CHEDOKE WATERSHED Monitoring Water Quality Summer 2015 Edward - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED Monitoring Water Quality Summer 2015 Edward Berkelaar Darren Brouwer Janelle Vander Hout

Nitrogen (N) & Phosphorous (P) THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Nitrogen (N) & Phosphorous (P) www.redeemer.ca/academics/offices- and-departments/our-faculty/edward- berkelaar/ - links to a talk on the history and environmental issues of our use of nitrogen THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Nutrient Atmosphere N 2 Cycling + & NO 3 - Soil NH 4 + P fertilizers THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Cootes Paradise & Hamilton Harbor Stressed by high nutrient levels (among many other stressors) THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Water Quality Monitoring  Project-based learning in Analytical Chemistry course at Redeemer  Monitored multiple sites in Chedoke watershed  Fall 2012, Fall 2014, (Fall 2016)  Expanded water quality monitoring project last summer (2015)  Expanded number of sites  Weekly sampling THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Redeemer Water Monitoring Project www.redeemer.ca/academics/offices-and-departments/academic-departments/chemistry- and-environmental-studies-department/research THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Water Quality Monitoring  At the sample sites…  Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen  Estimates of creek depth, width flow  In the lab…  Nitrate, phosphate, chloride  Organic matter (biological oxygen demand)  Bacteria ( E. coli and total coliform) THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Scenic Falls

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Princess Falls

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Mountview Falls

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Sanatorium Falls

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Westcliffe Falls

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Cliffview Falls

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Chedoke Falls

Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite Princess Point

Rain events Rain events Total Coliform Bacteria E. coli Bacteria Logarithmic scale

Total Coliform Bacteria Phosphate Nitrate + Nitrite E. coli Bacteria

THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Relative Flow Rates Proportional Average Flow Rate of the 7 Waterfalls of the Chedoke Creek Subwatershed 10% Scenic Falls 4% 0% Princess Falls 8% Mountview Falls Sanatorium Falls 8% Westcliffe Falls 3% Cliffview Falls 67% Chedoke Falls ~180 L/s Total = ~ 270 L/s THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Nitrate and Phosphate Load Proportional Nitrate Load Proportional Phosphate Load 2% 4% 3% 1%4% 3% Scenic Falls 5% 8% Princess Falls 0% Mountview Falls 7% 11% Sanatorium Falls Westcliffe Falls 75% Cliffview Falls 77% Chedoke Falls ~ 35 mg/s ~ 60 mg/s Total = ~47 mg/s Total = ~78 mg/s THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED

Possible signs of improvement? Phosphate Total Coliform Bacteria Nitrate + Nitrite E. coli Bacteria

Conclusions  The Chedoke watershed adds N and P to Cootes Paradise  Mountview and Cliffview are most contaminated  Chedoke (due to its higher flow rate) is the largest source  Reducing the amounts of N and P added to this watershed would help improve water quality of Cootes Paradise and Hamilton Harbour  Future monitoring is planned to track improvements THE STORY OF THE CHEDOKE WATERSHED