Like all Conservation Authorities in Ontario, the Essex Region Conservation Authority is empowered through provincial legislation to further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources other than gas, oil, coal and minerals. This mandate remains as valid today as it was in 1946, when the first Conservation Authority was established.

We were created in 1973 as one of the last Conservation Authorities in Ontario to work toward managing natural hazards and conservation issues.

Located at the tip of Southern Ontario, ERCA has jurisdiction in nine municipalities. These include the City of Windsor, Town of Pelee and the seven municipalities in Essex County . Nineteen representatives from these communities make up our Board of Directors. The area of our jurisdiction measures 1,681 square kilometres, and we manage more than 4,200 acres of natural lands.  To provide effective services and programs, we work in partnership with our member municipalities, federal and provincial ministries and other organizations.

We are uniquely organized on a watershed basis. A watershed is the area of land that drains to a river, creek or lake. We all live in and are connected by watersheds, and to protect water quality and use water wisely, we must understand this ecological neighbourhood. Because we cross municipal boundaries, all environmental decisions can be assessed on the basis of their impact on the entire watershed. Our projects and programs are guided by our 2016-2025 Strategic Plan.