Watershed Plan

The County is developing a Watershed Plan for Peterborough County.

• The Watershed Plan is a priority action item in the County's 2023-2026 Strategic Plan due to growth pressures in various areas across the County.
• A Watershed Plan helps municipalities and other interested parties:

(a) understand the current condition of water and land resources in the study area and
(b) plan for the future health of the watershed.

The County’s Watershed Plan will (at a high level using available resources):

• document the extent and condition of forests, wetlands, streams and groundwater in the study area
• consider anticipated environmental stressors and land use changes (such as climate change and urbanization), and
• identify high-level strategies and tools to help maintain, and in some cases improve, environmental conditions in the watershed in the face of these stressors and land use changes.

The intent of this Watershed Plan is to:

• address the requirements of the Provincial Planning Statement (2024) related to watershed planning
• provide a basis and framework for more detailed priority-based subwatershed studies in the future, focused on areas planned for growth, and
• inform sustainable growth and infrastructure planning on a County-wide scale.

Montrose Environmental Group (Montrose) is leading a multi-disciplinary team that is working closely with the County and a Technical Advisory Committee (comprised of representatives from the local First Nations, municipalities and conservation authorities) to develop the Watershed Plan for the County.

Montrose, on behalf of the County, is seeking input and feedback from interested individuals and organizations (as outlined below) in 2025 and 2026. Please check back for project updates and notices for upcoming opportunities to get involved, or reach out to be added to the project email list.

Timeline

The County’s Watershed Plan development process includes three phases, as follows. We are currently advancing Phases 2 and 3 as a combined deliverable.

• Phase 1 - Project Launch and Background Review (completed in April 2025)
• A PDF of the Phase 1 presentation to Council is available 
• Phase 2 – Volume 1: Watershed Characterization (Draft, November 2025)
• Phase 3 – Volume 2: Watershed Planning and Management Guidance (Draft, March 2026)

Volume 1, Watershed Characterization, is available now on request.

The Draft Watershed Plan Volume 2 Watershed Planning and Management Guidance will be available on request in April 2026 as part of the Phase 2 / 3 Engagement, outlined below.

Phase 1 Engagement

We welcome feedback on this project through all phases via email or phone.

Representatives from the Williams Treaties First Nations, governmental agencies, utility companies, academic institutions, lake associations, land trusts and other interested environmental organizations from within and around the County were engaged over March 2025 to introduce interested parties to the project, gather perspectives to inform the vision and objectives for this Watershed Plan, and to ensure the study team had gathered all of the relevant data.

The Phase 1 engagement took place over March 2025 and is summarized in the Phase 1 Engagement Summary.

Phase 2 / 3 Engagement

Although this study originally anticipated separate engagement for Phases 2 and 3, the Montrose Team and County have agreed that most parties will be interested in the Phase 3 recommendations that emerge from the Phase 2 technical information. Therefore, the Phase 2 and 3 outcomes and draft guidance are being presented to those engaged simultaneously.

Phase 2 / 3 engagement will occur over April 2026, with all those invited and engaged in Phase 1 being asked to engage again.

A Phase 2 Engagement Summary will be posted following this engagement, with feedback informing the finalization of the Watershed Plan.