit of water users and the environment.
7.1 Proposed future Niagara Escarpment streamflow monitoring In support of the watershed report card initiative, the NVCA completes extensive sampling at the subwatershed scale on a rotating 5 year cycle (Table 3). The sampling consists of spot riverine benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, spot baseflow measurement, water chemistry, and limited continuous temperature reading. Sample sites are distributed throughout the subwatershed. In support of continued partnership monitoring on the Niagara Escarpment, it is envisioned that during periods where the respective subwatersheds are sampled in support of the watershed report card that additional temperature and baseflow sites be completed to augment the thermal-hydrologic understanding of these systems.
Table 3: Subwatershed sampling calendar for NVCA watershed report cards.
2005/2010 Blue Mountains Upper Nottawasaga
2006/2011 Lower Nottawasaga Pine River
2007/2012 Middle Nottawasaga Mad River
2008/2013 Innisfil Creek Severn Sound
2009/2014 Willow Creek Boyne River
A similar approach to the methodology employed in this report is proposed for future monitoring: a few strategic sites targeted using a nested study design for enhanced level and temperature monitoring coupled with a regional spot baseflow sampling event. The georeferenced data would be stored in an Access database and imported to Arc products for ease of analysis and
11
visual interpretation along with seamless data transfer to other interested parties. This dataset will provide the opportunity to address future opportunities including, but not limited to:
Climate change predictions Hydrologic models linking changes in air temperature and precipitation to changes in
water temperature and groundwater input to streams Watershed-scale habitat data (response to climate change and influence on streams and
fishes) Reach-scale habitat data (response to climate change and influence on streams and
fishes) Fish and habitat temporal trend data
12
8. References
Battin, J., Wiley, M.W., Ruckelshaus, M.H., Palmer, R.N., Korb, E., Bartz, K.K., and Imaki, H. 2007. Projected impacts of climate change on salmon habitat restoration. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 104(16):6720-6725.
Berg, M.A. and Allen, D.M. (2007). Low Flow Variability in Groundwater- Fed Streams. Canadian Water Resources Journal, 32(3): 227-245.
Bjornn, T.C. and Reiser, D.W. 1991. Habitat requirements of salmonids in streams. Pages 83-138 In: Meehan, W.R. (editor), Influences of Forest and Rangeland Management on Salmonid Fishes and their Habitats. Amer. Fish. Soc. Special Publ. 19, Bethesda, Maryland.
Chapman, J.L. and Putman, D.F., 1984. The Physiography of Southern Ontario; Ontario
Geological Survey, Special Volume 2, Ontario.
Golder Associates, 2004. South Simcoe Municipal Groundwater Study. Hinton, M.J . 2005. Methodology for measureing the spatial distribution of low streamflow within subwatershds. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 4891, 62 pages. Liberty, B.A. and Bolton, T.E. 1971. Palaeozoic Geology of the Bruce Peninsula Area, Ontario; Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 360, 163p. Accompanied by Map 1194A, scale 1:253,440. Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority. 2009. Fisheries Habitat Management Plan Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Area of Jurisdiction. 120 pg. Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority. 2007. 2007 Watershed Report Card. 4 pg. Power,G. 1980. The brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis. In Charrs: salmonid fishes of the genus Salvelinus. Kluwer Boston Inc. Boston, U.S.A. pp 141-203. RJ Burnside & Associates. 2001. Shelburne Groundwater Management Study. RJ Burnside & Associates, 2001a. Mulmur, Groundwater Management Studies. RJ Burnside & Associates, 2001b. Mono Groundwater Management Studies. RJ Burnside & Associates, 2001c. Amaranth Groundwater Management Studies. Rodie, A., and Post, R. 2009. Niagara Escarpment Baseflow Study. Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority. 59 p. Stanfield, L.W., Kilgour, B., Todd, K., Holysch, S., Piggott, A., and Baker, M. 2009. Estimating Summer Low-flow in streams in a moorainal landscape using spatial hydrologic models. Canadian Water Resources Journal, 34(3): 1.16.
Stoneman, C. L, and Jones, M.L. 1996. A Simple Method to Evaluate the Thermal Stability of Southern Ontario Trout Streams. Department of Fisheries and Ocean , 4 pages.
13
Figures:
Figure 1: Base map of sampled subwatersheds, 2008 and 2009.
