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Hamilton Conservation Authority
In 1958, Spencer Creek Conservation Authority was formed to deal with resource-based problems affecting the Spencer Creek Watershed. In 1966, the (former) City of Hamilton and parts of the surrounding communities of Stoney Creek, Saltfleet, Binbrook, and Glanford decided to join Spencer Creek Conservation Authority and Hamilton Region Conservation Authority (HRCA) was established. The present form of Hamilton Conservation Authority was achieved with the introduction of Regional Government in 1972. Hamilton Conservation Authority is located in the southern part of Ontario, at the western end of Lake Ontario.
The jurisdiction of Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) includes the Spencer Creek Watershed, in addition to the major watersheds of Chedoke, Red Hill, Battlefield and Stoney Creeks. Hamilton Conservation Authority is predominantly located in the new City of Hamilton, which includes the former Cities of Hamilton and Stoney Creek, the Towns of Dundas, Ancaster, and Waterdown, and the Townships of Glanford, Saltfleet, Binbrook and Flamborough. Relatively small portions of the HCA Watershed are also located in the Township of Puslinch to the northwest and in the Regional Municipality of Niagara to the southeast.
Hamilton Conservation Authority is responsible for 479 square kilometres (km2) of watershed area with a watershed population of almost 400,000 residents). Two-hundred-and-eighty km2 (175 square miles) is land-based, with the balance comprised of the Hamilton Harbour and parts of Lake Ontario. Within this area, 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land is held in public trust. HCA operates with an annual budget of $16 million and employs a staff of 70 full-time staff and more than 300 seasonal workers. Hamilton Conservation Authority is responsible for the drainage areas of Spencer Creek and its tributaries: Borer’s, Chedoke, Red Hill, Battlefield, Stoney, and Fifty Creeks and several small drainage areas originating above the Niagara Escarpment and outletting to Lake Ontario in the former city of Stoney Creek. The traditional role of HCA has been, and continues to be, flood control. However, HCA delivers an integrated watershed management program that includes water quality monitoring and stewardship. The management of water is a big part of Hamilton Conservation Authority’s mandate. The position statement “Healthy Streams…Healthy Communities” serves as an important reminder of Hamilton Conservation Authority’s role in ensuring that Hamilton will become one of the healthiest communities in Ontario - not only environmentally, but also from an economic and social perspective. Hamilton Conservation Authority’s vision of a healthy watershed is one that returns the following to its citizens: - Safe streams, without the threat of floods;
- Environmentally-healthy streams;
- The full protection of all significant natural areas;
- Public ownership of large tracts of open space with connecting corridors;
- Healthy recreational use of publicly-owned lands;
- A second-to-none, multi-use trail network;
- “Greener” urban cores;
- Environmentally informed and committed citizens - young and old.
Hamilton Conservation Authority’s mission is to safeguard and enhance our water, natural environment, and recreational facilities for the benefit of the watershed’s long term environmental and economic prosperity. Hamilton Conservation Authority’s vision for a healthy watershed - with its inevitable environmental, social and economic benefits - is attainable, and we are committed to not only continues what we are doing now, but to substantially strengthen and accelerate our activities.
For more information, please visit www.conservationhamilton.ca.
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