Watershed Statistics

Stream Length - 30.4 kms
Total Area - 2429 hectares
Population - 700
# of Civic Addresses - 214

The Southwest River system lies in the heart of the KNWSA boundaries. It is a complex system, made up of steep terrain, 3 large ponds, productive agriculture land, and a strong community. There is a strong history of a watershed group being active in the community, formerly led by Don MacEachern. The Spring Valley Watershed Association worked hard at stream cleaning. They were leaders in the community in modern farm bridge construction. Their pioneering work is an inspiration to KNWSA.

The largest freshwater section of the Southwest River, knows to some locally as the Spring Valley Brook, starts west of the Irishtown woods in the highlands of Spring Valley. The brook runs along steep sloped field and picks up other tributaries before flowing into a series of three ponds in short succession. The local history of the mill ponds in the system is strong, and the attachment to the ponds and brook is evident.

Local farmers and landowners are very supportive of watershed work. Extensive recleaning was performed by KNWSA in 2009. A double silt trap was made on each side of the Leards Mill Pond Road. The collapsing farm bridge at Bruce Caseley’s Corner on the Ramsay Road, owned by Garth Caseley and operated by Spring Valley Farms was replaced with a strong, modern bridge.

Improvements have been seen in the form of increased numbers of trout and better water flow. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that challenges remain, but the determination of local residents is obvious and the future for the system is very promising.