14
Figure 2: Noisy River Baseflow locations.
15
Figure 3: North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River baseflow locations.
16
Figure 4: South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River baseflow locations.
17
Figure 5: Boyne River baseflow locations.
18
Figure 6: Map of 2009 baseflow stations outlining the net low-flow discharge per catchment area.
19
Figure 7: Map of net low-flow discharge per catchment area, Noisy River, 2009.
20
Figure 8: Map of net low-flow discharge per catchment area, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009.
21
Figure 9: Map of low-flow discharge per catchment area, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009.
22
Figure 10: Map of low-flow discharge per catchment area, Boyne River, 2009.
23
Figure 11: Map of 2009 baseflow stations outlining the net low-flow discharge per stream length of the catchment area. The red dots indicate the sampling locations. Negative values indicate a loss of discharge.
24
Figure 12: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, Noisy River, 2009.
25
Figure 13: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009.
26
Figure 14: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River, 2009.
27
Figure 15: Map of net low-flow discharge per stream length per catchment area, Boyne River, 2009.
28
Figure 16: Land use and Permit to Take Water, Upper Nottawasaga River, Boyne, and Mad (Noisy) rivers subwatersheds.
29
Summary plots:
Figure 17: Baseflow, Noisy River.
Figure 18: Baseflow, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
30
Figure 19: Baseflow, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 20: Maximum daily temperature- Noisy River.
31
Figure 21: Maximum daily temperature: North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 22: Maximum daily temperature, south branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
32
Figure 23: Maximum daily temperature, Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 24: Minimum daily temperature, Noisy River.
33
Figure 25: Minimum daily temperature, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 26: Minimum daily temperature- south Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
34
Figure 27: Minimum daily temperature- Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 28: Average daily temperature, Noisy River.
35
Figure 29: Average daily temperature- North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 30: Average daily temperature: South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
36
Figure 31: Average daily temperature: Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 32: Daily range in temperature, Noisy River.
37
Figure 33: Daily range in temperature, North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 34: Daily range in temperature, South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River.
38
Figure 35: Daily range in temperature, Upper Nottawasaga River.
Figure 36: Stream classification for the Noisy River sites (Stoneman and Jones, 1996). Sites plotted below the blue line classify as cold water, between the blue and purple classified as cool water and above the green line classified as warm water sites.
39
Figure 37: Stream classification for the North Branch Upper Nottawasaga River (format from the Stoneman and Jones, 1996). Sites plotted below the blue line classify as cold water, between the blue and purple classified as cool water and above the green line classified as warm water sites.
