Retaining Water (In A Good Way)

Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association

27 Years of Activity Wild Life Plantings Riparian Management Field Shelterbelts Wild Life Plantings Riparian Management Off Site Watering

27 Years of Activity Forage Establishment Rotational Grazing Residue Management

27 Years of Activity Water Management Grassed Waterways Drop Structures Small Dams - Dry Dams - Back Flood Dams - Multi-Purpose Dams

South Tobacco Creek Project From Implementation to Research Monitoring Hydrology (flow) Partners: Local Farmers, Land Owners Federal & Provincial Governments Universities Monitoring Water Quality (sediment, nutrients, pesticide, bacteria) Land Use Trends

South Tobacco Creek Conclusions 30% control of headwaters produced a 19 to 25 % reduction in peak flows for spring and summer events. ( 15 to 20 yr payback in municipal savings ) Conservation Tillage did not increase herbicide loadings. Conservation Tillage did not decrease runoff volumes in a clay loam soil. ( BMP’s have been designed for wind and water erosion control, not nutrient movement)

South Tobacco Creek Conclusions Small dams can act as nutrient sinks with natural limitations. ( Once a natural equilibrium is established, the nutrients need to be removed either through irrigation, organic matter removal , or high flows ) Escarpment Streams tend to be naturally high in nutrient loadings due to topography, soils, and stream bank erosion.

Tobacco Creek Model Watershed Integrated Watershed Management Plan Published December 2004 Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association Rural Municipalities of : Lorne, Thompson, Dufferin, Roland and Morris Pembina Valley Conservation District LaSalle /Red-boine Conservation District

Tobacco Creek Model Watershed Canadian Water Network Funding Accepted as 1 of 4 Research Nodes June 2011 Collaboration with University of Manitoba $600 K Research Call for 2012- 2014 Howard Wheater Consortium (U of Sask. /EC) Joseph Culp Consortium (University of New Brunswick/EC)

Tobacco Creek Model Watershed Additional Research University of Manitoba Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) To Develop Environmental Fingerprinting Techniques for Sources of Sediment and Phosphorous Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC) Preliminary Survey for Wetland Potential -In Conjunction with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Activities 2012 Baseline Monitoring Hydrology sampling- 12 new sites, 70 sampling days limited flows beyond June 28 Water Quality – 73 samples, 35 sampling days reduced sampling as flows dropped.

Tobacco Creek Model Watershed The Challenge- Retain More Water Funding Licensing Location Design

On Farm?

In Stream?

More Escarpment Storage ?

Questions?

Rainfall (Top of Watershed 14-5-8) March 30.4 mm 1.2 “ April 33.8mm 1.3” May 135.4mm (May 28 66.2) 5.3” June 100.2mm 4.0“ July 90.2mm 3.6” August 20.6mm .8” September 2.8mm .1” October 96.8mm 3.8” November 25.0mm 1.0 “ Total 535.2mm 21.1”

Tobacco Creek Model Watershed

Tobacco Creek Model Watershed