The LTVCA acquired this 47.6
hectare (118 acres) park in 1966 in connection with the construction of the
Sharon Creek dam and reservoir. (see conservation areas fees schedule)
Directions: Follow County Rd. 2 (Longwoods Rd.) east of Delaware. Take Springer Rd.
south 2 km from County Rd. 2. The entrance to Sharon Creek Conservation Area is
east off Springer Rd. (see watershed
map)
Coordinates:
Lat/Long 42.889, -81.402 UTM 467155, 44748545
Features: (see
conservation areas grid) The park is open all year, free of charge. Picnicking, birdwatching, hiking, fishing
and canoeing are enjoyed by many visitors. Conservation-oriented
group camping is also available (pre-booking required).
Conservation Education:
Conservation Education programs are
offered here by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority. Swimming in the
reservoir is unsupervised. The dam is an "earthen dam" with a
morning-glory spillway which has a capacity for a 1 in 10 year regional storm.
Another spillway accommodates extra water capacities assuring the dam remains in
tact. These spillways have a capacity for a 1 in a 100 year storm. From 1995 to
2009, a local group of volunteers called the Friends of Sharon Creek had ‘adopted’
the Sharon Creek Conservation Area, working in partnership with the LTVCA and
the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Foundation. During that time they worked on
many projects including: •Tallgrass Prairie Habitat
& Shoreline Restoration •Water Quality •Family Events •Elliott-Madill
Memorial Forest •Grounds-keeping •Fund-raising. The 7 acre Sharon Creek Tallgrass Prairie is the largest publicly accessible site in Middlesex County.
Open for dayuse 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. free of charge, all year. Contact us for
further information on facilities and programs.
Natural Features: Fish
species include bass, pike and walleye. The reservoir area was once a small,
meandering Sharon Creek. The conservation area now has 35.6 hectares (83 acres)
of water and 12.9 hectares (32 acres) of forest, grassland and tallgrass
prairie. Springer Lake (the reservoir), was formed as a result of the
installation of the Sharon Creek Dam. The lake was named after Daniel Springer,
an early Delaware setter. The Sharon Creek Dam was built primarily to raise the
ground-water levels and provide a municipal water supply for the region of
Delaware. The dam and reservoir can also be used for flood control, but this is
not the main purpose. There is a 7 acre tallgrass prairie, grasslands, wooded
ravines, small wetland.
Click here to Download
the Sharon Creek Conservation Area Brochure
