Evaluating our Impact

Feature Story

Residents across the watershed benefit from systems that protect communities from flooding; and they may not even realize these systems are in place — yet municipalities, emergency responders, and planners rely on them every day.

Across the Lake Simcoe watershed, we continuously monitor rainfall, snowmelt, stream flows, water levels, and shoreline conditions through a network of gauges and monitoring stations. This real-time data feeds directly into flood forecasting and warning systems that help municipalities understand not only where flooding may occur, but when conditions are changing quickly enough to require action. That early awareness supports emergency preparedness, road closures, infrastructure protection, and public safety decisions during major weather events.

And the work that happens long before flooding occurs is equally important. Floodplain mapping identifies areas vulnerable to flooding during extreme storm events, and provides municipalities with the technical information needed to guide land use planning, infrastructure design, and development decisions. Recent work included updating shoreline flood mapping for Lake Simcoe and detailed creek system modelling in Barrie, with additional watershed-wide updates underway as climate patterns and development pressures continue to evolve.

Behind this work is an integrated system of monitoring networks, hydrologic modelling, forecasting tools, and open environmental data. Municipal staff, engineers, consultants, and developers use our data to support technical studies, infrastructure planning, and risk-informed decision-making, while public tools like the Water Data Viewer provide residents with access to real-time watershed information.

Together, monitoring, forecasting, mapping, and data sharing help communities better prepare for flooding before it happens. As the watershed continues to grow and weather events become more unpredictable, this coordinated approach plays an important role in reducing risk and building more resilient communities.

Feature Story

The strongest measure of source water protection is often what doesn’t happen: drinking water remains safe, reliable, and available even as communities continue to grow.

Across the Lake Simcoe watershed, increasing population growth and development are placing greater demands on municipal drinking water systems. Under Ontario’s Clean Water Act, any new or expanding municipal system must meet strict source protection requirements before it can proceed. That has significantly increased the volume and complexity of technical reviews, hydrogeological assessments, and municipal coordination needed to support growth while protecting drinking water sources.

We play a lead technical role in this process. Working with municipalities, consultants, and provincial partners, staff assess potential risks to municipal wells and intake systems before development moves forward. This includes evaluating groundwater conditions, reviewing water supply capacity, identifying vulnerable areas, and applying source protection policies that restrict land uses or activities that could threaten drinking water quality or quantity.

The work doesn’t stop once systems are approved. Existing municipal systems are continuously monitored and reassessed as watershed conditions change, helping identify emerging risks early and allowing municipalities to respond proactively. Recent water budget assessments confirmed that municipal water supplies across the watershed are expected to meet projected demand through at least 2031, while ongoing process improvements are helping streamline technical reviews to better support the pace of development.

The impact of this work extends well beyond municipal infrastructure. Residents, businesses, farmers, and developers all rely on the confidence that safe and sustainable drinking water systems provide.

What makes the program effective is its consistency. Risks are identified early, technical decisions are grounded in science, and municipalities are supported through a collaborative process that helps protect drinking water sources while accommodating continued growth across the watershed.

Feature Story

As the watershed continues to grow, maintaining ecological function requires integrating nature-based solutions into how communities are planned, built, and restored.

Municipalities are facing increasing pressure from urban growth, infrastructure expansion, and more frequent extreme weather events. These pressures affect how water moves across the landscape, how habitats function, and how resilient communities are to flooding, erosion, and climate-related impacts. In response, we work with municipalities to apply watershed science and ecological data to support more informed land-use planning, restoration, and stormwater management decisions.

Nature-based solutions are a key part of that work. Wetland restoration, urban tree planting, natural buffers, and low impact development approaches are being used to help slow runoff, improve water infiltration, reduce urban heat, store carbon, and support biodiversity — often delivering multiple environmental benefits through a single project.

This work is increasingly being integrated into municipal planning and infrastructure projects. In East Gwillimbury, watershed data and ecological information are helping inform planning and design decisions as the community grows. In Innisfil, restoration work at Circle Park demonstrates how natural features can support both ecological function and public use, creating spaces that contribute to community well-being while improving environmental resilience.

The local data, technical expertise, and guidance we provide to our partners help translate concepts like low impact development, natural asset management, and carbon storage into actions that can be implemented on the ground.

The result is a more coordinated approach to watershed resilience. It’s one that recognizes healthy natural systems as essential infrastructure supporting both communities and the environment as growth continues across the watershed.

Feature Story

Science at Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority is used to support impactful decisions across the watershed every day.

Field monitoring, water quality data, hydrologic modelling, and watershed science all feed directly into watershed and subwatershed plans that help guide municipal planning, infrastructure investment, and growth management and have direct influence on how communities grow and how environmental impacts are managed over time.

