Development of a Sustainable Watershed Stewardship System for the Severn Sound/Southern Georgian Bay

The Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA) - a partnership of nine municipalities in the Southern Georgian Bay area, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, and Environment Canada - will develop a Sustainable Watershed Stewardship System (SWSS) based on the existing Severn Sound Remedial Action Plan. The SWSS will focus on the watershed region as a whole and will employ social, economic, and environmental indicators to develop a long-term, comprehensive plan for sustainability and measuring change. Three outcomes will result from the planning study: a common vision for the future of the communities within the watershed; a permanent organizational capacity to manage the sustainable community development process within the group of municipalities; and, a list of projects, expected outcomes, and progress indicators to move toward sustainability of the Severn Sound watershed region. Environmental benefits include reducing community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 10,000 tonnes per year, a reduction in sewage and open water phosphorus levels and a reduction in E. coli levels in swimming areas, and the diversion of mercury from waste streams and in-use storage. Also, the system will ensure that restoration and protection of fish and water-based wildlife habitats will continue to improve.