Karen Armstrong

Grand River Conservation Authority

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) manages the water and other natural resources on behalf of 39 municipalities and close to one million residents of the Grand River watershed. Our vision is a healthy watershed where we live, work, play and prosper in balance with the natural environment. The GRCA is a partnership of watershed municipalities, and provides an avenue to work together, addressing environmental issues and opportunities that serve to benefit the entire Grand River watershed. Through programs that balance human, environmental and economic needs, we work collaboratively with all levels of government, various organizations and members of the community to ensure the conservation, restoration and responsible management of water, land and natural habitats in the watershed. The roots of our organization go back to the 1930s, when the Grand River Conservation Commission was established to address problems resulting from industrialization, including flooding, pollution and an unreliable water supply. The Commission's first project was Shand Dam, near Fergus, which was completed in 1942. It was the first dam built in Canada to serve multiple purposes - flood control, water supply and water quality. In 1946, the Ontario government passed the Conservation Authorities Act, which allowed for the creation of new watershed management agencies throughout the province. In 1948, the Grand River watershed municipalities created a second watershed management agency called the Grand Valley Conservation Authority. The old commission continued to exist in order to operate its dams and reservoirs. The new authority put its effort into buying environmentally significant land. The new authority also developed conservation areas for use by the public. Many of the GRCA's conservation areas were developed by the authority. In 1966, the two organizations merged to form the Grand River Conservation Authority. Please visit our website to learn more about the GRCA.