The rivers that flow through the Niagara Escarpment play a vital social, economical and environmental role to the area's residents.  

Recognizing this, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA), the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve (NEBR) and the Niagara Escarpment Commission  (NEC) have partnered to monitor stream flows in escarpment rivers running through the NVCA's jurisdiction.

"Gaining a better understanding of the flow patterns will enhance overall water management in the Niagara Escarpment area," says Ryan Post, Hydro geologist for the NVCA. "All of our programs, including planning, engineering, stewardship and land management, will benefit from having this data," he said.

Stream flow and water quality measurements will be taken in the Pretty, Pine, Mad, Noisy, and Boyne rivers to identify areas with significant groundwater contribution.

 "The data being collected may also contribute to the next review of the Niagara Escarpment Plan, which will take place in 2015, as part of a comprehensive monitoring program being carried out by the NEC," says Lisa Grbinicek, Monitoring Ecologist for the NEC.

The Niagara Escarpment Plan guides land use through land-use designations and related development criteria and permitted uses. The plan also provides the framework for more than 130 existing and proposed parks and open spaces linked by the Bruce Trail.

Data collected from this study can be used by various stakeholders to analyze sustainable development; to enhance fisheries habitat management; to provide information to thebiomonitoring network, which uses bug samples to analyze water quality; and to help protect the aesthetic value of the Niagara Escarpment.

The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve provided the NVCA with $2,500 to undertake this study, which started in early July and will continue until late fall. It is hoped that similar activities will take place across the entire Escarpment, including in the Batteaux River and the Silver and Black Ash creeks.

The Niagara Escarpment is an environmental treasure and working rural landscape that encompasses one of the world's greatest natural wonders - Niagara Falls. Its ridges, forested highlands and wide open vistas stretch 725 kilometres from Queenston on the Niagara River to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.