The Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) recently wrapped up the surface water quality monitoring season for its jurisdiction in Cornwall and the surrounding area of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.
RRCA staff collected surface water samples at 11 locations, measuring and recording select data, including oxygen levels, temperature, turbidity, and water conductivity. The samples were then sent to a lab for analysis.
The RRCA repeats its monitoring process every month, from spring to fall, and has been doing so for 49 years. “Consistent long-term monitoring is key,” says RRCA Project Manager Laura Grant. “By identifying environmental trends across our watershed, we can help focus actions where they are needed most.”
Since 1976, the RRCA has been a participant in Ontario’s Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network. Administered by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Network gathers surface water quality information from strategic locations across Ontario. Most of this data is collected by Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities, whose jurisdictions are organized on a watershed basis. This provides an advantage in coordinating the effort and complements other conservation authority monitoring programs. Water quality results from Ontario’s Provincial Water Quality Network are accessible to everyone through an online, interactive map, which can be accessed at rrca.on.ca/SurfaceWater
“Data from the Network is used across the province to help assess ecosystem conditions and support local actions, such as restoration efforts by the RRCA and other conservation authorities,” says Grant.
In its jurisdiction, the RRCA also monitors water levels and flows at strategically located stream gauges, collects ground water samples for water quality analysis, and, in the winter, measures snow water equivalent. The resulting data supports flood forecasting and warning, low water response, and watershed health assessments
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