As an engaged non-profit organization, the Bonnechere River Watershed Project has devoted much of its time to community involvement and environmental stewardship including, most recently, our Riverwatch Program. While progress has been made through these initiatives, the BRWP is continuously searching for opportunities to inform decision-making. It is with this particular mindset that a fellow non-profit organization, Ottawa Riverkeeper, has organized the Ottawa River Summit, scheduled for Wednesday, August 27, 2010. The summit aims to engage a variety of municipal staff representing the Ottawa River watershed in discussions of issues regarding the condition of the river, developing a shared vision for the future of the watershed, and promoting public involvement in probelm solving. Given that the Bonnechere River watershed is within the Ottawa River watershed, the BRWP looks forward to our municipalities attending the Summit and seeing what shall become of this exciting opportunity. For more information on the Summit, (e.g. guest list, participating municipalities) and Ottawa Riverkeeper, please click here to visit their website.
One of the factors that degrades water quality in the Bonnechere Watershed is organic pollution, or sewage. Currently, the most common practice for dealing with rural septic tank waste is to spread it on fields to decompose. There are fairly obvious issues in this method of waste management. During heavy rainfall events, septage can be carried directly into lakes and rivers. The influx of raw sewage into these delicate systems causes nutrient loading, which can lead to algal blooms, siltation and increases the likelyhood of the E-coli bacteria. The province of Ontario recognizes the negative environmental and human health impacts in the traditional septic systems, and regulations are moving towards
Planting a reed bed is one way to reduce the negative impacts of your septic system
restricing or even banning this practice. In response to this inevitability, and with the help of the Green Municipal Fund, Renfrew County created a Biosolids and Septage Management Plan in 2005, which suggests eight alternative methods to handle rural sewage.
The following linked documents describe a case study of this project, as well as the actual report itself.
GMF Case Study
Renfrew Biosolids and Septage Management Plan
SHOW YOU CARE – BECOME A BRWP SUPPORTER – EVEN BETTER – GET INVOLVED.
Memberships are $10 for individuals, and $20 for your family. The Bonnechere River Watershed Project (BRWP) will provide you with an official receipt for Income Tax purposes. We benefit from your generosity and you get a break on your Income Tax!
To become a member please complete the form and mail to BRWP, PO Box 234 Renfrew;, ON K7V 4A3, or bring it to the registration desk at our AGM.
Thank you! Read more…
The BRWP Paddle Guide was made in partnership with students in the the Outdoor Adventure Naturalist students program in Algonquin College. It provides useful information on the area, beautiful photos, and canoeing maps for the Round Lake and Golden Lake areas. The guide can be viewed and/or downloaded by following the link below:
Algonquin Paddle Guide
As an engaged non-profit organization, the Bonnechere River Watershed Project has devoted much of its time to community involvement and environmental stewardship including, most recently, our Riverwatch Program. While progress has been made through these initiatives, the BRWP is continuously searching for opportunities to inform decision-making. It is with this particular mindset that a fellow non-profit organization, Ottawa Riverkeeper, has organized the Ottawa River Summit, scheduled for Wednesday, August 27, 2010. The summit aims to engage a variety of municipal staff representing the Ottawa River watershed in discussions of issues regarding the condition of the river, developing a shared vision for the future of the watershed, and promoting public involvement in probelm solving. Given that the Bonnechere River watershed is within the Ottawa River watershed, the BRWP looks forward to our municipalities attending the Summit and seeing what shall become of this exciting opportunity. For more information on the Summit, (e.g. guest list, participating municipalities) and Ottawa Riverkeeper, please click here to visit their website.