Land Use in South Nation Watershed

South Nation WatershedSouth Nation WatershedHistorically the South Nation watershed has suffered considerable environmental degradation as forests were cleared for lumbering in the early 1800s. The South Nation, Castor, and Bear Brook rivers were used for movement and floatation of timber. As agriculture moved in, in the late 1800s many wetlands were converted for farmland. By the early 1900s the South Nation River was dammed at Casselman in order to produce hydroelectric power.

Today lumbering is still carried out using more sustainable forestry methods. Roughly 57% of the watershed is used for farming. Wetlands and forests are important in maintaining and controlling water levels within the river. As both wetlands and forests have become reduced and degraded within the watershed the South Nation River has become increasingly vulnerable to droughts in summer and flooding in the spring.

Sourced from the South Nation Conservation: State of the Nation Report

Agriculture in South Nation Watershed

South Nation WatershedSouth Nation WatershedWithin the South Nation watershed (1991-1996) the number of farms decreased slightly while the average farm size appeared to increase slightly, a similar trend observed nation wide. Agricultural land covered roughly 57% of the watershed in 1996, slightly lower than some other highly agricultural watersheds such as the Yamaska and Bow River watersheds. Nearly 70% of farmland is cropland suggesting a higher potential of pollution from fertilizers and pesticides. A large concentration of farmland is found within the center of the watershed around the town of Chesterville (in Winchester and Finch). These municipalities also had high usage of fertilizers and pesticides relative to other municipalities in the region.

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Wetlands in South Nation Watershed

South Nation WatershedSouth Nation WatershedOver its course the South Nation River drops only 85 meters, contributing to a very flat landscape. This flat character contributes to poor drainage and encourages the existence of several wetlands.

The total area of wetlands within the South Nation watershed is 178.05km2, which represents roughly 4.7% of the watershed. This represents only a fraction of the original (presettlement) distribution of wetlands. Historically (1800) in South Eastern townships of Prescott, Russell, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry and Ottawa-Carleton wetlands covered 47.6% of the land, while in 1982 they only covered 15.6%. Municipalities within the watershed which have lost over 80% of original wetlands (1800-1982) include Winchester, Finch, Alfred, South Plantagenet, Russell, Osgoode, and Cumberland.

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