Figure 38: Stream classification for the South Branch Upper Nottawasaga River (format from the Stoneman and Jones, 1996). Sites plotted below the blue line classify as cold water, between the blue and purple classified as cool water and above the green line classified as warm water sites.
40
Appendix A- Baseflow Measurements
Noisy River
Station ID
Discharge (m
3/s)
NOTE
UTM Coordinates NAD 83 Zone 17
Easting Northing
1 0 dry 555273 4897087
2 0 dry 555532 4896880
3 standing water 556556 4897423
4 0 dry 556890 4898860
5 not measureable - swampy 557249 4898140
6 0.0555 557520 4897923
7 flow too low to measure 557683 4898550
8 0.0380 558142 4898052
9 0 dry 558781 4895055
10 inaccessible 559076 4898679
11 0 dry 559244 4897771
12 flow too low to measure 559320 4897362
13 not measureable - swampy 559464 4896584
14 0 dry 559616 4895749
15 0 dry 559677 4895412
16 flow too low to measure 559457 4899636
17 0.0923 559976 4898813
18 inaccessible 560400 4899933
19 inaccessible 560945 4900107
20 no flow 561218 4901866
21 0 dry 561389 4901204
22 0 dry 561492 4900606
23 inaccessible 561462 4900269
24 0.2622 Data Logger Site 561585 4900183
25 0 dry 561585 4902214
26 standing water 562032 4899296
27 standing water 561942 4905793
28 0.0158 562184 4904438
29 0.0365 562209 4900515
30 inaccessible 562495 4900683
31 0 dry 563002 4899962
32 0.0021 563450 4904566
33 inaccessible 563523 4904400
34 no flow 563860 4904813
35 0.0033 564032 4902320
36 0.0001 564293 4903584
37 not measureable - shallow 564335 4903681
38 0 dry 564547 4905034
39 0 dry 564674 4905075
40 0.2827 Data Logger Site 564898 4904150
41 culvert too low 565012 4903497
42 not measureable - shallow 564974 4905237
43 0.0002 565515 4904504
44 0.0161 565853 4905682
45 not measureable - shallow 565817 4905521
46 0.7728 Data Logger Site 565830 4905248
47 0.0930 565850 4905115
48 0.0004 566252 4907468
49 0.7926 566770 4906207
50 0.6842 567611 4907908
51 0.0127 567770 4908001
41
North Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River
Station ID Discharge (m
3/s)
NOTE
UTM Coordinates NAD 83 Zone 17
Easting Northing
1 0 dry 564380 4876661
2 0 dry 564455 4877155
3 0 dry 564624 4876208
4 0 dry 564682 4875880
5 0 dry 564723 4875647
6 0 dry 564810 4875188
7 0 dry 564860 4874884
8 almost dry not measureable 565213 4876934
9 0 dry 565547 4878045
10 0.0005 565712 4877173
11 flowing but not measureable 565834 4876425
12 0 dry 565888 4876118
13 0.0227 566001 4875581
14 0 dry 566146 4874677
15 almost dry not measureable 566381 4873362
16 flowing but not measureable 566309 4877255
17 0.0108 566646 4877327
18 0 dry 566891 4878310
19 0 dry 566912 4878193
20 flowing but not measureable 567004 4877683
21 0.0024 567247 4877509
22 too wide and deep to measure - large pond upstream 567217 4876506
23 too wide and deep to measure - swampy 567234 4876413
24 flowing but not measureable 567374 4875640
25 flowing but not measureable 567486 4875047
26 flowing but not measureable 567519 4874420
27 almost dry not measureable 567591 4874456
28 almost dry not measureable 567596 4874430
29 flowing but not measureable 567675 4873997
30 0 dry 567749 4873581
31 0 dry 567827 4873141
32 too wide and deep to measure - swampy 568568 4876489
