The Grand River watershed is the largest in southern Ontario and includes all the land drained by the Grand River and its tributaries. At 6,800 square kilometres, it’s about the same size as the province of Prince Edward Island. The Grand River starts in the highlands in Dufferin County and travels about 310 km before emptying into Lake Erie.
The Grand River watershed is home to close to one million people and includes the cities of Brantford, Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo. Cities, towns and villages make up about five per cent of the land, including 39 municipalities and two First Nations territories: Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The watershed is also an intensive agricultural area, with farms making up about 70 per cent of the watershed.
The Grand River starts in the Dufferin Highlands at an elevation of 525 metres (1,722 feet) above sea level. It flows south about 310 kilometres (193 miles) to Lake Erie at Port Maitland, which is about 174 metres (571 feet) above sea level.
The information above is provided courtesy of our partners at The Grand River Conservation Authority. Visit the GRCA website for more information, interesting facts and maps of the Grand River watershed.