Conservation Areas

Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) is a local watershed management agency that delivers services and programs to help protect and manage water and other natural resources in the Mississippi River Watershed, encompassing 4353 square kilometres.

Using an integrated watershed management approach, the conservation authority works with stakeholders in the watershed to balance the needs of the community with the needs of the natural environment.

MVCA is governed by members appointed from each of the 11 member municipalities, including the Township of Drummond/North Elmsley.

Address: MVCA Administrative Office 10970 Hwy. 7 Carleton Place, ON K7C 3P1
Phone: 613-253-0006
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: mvc.on.ca

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) conserves natural resources in the Rideau River Valley, an area of 4234 square kilometres. The RVCA vision is for a thriving watershed with clean abundant water, natural shorelines, rich forests and wetlands, diverse habitat and sustainable land use that is valued and protected by all.

The RVCA works with the Township of Drummond/North Elmsley to review development proposals within or adjacent to natural areas. They also work with the Township to regulate construction in environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, shorelines and waterways. In addition, the RVCA reviews proposals to ensure fish habitats are protected and not harmfully altered.

There are 18 member municipalities whose representatives oversee the RVCA work.

Address: Rideau Valley Conservation Centre PO Box 599, 3889 Rideau Valley Drive, Manotick, Ontario K4M 1A5
Phone: 613-692-3571 1-800-267-3504 (toll-free)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: rvca.ca

The two Conservations Authorities work together in their geographic areas to implement Ontario’s Clean Water Act, 2006. Source water is the raw water that we take from lakes, rivers or underground aquifers to supply people with drinking water. “Source Water Protection” or “Source Protection” means protecting these sources of drinking water from contamination and overuse. The focus is on prevention and this work is meant to complement the work of water treatment plant operators who ensure municipal drinking water is properly treated, tested and safely delivered to your tap.

Four great reasons to protect drinking water at the source:

1. Water treatment is not always enough.
Water treatment systems do not remove all contaminants from water, particularly some chemicals. The safest approach is to prevent contamination in the first place.

2. Prevention saves money.
It is much cheaper to keep water clean than to try to remove contaminants. A 2010 spill from a home heating oil tank in eastern Ontario cost $1 million to clean up. The spill might have been avoided by ensuring the tank was in good repair.

3. Contamination can ruin a water source forever.
Sometimes contamination cannot be cleaned up and a water supply must be shut down. The community of Manotick, Ontario lost access to its groundwater in the 1990s when it was contaminated by chemicals from a dry cleaning business. Since then, water has been piped into Manotick from urban Ottawa.

4. Source protection has other benefits.
Clean and plentiful sources of drinking water protect property values and support tourism and recreation, business development and fish and wildlife habitat. All of which create healthy local economies and viable, vibrant communities

Intake Protection Zones

The Township has two Intake Protection Zones, one zone borders the Town of Perth along Hwy 511 and Drummond Concession 4A to protect the Town’s drinking water and the other zone is located along Poonamalie Road and protects the Town of Smiths Falls drinking water.

 Perth Source Water Protection Area Map

 Smiths Falls Source Water Protection Area Map

Download a series of educational brochures
about Source Water Protection