33 standing water - no flow 569937 4876669
34 0.0624 570008 4876282
35 0 dry 570432 4873936
36 0 dry 570670 4872619
37 0.0853 570866 4875476
38 standing water - no flow 571148 4877494
39 0 dry 571148 4875566
40 0.0938 571797 4874047
41 flow too low to measure - large pond downstream 571643 4872554
42 0.1136 572031 4872830
43 0.0992 571911 4872629
44 0.1227 data logger site 572103 4872244
45 flowing but not measureable 572364 4870964
46 0 dry 572315 4878591
47 0 dry 572468 4877793
48 0 dry 574748 4873426
49 0 dry 574733 4873149
50 0.0025 575264 4872963
51 inaccessible - no road 575032 4871571
52 inaccessible - no road 575210 4870667
53 standing water - no flow 576443 4871027
54 0.2923 data logger site 576454 4871025
55 1.1876 data logger site - downstream of where north and south
branches meet 577795 4871587
42
South Branch, Upper Nottawasaga River
Station ID Discharge (m
3/s)
NOTE
UTM Coordinates NAD 83 Zone 17
Easting Northing
1 flowing but not measureable 566213 4867284
2 barely flowing not measureable 566421 4866145
3 barely flowing not measureable - swampy 566485 4865798
4 0 dry 566612 4865104
5 0 dry 567302 4864901
6 barely flowing not measureable - swampy 567404 4867729
7 barely flowing not measureable - swampy 567541 4866993
8 0.0024 568265 4870768
9 568439 4869821
10 flowing but not measureable 568492 4869526
11 0.0042 568685 4868446
12 0.0564 568696 4868402
13 barely flowing not measureable 568845 4867585
14 not measureable - weedy with very low flow 568994 4866780
15 569040 4868553
16 0 dry 569341 4872264
17 0.0110 569837 4872082
18 standing water 569422 4871822
19 standing water 569483 4871490
20 big pond/swamp - no flow 569628 4870700
21 0.0522 570499 4869137
22 not measureable - swampy 569981 4868801
23 not measureable - swampy 570314 4867017
24 0.0844 571202 4869832
25 barely flowing not measureable 571568 4867359
26 0.0208 571710 4867152
27 0.0065 572966 4866610
28 under construction 573144 4866885
29 0.0972 573100 4867255
30 0.0763 data logger site 573611 4867429
31 flowing - not accessible 574020 4867781
32 flowing - not accessible 574299 4868158
33 0 dry 574275 4868263
34 0 dry 575768 4867902
35 0.2584 data logger site 575538 4869019
36 0.4608 data logger site 576586 4870714
43
Boyne River
Station ID
Discharge (m
3/s)
NOTE
UTM Coordinates NAD 83 Zone 17
Easting Northing
1 0.0096 Tributary - 5thSR and 4th Line 561890 4883342
2 0.1217 Tributary - 5th SR btw 3rd Line and CR124 564201 4884190
3 0.1436 Main channel at CR124 564631 4883280
4 0.0682 Tributary - 5thSR btw 124 and MM.TL 564954 4884394
5 0.0101 Tributary - MoAm.TL btw 89 and 30SR 566416 4881086
6 0.0962 Tributary - 2nd Line south of 5thSR 567197 4884387
7 0.2211 Main channel at end of 2nd Line W going North from 89 567308 4883784
8 0.8483 Main channel at CR19 north of 89 568989 4883322
9 0.1594 Main channel at 1st Line East 571220 4884754
10 0.0546 Tributary - 10SR btw 1st and 2nd Line 571185 4889609
11 0.0401 Tributary - 5th Line north of 5thSR 576039 4888805
12 0.0710 Tributary - CR18 north of 89 577753 4886395
13 0.6136 Main channel at Mul.Tos TL btw 5SR and CR5 579803 4890617
14 0.0065 Tributary - Con 2 btw 5SR and 89 581758 4887503
15 0.8163 Main channel at Con 3 582684 4890512
16 0.0870 Tosorontio Creek - Con 3 582724 4890295
17 0.6840 Main channel at 5th SR 586096 4890933
18 0.0158 Main channel at Con 6 586840 4889422
