Planning & Permits
For a property within Cataraqui Conservation's jurisdiction, continue to contact our permitting team and use our existing application process on our website.
Working Together Across Eastern Ontario
ELORCA Transition
Cataraqui Conservation is working alongside six neighbouring conservation authorities to ensure a smooth, successful transition to the Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority (ELORCA). The region brings together communities, landscapes and waterways stretching from the Kawartha Lakes to Brockville. Through this transition, the seven conservation authorities are working collaboratively to bring their local knowledge, scientific expertise and experience together in support of the region and its individual watersheds.
Need a service today?
Local programs and services will continue without interruption through consolidation. Continue to contact Cataraqui Conservation for assistance as you do today.
Apply for a Permit
Contact Our Team
Have a question about a Cataraqui Conservation program, service or property? Contact our team for information and help finding the right person to assist you.
Programs & Services
Cataraqui Conservation programs and services will continue without interruption. Please use the navigation at the top of the page for program information.
A Region Connection by Water & Landscape
The ELORCA region extends across a diverse landscape, from the Kawartha Lakes through the Peterborough and Trent River areas, along eastern Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte, and east through the Cataraqui area toward Brockville. It brings together inland lakes, rivers, wetlands, forests, farmland, growing communities and shoreline environments. Across this geography, local watershed knowledge will help inform coordinated work at the regional scale.
The Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority (ELORCA) is the regional conservation authority being established through Ontario’s consolidation of conservation authorities. It is the regional authority that will bring together Kawartha, Cataraqui, Crowe Valley, Ganaraska, Lower Trent, Otonabee and Quinte conservation authorities.
Local programs and services will continue, including flood forecasting and warning, permit review, stewardship, watershed monitoring and conservation area management. You can continue to access these services through Cataraqui Conservation and the local staff who support our communities. This page will provide updates on the work to bring the participating conservation authorities together.
The Government of Ontario has directed the consolidation of Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into nine regional organizations to strengthen watershed management and provide more consistent services.
For our region, bringing conservation authorities together creates opportunities to share scientific and technical expertise, improve access to technology and resources, and coordinate work that protects communities from flooding and other natural hazards.
This work will build on the local knowledge, relationships and conservation efforts already established across the region. Local programs and services will continue, with a shared focus on protecting people and property, supporting healthy watersheds and meeting the needs of our communities today and into the future.
If your property is within Cataraqui Conservation’s jurisdiction, continue to apply through Cataraqui Conservation. Visit our Planning & Permits page for the application process and contact information.
Our Planning & Permits page explains the application process, submission requirements and fees. If you are at the planning stage, a pre-consultation meeting can help identify what you need before submitting an application. Visit our Planning & Permits Contact Page to book a meeting.
Start with our Regulation Screening Map which links to interactive mapping showing regulated areas, including floodplains.
For questions about a particular property, please visit Planning & Permits page for the application process and contact information.
Continue working with the Cataraqui Conservation staff member handling your application. Submit requested information and direct questions about your file to that person.
If you already hold a permit, follow its conditions and expiry date. Contact our permitting team before changing your project or if you need advice about completing the work within your permit’s time frame. You do not need to wait for the regional transition to seek assistance or move forward through the application process.
Cataraqui Conservation continues to monitor watershed conditions and issue flood messages to help residents and municipalities prepare. Visit our flood forecasting and warning page for current messages, explanations of flood watches and warnings, and information on subscribing to email alerts.
For local flood response assistance, including information about road closures, sandbagging or evacuation, contact your municipality. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. You can also contact Cataraqui Conservation to report flooding or ask about watershed conditions.
Visit our Low Water Response page for information about watershed conditions, low water levels and ways to conserve water. You can also subscribe to receive low water messages.
Cataraqui Conservation monitors precipitation and water conditions and coordinates the local Water Response Team, bringing together municipalities, water users and provincial partners to support a coordinated response. Check your municipality’s website for any local watering restrictions
Continue to use Cataraqui Conservation's website and local office for services within our watershed. Our office is located at 2069 Battersea Rd. Glenburnie ON and our main telephone number is 613-546-4228.
Current fees, forms and service information are available on the relevant service pages. Our Staff Directory can help you reach the right team. If you are unsure where to start, call our main number and we will direct your question. Local programs and services continue during the transition.
Any donation made to Cataraqui Conservation, whether a financial contribution or a donation of land, will remain with Cataraqui Conservation and be used locally. Donations will continue to support conservation initiatives, projects and priorities within the Cataraqui Conservation watershed, ensuring your contribution directly benefits the local environment and communities you care about.
The Conservation Authorities Act defines the transition date as February 1, 2027, or a later date prescribed by regulation. We will share transition updates and progress on this page and through our regular communications channels.
Local programs and services are not changing as a result of consolidation. Continue to use the fees, office locations and contact details listed on your local conservation authority’s website
This page will provide transition updates, explain progress and answer questions about ELORCA as the regional organization takes shape.
We will continue adding information about regional governance, transition milestones and how the participating conservation authorities are working together to support local watersheds and communities. If your question is not answered here, contact us so we can help and use recurring questions to improve these FAQs.
The existing 2027 budgets are the starting point, and approved projects and funding commitments are expected to continue. The combined budgets will still need careful review, and some decision may be needed to meet regional priorities.
The 2028 budget will be the first developed under the regional model. How municipal contributions are shared and and local projects are funded is still being worked through. The aim is to keep local watershed priorities reflected in those decisions while coordinating investments across the region.
For 2027, existing funding arrangements remain in place. Projects will continue to draw on municipal contributions, grants and other approved funding sources. Municipalities will receive apportionment notices as they do today.
From 2028, notices setting out municipal contributions will go to participating upper-tier and single-tier municipalities. Counties and regions will have flexibility in allocating costs among their lower-tier municipalities. The details of project funding under the regional model are still being developed with municipal partners.
Board procedures and hearing arrangements are still being developed, so there is no confirmed answer yet on where hearings will take place or how residents will partake. Other conservation authorities have hearing committee models that can help inform that work.
Staff will be asked to identify plan review, permitting, hearing and judicial files. A small team will use this information to document the status of existing files and identify any matters requiring particular attending during the transition.
No decision has been made on whether the current conservation authorities will become districts, or on long-term names and branding. Local offices and watershed connections will remain important, with a strong local presence expected on February 1, 2027.
ELORCA's identity will take shape over time, drawing on the history and expertise of the seven organizations and people that serve. The new Board's strategic planning work will help guide that direction.
Friends groups and other community partners play an important role in supporting conservation authority programs, properties, and communities. Existing relationships and volunteer efforts will continue following consolidation. Over time, ELORCA will work with these groups to strengthen partnerships, share best practices and identify opportunities for greater collaboration across the region.
Conservation Ontario will continue to operate as the provincial association representing Ontario's conservation authorities through 2027. Conversations are on-going to see how CO will work with the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency and the Regional Conservation Authorities. CO provides significant value to conservation authorities through provincial advocacy, policy coordination, training and professional development, shared technical expertise, guidance on legislative and regulatory changes, and opportunities for collaboration on programs and best practices. ELORCA will continue to work closely with CO to ensure staff, municipalities and watershed communities benefit from consistent, coordinated approaches to conservation authority programs and services across the province.
Yes, improving consistency is one of the potential benefits of a regional conservation authority. While existing policies and processes will continue initially, ELORCA will have the opportunity over time to review planning and permitting approaches across the seven former conservation authorities and work toward a more consistent and predictable experience for municipalities and applicants while maintaining legislative requirements and watershed-specific considerations.