Second Level Assessment- Current Impacts
Urban Development
Urban Development
Large areas of privately-owned land along the main stem of the river have been developed into homes, leaving little or no buffer in the riparian zone in order to obtain clear views of the river. Such properties are also a potential source of sewage contamination as rural septic systems are not always properly maintained. In addition to Agriculture, Figure 6 shows the extent of land along the main stem allocated to denser residential development concentrated primarily within the Village of Petitcodiac, and the Village of Salisbury. Together with River Glade these account for 6.7 km2, which is 5.8% of the land base. Compared to the other watersheds for which FFHR has been drafting stewardship planning documents that is an exceptionally high proportion, an observation consistent with the notion that much more development has occurred here than in more remote tributaries. Local Governance Reform by the Province (Government of New Brunswick 2023b) amalgamated governance to divide the main stem of the Petitcodiac between 2 local governments: Salisbury (from the Salisbury railway bridge to the Route 1 Highway bridge) and The Community of Three Rivers (which runs from where Salisbury ends and takes in the rest of the main stem above that point (including the Village of Petitcodiac).