19 0.0541 Spring Creek - Tottenham Rd. 592812 4889928
20 1.0313 Main channel at CR10 593603 4890654
44
Appendix B- Site hydrographs with Baseflow Separation curves
45
46
47
48
49
Appendix C-Sample Dates for Temperature Analysis (Acceptable dates in yellow) Source: Environment Canada Base Borden Weather Station
Date Total
Rainfall (mm)
Max Air Temp (°C)
Min Air Temp (°C)
Date Total
Rainfall (mm)
Max Air Temp (°C)
Min Air Temp (°C)
Jul-01 19.5 21.8 13.9 Aug-06 0.0 22.7 9.0
Jul-02 2.0 21.6 14.1 Aug-07 0.0 22.5 8.2
Jul-03 0.0 22.4 13.0 Aug-08 2.4 23.3 5.8
Jul-04 0.0 20.5 7.8 Aug-09 35.8 n/a 17.3
Jul-05 0.0 25.0 5.2 Aug-10 14.1 27.0 14.9
Jul-06 0.0 21.1 10.3 Aug-11 7.2 25.7 13.8
Jul-07 0.0 19.4 11.6 Aug-12 0.0 26.5 12.7
Jul-08 0.0 22.3 9.5 Aug-13 0.0 28.1 11.0
Jul-09 0.0 25.9 7.5 Aug-14 0.0 30.7 12.6
Jul-10 0.0 29.0 8.2 Aug-15 0.0 31.3 14.1
Jul-11 2.4 28.6 10.7 Aug-16 0.0 31.8 16.6
Jul-12 0.2 22.2 6.7 Aug-17 0.0 30.4 21.9
Jul-13 0.0 21.4 7.0 Aug-18 4.0 28.8 17.4
Jul-14 0.0 22.9 6.2 Aug-19 0.0 25.7 10.0
Jul-15 1.6 25.2 3.1 Aug-20 32.4 30.0 14.3
Jul-16 0.0 25.1 11.3 Aug-21 0.0 27.8 16.3
Jul-17 24.9 25.1 6.6 Aug-22 11.3 22.5 13.8
Jul-18 0.0 22.3 10.1 Aug-23 0.0 19.2 10.5
Jul-19 0.0 21.2 8.2 Aug-24 0.0 23.3 9.5
Jul-20 0.0 25.1 5.7 Aug-25 0.0 27.5 8.2
Jul-21 0.0 25.2 8.5 Aug-26 0.2 21.9 6.7
Jul-22 0.0 25.8 9.7 Aug-27 0.0 20.2 3.1
Jul-23 16.7 23.3 16.5 Aug-28 1.8 19.9 6.3
Jul-24 0.0 24.1 15.3 Aug-29 11.5 23.4 12.5
Jul-25 6.2 23.7 15.9 Aug-30 1.2 15.1 10.2
Jul-26 3.2 24.7 12.8 Aug-31 0.0 19.6 6.0
Jul-27 0.0 26.0 14.4 Sep-01 0.0 22.3 2.7
Jul-28 7.0 29.1 17.7 Sep-02 0.0 24.8 5.1
Jul-29 2.8 25.8 11.3 Sep-03 0.0 25.1 5.8
Jul-30 0.0 26.5 9.3 Sep-04 0.0 24.4 4.4
Jul-31 0.0 26.9 12.1 Sep-05 0.0 25.3 8.9
Aug-01 0.0 28.9 10.1 Sep-06 0.0 25.2 8.1
Aug-02 0.0 25.1 11.5 Sep-07 0.0 26.0 9.8
Aug-03 0.0 24.6 8.6 Sep-08 0.0 26.7 7.5
Aug-04 2.6 29.7 13.5 Sep-09 0.0 26.0 8.4
Aug-05 0.0 24.5 9.5 Sep-10 0.0 26.0 4.7
50
Appendix D- Thermal Stream classification (Stoneman and Jones, 1996)
Noisy River:
Noisy River Station 24 Noisy River Station 40 Noisy River Station 46
Acceptable Sample Dates
Max Air
Temp (°C)
Min Air
Temp (°C)
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram Classification
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram Classification
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram Classification
Jul-11 28.6 10.7 19.85 Coolwater 19.95 Coolwater 20.42 Coolwater
Jul-16 25.1 11.3 19.19 Coolwater 18.43 Coolwater 18.62 Coolwater
Jul-22 25.8 9.7 19.28 Coolwater 18.90 Coolwater 18.81 Coolwater
Jul-31 26.9 12.1 19.57 Coolwater 19.28 Coolwater 19.47 Coolwater
Aug-01 28.9 10.1 19.66 Coolwater 19.76 Coolwater 19.76 Coolwater
Aug-02 25.1 11.5 19.66 Coolwater 19.38 Coolwater 19.47 Coolwater
Aug-03 24.6 8.6 16.43 Coolwater 16.43 Coolwater 16.52 Coolwater
Aug-14 30.7 12.6 20.42 Coolwater 20.23 Coolwater 20.04 Coolwater
Aug-15 31.3 14.1 21.00 Coolwater 20.81 Coolwater 21.00 Coolwater
Aug-16 31.8 16.6 21.57 Coolwater 21.47 Coolwater 21.38 Coolwater
Aug-17 30.4 21.9 21.57 Coolwater 20.71 Coolwater 20.71 Coolwater
Sep-05 25.3 8.9 17.38 Coolwater 17.19 Coolwater 17.19 Coolwater
Sep-06 25.2 8.1 17.19 Coolwater 17.38 Coolwater 17.38 Coolwater
Sep-07 26.0 9.8 17.57 Coolwater 17.57 Coolwater 17.57 Coolwater
Sep-08 26.7 7.5 17.95 Coolwater 17.57 Coolwater 17.48 Coolwater
Sep-09 26.0 8.4 17.67 Coolwater 17.48 Coolwater 17.76 Coolwater
