Sharon Creek Conservation Area

Parking
To help keep the conservation area beautiful and protect the environment, there will be a fee. As of May 1, 2023, parking is $5 per day. Alternatively, you can purchase an annual parking pass for $60 which applies to all LTVCA Conservation Areas. Your contribution helps us do our part in conserving the precious resources of nature.

You can pay for parking before you leave home or once you are on-site. Pay by phone using the Passport Parking Canada app or go to passportca.com. Sharon Creek Conservation Area is Zone 3022.

Features

Sharon Creek Conservation Area is a 48.5 hectare day use area acquired by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority in 1966, in connection with the construction of the Sharon Creek dam and reservoir.

Sharon Creek Conservation Area has 35.6 hectares of water and 12.9 hectares of forest, grassland, wooded ravines, a small wetland and a tallgrass prairie. The 2.8 hectare Sharon Creek Tallgrass Prairie is the largest publicly accessible site in Middlesex County.

Picnicking, birdwatching, hiking, fishing and canoeing are enjoyed by many visitors. The park is open 8 a.m. to sunset all year. Due to variable physical and bacterial/microbiological conditions affecting surface waters, swimming is not permitted at any of our Conservation Areas.

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 intact. These spillways have a capacity for a 1 in a 100 year storm.

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 settler. Fish species include bass, pike and walleye.

No motorized water craft are permitted on Sharon Creek Conservation Area reservoir including electric motors.

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.

Map

“Friends of Sharon Creek Conservation Area” Community Group

Did you know there is a “Friends of Sharon Creek Conservation Area” community group associated with Lower Thames Valley Conservation Area (LTVCA) and the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Foundation?

The ‘Friends of Sharon Creek’ group vision is to ensure the physical environment at Sharon Creek Conservation Area is maintained and enhanced in a manner that supports the ecologically significant features of the site while providing opportunities for approved outdoor activities for generations to come.

Find out more about the “Friends of Sharon Creek” and how to get involved!  Visit their Facebook page by searching “Friends of Sharon Creek” or use link https://www.facebook.com/groups/5189128701152731/about

Previously, a local group of volunteers called the Friends of Sharon Creek ‘adopted’ the Conservation Area, working in partnership with the LTVCA and the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Foundation from 1995 – 2009. During that time they worked on many projects including:

• Tallgrass Prairie Habitat
• Shoreline Restoration
• Water Quality
• Family Events
• Memorial Forest
• Grounds-keeping
• Fund-raising

London Canoe Club

There is paddling for Club Members at Sharon Creek Conservation Area – for information on canoe/kayak access for members please email: [email protected]

Canoe club members are welcome to come out, bring guests and sign out club equipment for use in the conservation area between Springer Road and Carriage Road. Boat house hours will depend upon the London Canoe Club volunteers’ availability. Sharon Creek’s amenities are modest with a single toilet vault which can be used as a change area.

Connect to London Canoe Club

Enforcement

Area closed after dark.  Patrols are made by LTVCA and Municipal Enforcement Unit staff (MEU) on a regular basis.

No Hunting.  Hunting is a fineable offence under the Conservation Authorities Act.  This includes the illegal placement of tree stands, game cameras, blinds and other structures.  

Conservation Areas are NOT off-leash dog parks.  ALL DOGS AND PETS MUST BE LEASHED. UNLEASHED PETS ARE A FINEABLE OFFENCE. CLEAN-UP AFTER YOUR PET! Section 10.-(2) and (3) Under the Conservation Authorities Act.  Charges were recently laid for an off-leash dog.