The influence of sub-watershed plans on the ontario planning process

Abstract

Ontario’s water management legacy is committed to utilizing natural systems, rather than addressing only political boundaries. While watershed and sub-watershed planning takes place independently from municipal planning, the successful implementation of many watershed plan recommendations are dependent largely upon their inclusion into municipal Official Plans. In this paper we examine the influence of watershed and sub-watershed plans on official plans and other land management issues in five municipalities. Content analysis revealed that the key elements of greenspaces, surface water protection and groundwater protection are reflected in official plans to varying degrees. Interviews confirmed these results and identified additional influences of watershed and sub-watershed planning such as utilization in environmental impact assessments and environmental management. Although it is premature to gauge the total impact of watershed planning in Ontario, the experience appears to offer beneficial outcomes. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.