ECWP Ecologically Significant Groundwater Recharge Areas

An Ecologically Significant Groundwater Recharge Area (ESGRA) can be defined as an area of land that is responsible for replenishing groundwater systems that directly support sensitive areas like coldwater streams and wetlands (Greenbelt Plan, 2017). The protection of groundwater-dependent ecologically sensitive areas depends, in part, on understanding where on the landscape the groundwater comes from and taking steps to ensure the recharge function of these areas is protected (Figure 3). ESGRAs are identified using regional-scale modelling to predict where groundwater recharge at a given location will emerge or “discharge” within ecologically sensitive areas.

The ESGRA layer was developed in 2019 for entire jurisdiction by the Ecosystem and Climate Science team at TRCA in collaboration with the Oak Ridges Moraine Groundwater Program (ORMGP). An ecologically sensitive system that ESGRAs support includes fens (type of rare wetland that depends on groundwater inputs), groundwater dependent cold water fish species, and groundwater dependent plant species. Relevant to this data layer, ESGRAs are defined under the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020) and the Greenbelt Plan (2017). The term also has policy associations in TRCA’s Stormwater Management Criteria (2012). Mapping of ESGRAs can be used to inform decisions around municipal growth through the land use and infrastructure planning processes.

ESGRA are areas of land that are responsible for replenishing groundwater systems that directly support sensitive areas like coldwater streams and wetlands (LSRCA, 2014).

ESGRA methodology makes use of groundwater pathlines, tracked backward in time, originating from ecological features of interest. By tracking particles backward, ecological features that receive groundwater discharge (as predicted by the model) can be linked to areas on the land surface where discharging water originates (ORMGP, 2018).

1. ORMGP expanded York Tier 3 Water Balance Model to create TRCA Expanded Groundwater Flow Model (TEGWFM).

2. Reverse particle tracking was used to determine recharge pathways for ecologically significant featuers.

3. Various scenarios of mapping ESGRAs from particle endpoints were explored and ecological implications were evaluated.

This optimized scenario consists of a particle density threshold (kernel density) of 0.004, with an aggregate distance of 100m, and a minimum size threshold of 0.5ha.

Analysis was completed January - June 2019.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated August 15, 2026, 07:14 (UTC)
Created May 19, 2026, 16:32 (UTC)
Domain / Topic
Domain or topic of the dataset being cataloged.
Title
Title for the Dataset.
ECWP Ecologically Significant Groundwater Recharge Areas
Description
A description of the dataset.

An Ecologically Significant Groundwater Recharge Area (ESGRA) can be defined as an area of land that is responsible for replenishing groundwater systems that directly support sensitive areas like coldwater streams and wetlands (Greenbelt Plan, 2017). The protection of groundwater-dependent ecologically sensitive areas depends, in part, on understanding where on the landscape the groundwater comes from and taking steps to ensure the recharge function of these areas is protected (Figure 3). ESGRAs are identified using regional-scale modelling to predict where groundwater recharge at a given location will emerge or “discharge” within ecologically sensitive areas.

The ESGRA layer was developed in 2019 for entire jurisdiction by the Ecosystem and Climate Science team at TRCA in collaboration with the Oak Ridges Moraine Groundwater Program (ORMGP). An ecologically sensitive system that ESGRAs support includes fens (type of rare wetland that depends on groundwater inputs), groundwater dependent cold water fish species, and groundwater dependent plant species. Relevant to this data layer, ESGRAs are defined under the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020) and the Greenbelt Plan (2017). The term also has policy associations in TRCA’s Stormwater Management Criteria (2012). Mapping of ESGRAs can be used to inform decisions around municipal growth through the land use and infrastructure planning processes.

ESGRA are areas of land that are responsible for replenishing groundwater systems that directly support sensitive areas like coldwater streams and wetlands (LSRCA, 2014).

ESGRA methodology makes use of groundwater pathlines, tracked backward in time, originating from ecological features of interest. By tracking particles backward, ecological features that receive groundwater discharge (as predicted by the model) can be linked to areas on the land surface where discharging water originates (ORMGP, 2018).

1. ORMGP expanded York Tier 3 Water Balance Model to create TRCA Expanded Groundwater Flow Model (TEGWFM).

2. Reverse particle tracking was used to determine recharge pathways for ecologically significant featuers.

3. Various scenarios of mapping ESGRAs from particle endpoints were explored and ecological implications were evaluated.

This optimized scenario consists of a particle density threshold (kernel density) of 0.004, with an aggregate distance of 100m, and a minimum size threshold of 0.5ha.

Analysis was completed January - June 2019.
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1016.0
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2022-01-07
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Field Value
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public
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Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Open Data Licence v1.0 - Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
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https://trca-camaps.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/camaps::ecwp-ecologically-significant-groundwater-recharge-areas-1
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Owner
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trca_d.macleod
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Conservation Ontario
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[email protected]
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Conservation Ontario
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trca_d.macleod
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Accessed At
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2025-08-08
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Identifier
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c1b1d686addd4d75b7b23a010da5c10d
Language
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English
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https://trca-camaps.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/camaps::ecwp-ecologically-significant-groundwater-recharge-areas-1
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None
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None
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Conservation Ontario
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93
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4
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372
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