This is especially important in a rapidly urbanizing watershed like Lake Simcoe, where stormwater management practices continue to evolve. We work closely with municipalities to apply monitoring results, modelling, and technical guidance to improve how stormwater is managed on the ground. That includes providing training, technical tools, and operational support to help municipalities adapt infrastructure and maintenance practices to changing watershed conditions.

In some cases, the benefits are immediate and highly visible. Through ongoing blue-green algae monitoring across Lake Simcoe, we provide coordinated, lake-wide information to municipalities, public health partners, and residents. Because algae blooms can shift quickly with changing wind and weather conditions, a watershed-scale monitoring program allows for more consistent and timely reporting than individual municipalities could achieve independently.

Our strength comes not only from collecting data, but from applying it in practical ways. With in-house technical expertise and on-water monitoring capacity, staff can investigate emerging issues, refine approaches, and respond quickly as conditions change.

That same adaptive approach is helping municipalities transition to Ontario’s Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval framework for stormwater systems. Under the new model, municipalities can manage stormwater infrastructure more strategically through a single approval process rather than maintaining separate approvals for individual facilities. We’ve supported this transition by developing guidance, tools, and technical resources that municipalities are now using to improve compliance, maintenance planning, and long-term asset management.

As new mapping, monitoring, and watershed data become available, the focus remains on ensuring science is accessible, practical, and consistently applied to support better decision-making across the watershed.

Feature Story

Watershed plans are used to make better decisions across the Lake Simcoe watershed as municipalities are increasingly applying them in practical ways.

Through working groups focused on stormwater, salt management, and climate resilience, municipal staff are sharing operational experience, identifying gaps, and improving how infrastructure is designed and maintained.

Stormwater management is a clear example. As development continues, municipalities are focusing not just on building new infrastructure, but on improving the performance of existing systems. We support this work with updated watershed data, mapping, technical guidance, and operational tools that help our partners improve maintenance practices and meet regulatory requirements more consistently.

Watershed and subwatershed plans are also being updated in areas facing the greatest growth pressures. These plans provide practical guidance to help manage runoff, reduce flood and heat impacts, protect water quality, and incorporate climate considerations into infrastructure planning.

Over time, the way these plans function has changed. They’re no longer used primarily as reference documents and are increasingly supporting day-to-day decisions related to infrastructure, operations, and long-term community planning across the watershed.

Feature Story

Climate change is increasingly being integrated into how we, and our municipal partners, plan infrastructure, manage risk, and make long-term decisions across the watershed.

We participate in regional working groups focused on climate resilience, bringing watershed science and technical expertise into discussions around growth, infrastructure planning, and municipal climate targets.

A key focus is improving understanding of how natural systems contribute to climate resilience. Wetlands, forests, and other natural features play an important role in storing carbon, reducing urban heat, managing runoff, and improving flood resilience. We support municipalities by providing data, technical guidance, and watershed expertise that help incorporate these benefits into local climate and infrastructure planning.

This approach is also being applied through project work. In partnership with the City of Barrie, we’re using cost-benefit analysis tools to evaluate flood mitigation options within the Sophia Creek catchment, an area affected by recurring flooding. The work compares retrofit solutions against projected future conditions to help identify investments that will remain effective over the long term.

The shift extends beyond the types of projects being undertaken to the way decisions are evaluated. Climate risk, future conditions, and long-term performance are increasingly being considered alongside cost, infrastructure needs, and growth pressures.

Feature Story

Our conservation lands provide residents with access to natural spaces close to home while protecting important ecological functions across the watershed.

With more than 500 hectares of accessible greenspace and over 45 kilometres of trails, conservation areas such as Rogers Reservoir support steady year-round use from residents seeking low-impact outdoor experiences. These spaces provide opportunities for staying active, nurturing a hobby, or simply appreciating nature, and contribute to community well-being and stronger connections to the natural environment.

The value of these lands is tied directly to the health of the ecosystems they support. We actively manages forests, wetlands, and other natural features to maintain biodiversity, ecological function, and long-term resilience. For us, public access is balanced carefully with environmental protection. Trail systems and infrastructure are planned and maintained to reduce impacts on sensitive habitats while supporting safe and sustainable use over the long term.

Healthy natural systems not only provide broader environmental benefits, they also provide significant physical and mental health benefits to those that spend time outdoors.

We’re continously working to strengthen how the ecological and community benefits of conservation lands are measured and understood. Through ongoing monitoring and partnerships, the organization is building a stronger understanding of how these lands contribute to environmental health, economic growth, and quality of life across the watershed.

Feature Story

For many people, their connection to the watershed begins with a hands-on experience outdoors. Through programs at Scanlon Creek and across the watershed, we’re helping turn those early experiences into long-term environmental awareness and stewardship.

Our education programs give students direct exposure to local ecosystems, watershed processes, and environmental challenges in ways that extend beyond classroom learning. In 2025, the Grade 4 education program in Simcoe County reached 136 classes, with all students participating in multiple experiences. Through nature-based learning, students explore topics such as water movement, habitat health, and the impacts everyday actions can have on the environment.