Sep-10 26.0 4.7 16.71 Coolwater 17.09 Coolwater 17.28 Coolwater
51
North Branch, Nottawasaga River
North Branch Nottawasaga River
Station 44
North Branch Nottawasaga River
Station 54
Nottawasaga River Station 55
Acceptable Sample Dates
Max Air
Temp (°C)
Min Air
Temp (°C)
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram Classification
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram Classification
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram Classification
Jul-11 28.6 10.7 21.28 Coolwater 16.81 Coldwater 18.14 Coolwater
Jul-16 25.1 11.3 20.81 Warmwater 15.95 Coolwater 17.76 Coolwater
Jul-22 25.8 9.7 19.57 Coolwater 15.00 Coldwater 16.62 Coolwater
Jul-31 26.9 12.1 20.42 Coolwater 17.09 Coolwater 17.67 Coolwater
Aug-01 28.9 10.1 20.71 Coolwater 17.00 Coldwater 18.24 Coolwater
Aug-02 25.1 11.5 21.38 Warmwater 17.09 Coolwater 18.43 Coolwater
Aug-03 24.6 8.6 18.81 Coolwater 15.47 Coldwater 16.52 Coolwater
Aug-14 30.7 12.6 22.05 Coolwater 18.05 Coldwater 19.38 Coolwater
Aug-15 31.3 14.1 22.24 Coolwater 18.33 Coldwater 19.66 Coolwater
Aug-16 31.8 16.6 23.00 Coolwater 18.43 Coldwater 19.66 Coolwater
Aug-17 30.4 21.9 23.39 Coolwater 19.28 Coolwater 20.23 Coolwater
Sep-05 25.3 8.9 17.67 Coolwater 14.80 Coldwater 16.52 Coolwater
Sep-06 25.2 8.1 18.14 Coolwater 14.90 Coldwater 16.71 Coolwater
Sep-07 26.0 9.8 18.71 Coolwater 15.09 Coldwater 16.71 Coolwater
Sep-08 26.7 7.5 18.05 Coolwater 14.71 Coldwater 16.43 Coldwater
Sep-09 26.0 8.4 18.71 Coolwater 15.28 Coldwater 17.00 Coolwater
Sep-10 26.0 4.7 18.71 Coolwater 14.71 Coldwater 16.43 Coolwater
52
South Branch, Nottawasaga River:
South Branch Nottawasaga River Station 37 (Temp Logger Deployed Aug6 to Aug26)
South Branch Nottawasaga River
Station 30
South Branch Nottawasaga River
Station 35
South Branch Nottawasaga River Station 36
Acceptable Sample Dates
Max Air
Temp (°C)
Min Air
Temp (°C)
Max Water Temp (°C)
Between
16:00 and
16:30
Nomogram
Classification
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram
Classification
Max Water Temp (°C)
Between 16:00 and
16:30
Nomogram Classificatio
n
Max Water Temp (°C) Between
16:00 and 16:30
Nomogram
Classification
Jul-11 28.6 10.7 18.33 Coolwater 17.76 Coolwater 17.95 Coolwater
Jul-16 25.1 11.3 17.48 Coolwater 17.57 Coolwater 17.57 Coolwater
Jul-22 25.8 9.7 16.52 Coolwater 16.05 Coldwater 16.43 Coolwater
Jul-31 26.9 12.1 18.14 Coolwater 17.48 Coolwater 17.00 Coolwater
Aug-01 28.9 10.1 18.62 Coolwater 17.95 Coolwater 17.67 Coldwater
Aug-02 25.1 11.5 18.52 Coolwater 17.95 Coolwater 18.05 Coolwater
Aug-03 24.6 8.6 16.52 Coolwater 15.86 Coldwater 16.14 Coolwater
Aug-14 30.7 12.6 21.15 Coolwater 19.28 Coolwater 18.90 Coolwater 18.62 Coolwater
Aug-15 31.3 14.1 21.82 Coolwater 19.85 Coolwater 19.19 Coolwater 18.90 Coolwater
Aug-16 31.8 16.6 21.27 Coolwater 19.76 Coolwater 19.00 Coolwater 19.00 Coolwater
Aug-17 30.4 21.9 21.39 Coolwater 20.42 Coolwater 19.47 Coolwater 19.28 Coolwater
Sep-05 25.3 8.9 16.05 Coolwater 15.57 Coldwater 15.95 Coldwater
Sep-06 25.2 8.1 16.33 Coolwater 15.86 Coldwater 16.43 Coolwater
Sep-07 26.0 9.8 16.24 Coolwater 15.57 Coldwater 16.33 Coolwater
Sep-08 26.7 7.5 15.86 Coldwater 15.28 Coldwater 16.14 Coldwater
Sep-09 26.0 8.4 16.33 Coolwater 16.05 Coolwater 16.33 Coolwater
Sep-10 26.0 4.7 16.05 Coolwater 15.47 Coldwater 15.95 Coldwater