SURFACE WATER MONITORING

Otonabee Conservation is a member of the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network, coordinated by the Ontario Ministry of Environment.

The partnership involves local conservation staff in the collection and chemical analysis of water samples taken from surface water sources. There are currently 16 surface water monitoring sites in the watershed region.

Each year, the conservation authority collects monthly samples from March to November. The samples are analysed for a range of water quality indicators including temperature, pH, conductivitiy, turbidity, suspended solids, major ions, nutrients, metals and pesticides in order to screen overall water quality. The results provide valuable information about the state of our local water resources.

Otonabee Conservation also conducts biological surveys of surface water, involving the sampling of benthic macroinvertebrates and fish, found living within the aquatic environment. Benthic macroinvertebrates, “aquatic bugs”, make good health indicators of aquatic ecosystems for a number of reasons:

they generally have limited mobility that makes them vulnerable
to many creek stresses that may occur;
they have short life cycles;
they are easily collected and identified;
and they exist in all aquatic habitats.

Different species of benthic macroinvertebrates have different levels of tolerance to pollution making them excellent water quality indicators. The presence (or absence) and abundance of certain benthos species can be related to the quality of the water.

In order to coordinate long-term monitoring efforts, Otonabee Conservation has joined the Ontario Benthos Biomonitoring Network (OBBN). This provincial network will allow practioners to follow a standardized methodology, share resources and
receive technical support.

For more information visit the Ontario Ministry of Environment at www.ene.gov.on.ca