Teachers are also seeing increased student engagement and curiosity, with learners making stronger connections between environmental issues and their own communities. Programs are designed not only to build knowledge, but to encourage critical thinking, outdoor confidence, and a stronger understanding of personal responsibility toward the environment.

For many participants, that connection continues beyond a single visit. Some students return through camps and seasonal programs, while others carry those experiences into everyday choices, outdoor interests, and future studies or careers. We’ve also seen past program participants pursue environmental education and conservation-related fields, demonstrating the long-term influence these experiences can have. Our very own Lori McLean, restoration project specialist, and Chair of our Board, Peter Ferragine are perfect examples of early outdoor learning experiences influcing future career decisions.

The impact extends beyond students alone. Through educator partnerships and professional learning opportunities, teachers are incorporating more nature-based and watershed-focused learning into classrooms across and beyond the region, expanding the reach of these programs over time.

What makes the programs effective is their ability to create lasting connections between people and place, and helping more people understand the watershed they live in and the role they play in protecting it.

Feature Story

As we continue to grow, managing the organization’s carbon footprint is becoming an increasingly important part of day-to-day operations and long-term planning.

In 2025, corporate emissions were 2% above the 2016 baseline and 2% lower than 2024 levels. Although there is a slight decrease in numbers compared to 2024, the increase over the baseline reflects a combination of organizational growth, operational demands, and external energy factors, including increased reliance on natural gas-generated electricity. While some of these pressures are outside of our direct control, they highlight the importance of reducing emissions where meaningful improvements can be made.

Over the past year, we completed several targeted energy and infrastructure upgrades aimed at improving long-term efficiency and reducing emissions over time. This included replacing a fuel oil furnace with a heat pump, upgrading HVAC control systems to improve building performance, and continuing the transition of the corporate fleet to more efficient plug in or electric vehicles. While individual projects deliver incremental gains, together they support long-term reductions in both emissions and operating costs. And there is more work to be done for impactful emissions reductions.

Our climate work also extends beyond reducing its own operational footprint. Across the watershed, restoration projects, tree planting, wetland enhancement, and natural cover protection all contribute to carbon sequestration — helping remove and store carbon already present in the atmosphere while providing additional benefits such as flood resilience, habitat protection, and improved ecosystem health.

At the same time, sustainability considerations are continously being incorporated into procurement, infrastructure upgrades, and operational planning across the organization. Work is also underway to update our 2016 Carbon Reduction Strategy, including revised targets and a modernized approach that considers newer technology, current operations, and organizational practices.

These efforts reflect a longer-term approach: reducing operational emissions where possible while supporting natural systems that help communities adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Feature Story

We’re seeing continued stability across our workforce, alongside growing staff involvement in leadership, technical collaboration, and professional development opportunities across the sector.

Over the past year, staff contributed to committees, participated in technical working groups, and presented at industry conferences on topics related to watershed management, climate resilience, and environmental planning. This external involvement reflects both the depth of expertise within the organization and our role in broader sector discussions.

Internally, staff are also taking on expanded responsibilities through stretch assignments, cross-functional projects, and development opportunities. Internal tools such as Workhub are helping support career development conversations and provide staff with clearer pathways for growth within the organization.

With an average employee tenure of more than 10 years and low overall turnover, we continue to retain experienced staff and institutional knowledge. That continuity supports mentorship, collaboration, and knowledge transfer across teams.

Professional development is also becoming more structured and intentional. Staff are pursuing training, certifications, and leadership opportunities while continuing to share knowledge internally through cross-department collaboration and project work.

The result is a strong organizational capacity while supporting succession planning, collaboration, and long-term growth.

Feature Story

A strong workplace culture is reflected in how employees are supported, how teams work together, and how the organization prioritizes health, safety, and employee well-being.

Over the past year, we’ve continued to strengthen our workplace culture through improvements to health and safety programs, employee engagement, and organizational support systems. Staff completed two additional modules through the WSIB Health and Safety Excellence Program, helping build a more consistent and proactive approach to workplace safety across the organization.

We also introduced a centralized online health and safety portal to improve access to policies, procedures, reporting tools, and training resources. The system has streamlined record management, improved accessibility, and strengthened overall accountability and compliance.

At the same time, we continued creating opportunities for staff connection and collaboration beyond day-to-day responsibilities. Department-led events, informal staff gatherings, and initiatives such as Confluence Conversations provided space for employees to share ideas, build relationships, and strengthen cross-department collaboration.

Support for employee development has also become more structured. Updates to performance management processes are helping align individual development goals with organizational priorities while creating more opportunities for feedback, growth, and career planning.

We also expanded opportunities for community involvement through the introduction of a formal employee volunteer program, supporting staff participation in activities beyond the workplace.

Together, these efforts are helping strengthen a workplace culture focused on safety, collaboration, employee development, and organizational connection.