About Us

Dedicated to protecting the environment

Saugeen Conservation is a community-based environmental organization, dedicated to protecting, restoring, and managing the natural resources of the Saugeen watershed.

The Saugeen watershed encompasses 4,675 square km in the counties of Bruce, Dufferin, Grey, Huron, and Wellington. SVCA's jurisdiction encompasses the Saugeen, Penetangore and Pine Rivers as well as the adjoining Lake Huron shoreline and lots of wetlands.

Our mandate is to help build climate resilient communities throughout our watershed by protecting people and property from natural and human-made flooding hazards; and to foster connections with our natural environment.

SVCA is one of 36 conservation authorities operating in Ontario and a member of Conservation Ontario. To learn more about what Conservation Authorities do, check out this great infographic. Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority was created by a law, the Conservation Authorities Act. This law sets our goals to;

balance human, environmental, and economic needs; and
develop, conserve, and restore nature.

Certain areas are impacted by natural hazards. Permits and enforcement actions are tools we use to manage these areas. We want to make sure changes to those areas are done is a safe, responsible way.

See Ontario Regulation 169/06, as amended for more information about which natural hazards are regulated.

For in-depth information about the rules for regulated areas, please see SVCA’s Environmental Planning and Regulations Policies Manual.

Please visit our Conservation Authorities Act Amendments page for information on SVCA's transition plans.

Our history

Saugeen Conservation is a non-profit organization established in 1950 by the Town of Walkerton and surrounding municipalities in response to problems associated with flooding.

Mr. Irwin Lobsinger, a life long resident of Walkerton, and one of the most prominent figures in the formation of the Authority, initiated a meeting of surrounding municipalities in November 1949.

One of the first projects of the newly formed Authority was to develop a dyke system around the Town of Walkerton to decrease and/or eliminate flooding potential within the Town.

Transition Plan - Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA)

The Transition Plan was approved by SVCA Board of Directors on December 16, 2021.

SVCA Inventory of Programs and Services

Inventory of Programs and Services - Version 1.0 - February 28, 2022