Before You Begin

The Halifax Regional Municipality is seeking your input to inform a watershed management plan for the Dartmouth Lakes watershed.

A watershed is a geographic area where all water drains to a single location, for example a stream, river, lake, or the ocean.

Watersheds exist in many different sizes: a large river system like the Shubenacadie River is a primary watershed, while water flowing in small streams to a single lake would be considered a tertiary watershed. The boundaries between watersheds are called ‘divides.’

Because watersheds are interconnected systems that are best taken care of as a unit. Anything happening upstream in a watershed can have impacts downstream, as nutrients, sediment and contaminants are carried by the flowing water. Even relatively ‘untouched’ parts of a watershed can become degraded if conditions are not managed upstream.

A watershed management plan sets targets for the health of the watershed based on the current conditions, how people are using it now and how uses may change in the future. Examples of targets could include improving (or adding) fish habitat, identifying areas for improved stormwater management, maintaining recreational water quality or updating bylaws.

For more information about watershed management in action, visit: Clean Annapolis River Project, the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance and Municipality of the County of Kings.

As residents and users of the Dartmouth Lakes watershed, you know it best. Your input will help guide the objectives in the watershed management plan and identify areas where restoration and management are needed.

Before you take this survey, you may want to take a look at the Framework for Municipal Watershed Management that was passed by Regional Council in 2024. In this document, you will find a step-by-step outline of the watershed planning process, examples of what is being done in other places and the outcomes you can expect from the Watershed Management Plan.

In accordance with Section 485 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), any personal information collected on this survey will only be used by municipal staff and, if necessary, individuals and/or organizations under service contract with the Halifax Regional Municipality for purposes relating to the processing of the Watershed Management Plan survey results.

If you are a resident of the area and interested in helping carry out the Watershed Management Plan's actions, your email address will be collected for the sole purpose of registering you as a volunteer.

If you have any questions about the collection and use of your personal information, please call 311 or email contactus@311.halifax.ca.
 
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