News

The GRCA is required to submit an Implementation Report for Water Management Plans (WMP) every five years, as part of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) requirements to report on dam operations, safety, and environmental performance, under the Maintaining Water Management Plans Technical Bulletin. 

The Shand Water Management Plan was completed in 2005 with amendments in 2015 and 2018. There have been no amendments since this time. The Implementation Report and associated documents will remain available for public review for 30 days.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) will be removing trees along the Royal Recreation Trail in the City of Guelph on Friday, March 20, 2026. The tree removal, to be conducted by a contractor, is in preparation for a construction project to repair a retaining wall downstream of the GRCA’s Wellington Street Dam, scheduled to begin in the summer or fall of 2026 pending final plans and approvals.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is terminating the Flood Warning and Flood Watch messages previously in effect. A Watershed Conditions Statement – Water Safety is being issued for the entire Grand River watershed due to the continued higher river levels and unsafe conditions near local waterways.

The Grand River Conservation Foundation (GRCF) is offering two scholarships, valued at $4,000 and $5,000 each, for post-secondary students currently enrolled in an environmental field of study.

Community groups and elementary schools can now apply for funding through the Community Conservation Grants program offered by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and Grand River Conservation Foundation (GRCF).

The County of Brant and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) are working on an agreement for the transfer of a 4.5-acre parcel of GRCA land within the County that includes the Apps’ Mill Nature Centre. In parallel, the County, the City of Brantford and the GRCA are collaborating on an operational agreement to support continued delivery of the GRCA’s Environmental Education Program at the site. This partnership will keep long-standing school programs in place while creating the opportunity for County, City and jointly run programming.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) will invest nearly $42 million this year on programs that protect life and minimize property damage from flooding and erosion, improve the health of the Grand River watershed, connect people to the environment through outdoor experiences and build a future-oriented organization.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) campsite reservation system will be open to take reservations online beginning Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. 

Winter activities are well underway at the six Grand River Conservation Areas that are open year-round, including Belwood Lake, Guelph Lake, Laurel Creek, Pinehurst Lake, Rockwood and Shade’s Mills conservation areas.

Several of these fee-for-use conservation areas offer cross-county skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing when conditions allow. Winter is also an excellent time of year for birdwatching and hiking.

Parts of Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Haldimand County and Norfolk County in the McKenzie Creek sub-watershed, and Oxford County and parts of Brant County in the Whitemans Creek and Lower Nith sub-watersheds, are moving to a Level 1 low water condition.