Subwatershed Management Planning

To address the issues leading to ecological impairment in the Annapolis River watershed, CARP is targeting smaller, sub-watershed management units. Sub-watershed management plans guide future implementation of restoration and habitat enhancement actions, and allow priority sub-watersheds to be targeted.

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Data collected from in-field monitoring and assessments is compiled, along with other background information acquired from literature reviews and surveys of available geo-spatial information. This information, combined with local ecological knowledge, provides a starting point for prioritizing areas for restoration activities. 

A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or any point along a stream channel. The word watershed is sometimes used interchangeably with drainage basin or catchment. Watersheds are broken down into smaller geographic units called subwatersheds.

Sub-watershed plans are working documents that will receive continuous updates as more information becomes available, and as restoration actions are completed.

CARP has completed sub-watershed plans for the Nictaux and Black River sub-watersheds, and is currently in the process of developing plans for the South Annapolis and Moose River sub-watersheds. 

In 2016 the Moose River, Annapolis Co., is one of the priority subwatersheds that CARP will be focusing on. This system provides high quality habitat for salmonids; local anglers still report observations of Atlantic salmon and sea-run brook trout. 

Nictaux River Sub-watershed

Implementation of restoration actions for the Nictaux River began in 2014, and included:

  • removing debris causing culvert blockages

  • construction of tailwater control structures to improve water levels in perched culverts

  • repairing in-stream rock weir structures in order to improve habitat complexity

  • adding boulder clusters to streams to increase in-stream habitat complexity

  • planting in riparian areas to reduce runoff and erosion into streams

 

This work was continued in the 2015 field season with the

 

  • completion of adjustment work on three of the rock structures where reconstruction work began in 2014, 

  • the reconstruction and bolstering of three additional new weirs

  • installation of four deflector weirs

  • installation of a double digger log downstream of the rock weirs

Thanks to our 2018 program funders: