News

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and the Grand River Conservation Foundation (GRCF) celebrated the opening of the new Guelph Lake Nature Centre (GLNC) on September 4, 2025, at a special event. Attendees included members of the GRCA Board, the GRCF Board, representatives of the Wellington Catholic District School Board, local politicians, and some of the project’s major supporters, as well as GRCA staff.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is currently seeking feedback on proposed changes to the GRCA’s regulatory floodplain mapping under Ontario Regulation 41/24 for the Lower Conestogo River, from the Conestogo Dam near Glen Allan to where it meets the Grand River near the Village of Conestogo. The proposed changes are the result of updated engineered modeling and topographic base mapping.  

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has increased the discharge of water from Shand Dam at Belwood Lake reservoir this afternoon to 3.5 cubic metres per second, which is within the normal operation of the dam for this time of year.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) reduced the discharge of water from Shand Dam at Belwood Lake reservoir just after midnight on September 3, 2025, due to an emergency request from a privately owned hydro company in Fergus.

Water users in parts of Brant County and Oxford County are being asked to voluntarily reduce their water consumption by 20 per cent due to continued dry conditions. The rest of the Grand River watershed remains in a Level 1 condition.

The call for the reduction came from the Grand River Low Water Response Team, which met in a conference call on Thursday. With the lack of rain, stream flows have continued to drop in the Whitemans Creek and Lower Nith sub-watersheds, prompting the team to move these areas to Level 2.

The presence of a suspected blue-green algae bloom has been observed at the beach at Belwood Lake Conservation Area. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Public Health Unit have been notified.

The GRCA consulted with WDG Public Health who has recommended a beach closure due to the observation of suspected blue-green algae impacting the swimming area. The beach, part of a one-acre spring-fed quarry within the conservation area, is now closed. The closure is expected to be in effect until after the algae bloom has dispersed.

The presence of a suspected blue-green algae bloom has been observed at the beach at Conestogo Lake Conservation Area. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Public Health Unit have been notified.

The GRCA consulted with WDG Public Health who has recommended a beach closure due to the observation of blue-green algae. The GRCA has made the decision to close the beach at Conestogo Lake Conservation Area for the remainder of the season due to a combination of factors.

Water users throughout the Grand River watershed are being asked to cut their consumption by 10 per cent, due to dry conditions as a result of low precipitation and high air temperatures this summer.

Low and variable rainfall since June has contributed to reduced stream flows in several tributaries throughout the watershed, and the Grand River Conservation Authority is using its large upstream reservoirs to augment river flows to maintain low flow targets downstream.

As part of its ongoing maintenance program, the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is continuing a comprehensive project to restore the concrete of the Conestogo Dam. This project is a continuation of work completed on the dam over the last several years to repair normal damage caused by regular weather and ice events. The construction requires the reservoir to be drawn down gradually to allow the contractor access to portions of the upstream face of the dam, and then time to complete repairs.

As a result, the West (shorter) boat launch at Conestogo Lake Conservation Area will be out of service for the remainder of the season beginning Saturday, August 23, 2025. This is due to lower-than-normal water levels for this time of year to facilitate the concrete repairs.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has engaged AECOM Canada ULC to complete a drone inspection and survey of the West Flood Protection Wall, located along the Grand River’s west bank in the community of Galt, in Cambridge.