Where is the Kennebecasis Watershed
Who is the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee (KWRC)?
The Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee, (formerly the Trout Creek Model Watershed Committee, TCMWC) is composed of representatives from local interest groups, various provincial and federal departments, and municipalities of the area. Our mandate is :
"To restore the aquatic ecosystem in it's entirety promoting the health and water quality of the Kennebecasis watershed."
Where is the Kennebecasis Watershed?
The Kennebecasis Watershed is located in south-east New Brunswick, below the city of Moncton, and above the City of
St. John. It extends from the head waters in Goshen, Waterford, Newtown, and the head of Millstream to Bloomfield. The town
of Sussex is centrally located in the watershed. The watershed includes 134,660 hectares (520 square miles) of forested, agricultural and residential land.
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KWRC has been working towards the restoration and sustainability of the Kennebecasis Watershed since 1994. A comprehensive habitat assessment was undertaken in that year identifying areas of concern throughout the watershed. In total 285 km of stream length was assessed through a variety of methods (i.e. stream survey work, water quality sampling and electroseining). Based on the results from this assessment, a prioritized list of impacted sites was compiled, so that a clear direction could be set for the restoration efforts.
The first major initiative identified was the restorations of Trout Creek, a significant tributary of the Kennebecasis River. Trout Creek was identified as one of the most heavily Impacted watercourses and was of suitable size to provide an excellent test bed for restoration efforts. The smaller size of Trout Creek enabled the group to refine stream enhancement techniques, promote public participation and initiate and education and information campaign providing knowledge for stakeholders to incorporate Best Management Practices (BMP) into their day to day activities. The development of a stakeholder group for Trout Creek and the promotion of these initiatives have heightened awareness of water quality and aquatic health issues for the community.The restoration efforts on Trout Creek demonstrated that the techniques developed and applied have had positive effects on the stream's health. The in-stream structures have shown dramatic results over the short period of time they have been in place. Annual ice generation has diminished remarkably; damage by annual flood events and erosion have been reduced; water quality and aquatic health have improved with significant narrowing and deepening of the channel. The re-establishment of riparian vegetation has provided a buffer for the watercourse, filtering out non-source pollutants and providing shade to lower water temperatures. These restorations efforts have improved the over-all health of the system thus offering habitat for species associated with the ecosystem.
The Trout Creek project has been successful in meeting it's objectives of becoming a model. Numerous groups throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine and as far away as China (Yellow River Conservation Group), have toured the various restoration projects. Other groups in the province are installing rock sills based on the techniques refined on the Trout Creek System (i.e. Department of National Defense on base Gagetown, Southeast Anglers Association, etc.).
