Mississippi | Ottawa Gatineau Watershed Atlas

Mississippi River Watershed Profile

Mississippi WatershedThe Mississippi River watershed is located in southeastern Ontario and is composed of a complex network of rivers, streams, rapids, and over 250 lakes.

Drainage Area: 4450 sq. km
General Direction Flow: Northerly
Headwaters: Kilpecker Creek, in the Township of Addington Highlands
Confluence: The Ottawa River in the City of Ottawa.
Towns and Cities: 11 municipalities (Township of Addington Highlands, Township of North Frontenac, Township of Central Frontenac, Townships of Tay Valley, Township of Lanark Highlands, Township of Drummond/North Elmsley, Township of Beckwith, Town of Carleton Place, Town of Mississippi Mills, Township of Greater Madawaska, City of Ottawa).
Total Length: 212 km in length
Elevation: begins at an elevation of 325 m (1,066 ft) in the west and drops 252m (827 feet) gradually towards the east to an elevation of 73 m (240 ft) at the outlet to Ottawa River.

Wildlife in Mississippi Watershed

Eastern ChipmunkThe watershed has many natural heritage features including several locally and provincially significant wetlands, rare species and species at risk, other significant natural features such as wild rice, a migratory bird sanctuary and Areas of Scientific and Natural Interest (ANSIs), and Parks, Conservation Reserves and Crown land.

The wildlife in the Mississippi watershed can be summarised into two areas:

aquatic communities particularly fish (streams and lakes), and
terrestrial communities, particularly vegetation communities (forests, grasslands, wetlands)

The Mississippi River system is home to a wide diversity of mammal, reptile and amphibian, insect and bird species. In many cases the life-cycles of these species are directly related to the river and the corresponding land-water interface. One example of this important linkage would be the numerous wetland areas found along the river and the shores of some lakes.

Water Flow in Mississippi Watershed

Water Flow/Debit d'eauBy managing water flow and levels in the Mississippi watershed, the overall goal is to maximize the benefits of the water for the people, fish and wildlife living in, on, near or using the system. Water flows and levels are managed for (note these may vary depending on the time of year, location and circumstances):

Flood control;
Low flow augmentation;
Ecological integrity;
Recreation / tourism; and
Hydro-generation.

Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC) maintains a monitoring network of 10 automated lake level gauges, 13 automated steam flow gauges and 27 manual staff gauges (which are read on a weekly basis) at various locations throughout the watershed to monitor levels and flows across the Mississippi and Carp River watersheds. As well there are 10 automated tipping buckets which monitor precipitation throughout the year across the watersheds and a network of between 10 and 20 volunteers which manually collect rainfall data in any given year. MVC also monitors the snow pack at 13 snow course stations located throughout the watersheds from December 1 to April 15 each year.

Adapted from MVC: Mississippi River Water Management Plan Final Report

Community Activities in Mississippi Watershed

Conservation AreasMany of the communities along the Mississippi River boast of good, year-round recreational activities including white water (spring) and flat water canoeing, boating on the larger lakes, and lake trout, pickerel, bass and pike fishing on over 200 lakes and streams, as well as snowmobiling and skiing opportunities in the winter.

Mazinaw Lake, one of the deepest lakes (145 m or 476 ft) in Ontario, is the location of the Bon Echo Provincial Park and Mazinaw Rock. The rock is a 1.5-kilometre sheer rock face, rising 100 metres above the lake and features over 260 native pictographs – the largest visible collection in Canada. The park annually attracts more than 175,000 visitors (Bon Echo Provincial Park website, 2005).

Mississippi - Tributaries and Lakes

Mississippi WatershedThe Mississippi River is 212 km long with a drainage area of 4,450 sq km and has several large tributaries feeding the main river system. The four most significant tributaries in terms of size are Buckshot Creek with a total drainage area of 309 sq km, Fall River with a total drainage area of 495 sq km, Clyde River with a drainage area of 614 sq km and the Indian River with a drainage area of 211 sq km. There are approximately 269 lakes within the watershed, the largest lakes being Mazinaw, Kashwakamak, Big Gull, Mississagagon, Buckshot, Crotch, Dalhousie, Sharbot, Bennett, Palmerston, Canonto, Mississippi and Clayton Lakes.

Source: Mississippi Valley Conservation

Priority Issues in Mississippi Watershed

Watershed management deals more with managing our influence and reliance on water resources than it does in managing the water itself. This can only be accomplished through an flexible process which involves monitoring, assessment, planning and implementation.

The Mississippi Valley Conservation is responsible for managing the water resources of the Mississippi watershed in partnership with the member municipalities, resource agencies and watershed communities. MVC are addressing the priority watershed issues by working to:

Monitoring and Management of the Mississippi Watershed

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVC), established in 1968, works in partnership with all levels of government, other agencies and landowners to ensure the proper management of water and land resources in the Mississippi River watershed. MVC provides technical advice and deliver services and/or programs to watershed residents.

Water Quality in Mississippi Watershed

Mississippi River. Source: emrld_cicadaWater quality is affected by many things: erosion and runoff from clearing of shorelines, the use of artificial fertilizers and leachate from sewage disposal systems resulting in too many nutrients leaching the lake. Phosphorus is the key nutrient of concern, too many nutrients can cause weed and algae growth and threatens fish habitat by reducing oxygen levels.

Mississippi Valley Conservation has long recognized the recreational and aesthetic value of lakes within the watershed and is committed to maintaining and protecting water quality and fish habitat.

Land Use in Mississippi Watershed

Mississippi River Watershed: Land UseDevelopment of this area began in the early 1800s, primarily for the lumber industry. The area was heavily timbered with millions of board feet of pine, spruce and other species of trees being cut and transported by river to the sawmills on the Ottawa River.

Land use in the Mississippi watershed is predominantly a mix of agriculture, built-up areas, wetlands, forested areas, and light development. Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC) monitors the effect of development and land use to assess watershed conditions. This is done through field monitoring, remote sensing and gathering and interpreting information on the status of water and water related natural resources on an ongoing basis.

Climate Change in Mississippi Watershed

Climate Change Impacts - MississippiWatershed Resiliency

The issue of climate change is important to our watershed and will, over time, have a great impact on the Mississippi River.

Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC) has been monitoring the Mississippi River for close to forty years. MVC carefully monitors flows along the river to assist with the flood forecasting and warning program. Some of the gauges used have been in existence longer than MVC. The Appleton gauge has provided us with information dating back to 1919. Utilizing the data gathered from the Appleton gauge, MVC can clearly see the effect of a changing climate on the Mississippi River.