ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER SUSTAINABILITY 15 continued on page 16 Southern Ontario’s drainage network is characterized largely by straight, trapezoid-shaped drains. The design has been in use since European colonists began clearing land in the area for agriculture. While necessary to move water off farm fields, these drains have also become important habitats for Ontario flora and fauna, including many Species at Risk. But two veteran drainage experts argue that creativity in policy could make many Ontario drains even better habitats, while simultaneously performing their core water-moving function for farmers. Critically, however, they also say farmers should not have to bear the full costs of drain improvement. DIFFERENT DESIGNS Ian Smith, a fluvial geomorphologist, highlights Species at Risk legislation as a potential sore spot for farmers, as the legislation can conflict with drain maintenance. In cases such as Fort Erie’s Beaver Creek, for example, portions of the creek were identified as critical for the reproductive cycle of a key fish species. Clearing the drain the typical way — by dredging it with an excavator or dragline, and trimming all bank vegetation — would have ensured water could be moved quickly. But this process would make conditions untenable for the endangered fish, causing friction with the Endangered Species Act. Indeed, Smith compares clearing drains by conventional means to “a nuclear weapon hitting the stream.” Beaver Creek was, thus, a conundrum — one Smith was hired to solve. What followed was a long process of consultation between himself, local government, ecologists, drainage engineers, and the local agricultural community on the best way to ensure the drain remains effective at moving water while also protecting the biodiversity present. It was decided that a two-stage ditch, characterized by a central flat bottom or V-shaped channel within a wider trapezoid-shaped channel and featuring reed and stone beds, could effectively accomplish both tasks. Compared with the standard, standalone V-shaped or trapezoidal drain design, the wider twostage drain also created conditions for greater animal and plant life beyond the Species at Risk originally identified. Two-stage ditches are, of course, “What’s the harm? There is no harm. Can we do things better? Yes, we can. - Sid Vander Veen, Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario WHAT IS ONTARIO’S DRAINAGE ACT? Ontario’s Drainage Act has its origins in the Ditches and Watercourses Act, dating from 1835. This act was repealed in 1963. Sid Vander Veen, former drainage co-ordinator with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, says municipal drains, which were constructed under the Drainage Act (occasionally also known as the Municipal Drainage Act), were first developed in 1859. According to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, current drainage legislation covers the regulation, maintenance, and repair of approximately 45,000 kilometres of municipal drains. Approximately 1.75 million hectares of cropland are serviced by these drains. By and large, the cost of constructing and maintaining drains is borne by the landowners and road authorities being serviced by the drain. The province maintains a cost-share program for agricultural landowners, covering one-third the cost of drain construction and maintenance.
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