Water Management - Natural Areas: Wetlands, Watercourses, Woodlots and Ponds

Table of Contents

1. Wetlands
2. Watercourses and Lakes
3. Woodlots
4. Ponds
5. Available in Published Version of Water Management

Whether they're natural or artificial, wetlands, watercourses, woodlots, and ponds play pivotal roles in the well-being of your farm and the local environment.

What were once seen as nuisances or of little value are now recognized for their benefits to agricultural production. Depending on the type of on-farm water body, it can benefit your operation by:

• limiting flooding by storing runoff and acting like reservoirs
• helping water flow continuously
• purifying water
  • vegetation in wetlands is very efficient in removing nutrients and sediment
• reducing soil erosion by acting as a buffer against flowing water, either into or through the system
• returning water to atmosphere, stream base, and ground water sources
• offering habitat for species that help control insect and rodent infestations
• providing fish habitat, including spawning, rearing, and feeding areas
• providing a source of water in case of fire
• providing recreational opportunities.

Figure 1. Lilypads

Wetlands

If you want to maintain and protect your wetland, often the best method is to do nothing. Don't burn, fill, or drain them - or do any of the other activities listed in other sections of this Water Management book.

Buffer strips are excellent filters around wetlands. If you have a buffer strip, maintain it. If there is none, create one. Vegetated buffers will trap sediments and nutrients, and stabilize and reduce erosion, thereby ensuring wetlands receive cleaner ground and surface water. They're usually made of grass, shrubs, and trees, or a combination of each.

Figure 2. Destroying wetlands can leave areas vulnerable to the invasion of noninvasive nuisance plants, such as purple loosestrife and garlic mustard.

Watercourses and Lakes

Streams and watercourses on farms are sometimes widened, straightened, or deepened. These changes can detract from a stream's ability to move water and sediment. Generally, altering a natural watercourse is not recommended; any work involving stream channels or shorelines requires a work permit from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Figure 3. A well-constructed and maintained open ditch. Grass buffers are left to provide stability to the drain bank and filter out soil moving in runoff.

Woodlots

Farm woodlots range from small woodlots of Southwestern Ontario to larger forests of Eastern and Northern Ontario. All of them benefit agriculture.

The Farm Forestry and Habitat Management Best Management Practices Book discusses woodlots, and best management practices, in detail. Also, your local Conservation Authority can be of assistance.

---

Forests vs. Fields

Water Quality

Forested Area:

• streams run clear

Farming Area:

• streams are forces to carry higher sediment and chemical loads

Water Quantity

Forested Area:

• more water infiltrates into forest floor
• floods are localized, and do not impact significantly downstream

Farming Area:

• water runs off more quickly, offering less recharge to ground water
• sometimes create adverse downstream impacts, such as flooding
• rate of runoff is reduced

Habitat

Forested Area:

• aquatic life and wildlife will be plentiful

Farming Area:

• reduced variety of aquatic life and wildlife

---

Ponds

If you're constructing or altering a pond on or near a stream, you will probably need approval. Contact your Municipality, the local Conservation Authority, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy before proceeding. A Permit to Take Water may be required to fill the pond.

Figure 4. A healthy, well-maintained pond offers benefits to all users.

Pond Maintenance

Pond Maintenance should include:

• inspecting periodically and immediately repairing any damage
• maintaining embankments, filling any rills, re-seeding or re-sodding as needed
• using best management practices described earlier to prevent bank erosion and seepage concerns
• keeping outlet structures operating as planned
• discouraging burrowing animals by placing a thick layer of sand, wire mesh, or rip rap 1 metre above and below the water line on the slope of the embankment dam
• planting shoreline vegetation to stabilize the banks and to provide shade, therefore enhancing fish habitat
• diverting contaminated surface and ground water flows away from the pond.

• Pathways of Water
  • The Water Cycle Around Natural Areas
• Wetlands
  • Maintaining, Protecting, Enhancing, Restoring and Creating Wetlands
• Watercourse Management