Water Quality Monitoring and Research in Somenos and Quamichan Lake - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Feb 14, 2023 238 likes •541 views

Water Quality Monitoring and Research in Somenos and Quamichan Lake Dave Preikshot, PhD, RPBio Aquatic Ecosystems Scientist Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society Focus subjects of this presentation are water quality and fish habitat Historic

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Water Quality Monitoring and Research in Somenos and Quamichan Lake

Dave Preikshot, PhD, RPBio Aquatic Ecosystems Scientist Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society

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Focus subjects of this presentation are water quality and fish habitat

Historic monitoring and research
Current monitoring and research
Water quality trends
Fish habitat trends
Management and research options

9 April 2019 2

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Meet the neighbors

Coho Salmon
Rainbow Trout
Cutthroat Trout
Chum Salmon
Three-Spined Stickleback
Peamouth Chub
Sculpin
Pumpkinseed Sunfish

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Our Shared Watersheds

Heavily impacted

by forestry, agriculture and urban development

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Historic (1859) water courses and land use

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How did we get here?

Changes to water courses
Changes in land cover
Changes in climate
Changes in land use practices

To find a way out we need to monitor and conduct research that informs effective management decisions

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Jul, Aug, Sep is now warmer

14 16 18 1940 1960 1980 2000 mean temperature (°C)

Jul Aug Sep mean 1940-1957 15.7 1958-1984 16.1 1985-2016 17.0 2010-2016 17.4

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Summer dry season is now longer

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1940 1960 1980 2000

Start End Days mean 1940-1983 29-Apr 14-Sep 138 mean 1984-2016 19-Apr 23-Sep 157 mean 2010-2016 14-Apr 27-Sep 166

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Cowichan/Koksilah E. coli water quality targets

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primary contact: ≤ 77 CFUs/100 mL
secondary contact: ≤ 385 CFUs/100 mL

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100 200 300 400 Koksilah R. @ TCH Averill Ck. @ TCH Bings Cr. @ Phillip + Mary St. Cowichan R. @ TCH Quamichan

Ck. head

Quamichan

Lk. @

Westlock Rd. Richards Ck. @ Herd Rd. Somenos Ck. @ Lakes Rd. geomean E. coli 1º contact 2º contact

781 !

E. coli (CFU/100ml) vs primary and secondary contact guidelines

2018: mostly creeks

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E. coli (CFU/100ml) mean/max/min vs primary and

secondary contact guidelines 2018: mostly creeks

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 CowR Weir CowR GR CowR 7800 CLR CowR Sto CowR Vi CowR Al CowR TCH CowR Dyke Bings Tan Menz Cur Bings Phil phosphorus (mg/l) mean E. coli primary contact secondary contact

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Cowichan / Koksilah phosphorus objectives

Objectives set for low discharge period only
mean of 5 samples: 0.005 mg/L
max of 5 samples: 0.007 mg/L

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Somenos/Quamichan phosphorus 2017: mostly lakes

0.2 0.4 0.6 Richards

Ck. @ Herd

Rd. Quamichan

Ck. head

Quamichan

Lk. @

Westlock Rd. Averill Ck. @ TCH Somenos

Ck. @

Lakes Rd. Bings Cr. @ Phillip + Mary St. Koksilah R. @ TCH Cowichan R. @ TCH total phosphorous (mg/L) Mean Obs Max Obs Mean Std (0.005) Max Std (0.007)

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1.7 ! 8.0 ! 1.6 !

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Somenos/Quamichan phosphorus 2018: mostly creeks

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0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 CowR Weir CowR GR CowR 7800 CLR CowR Sto CowR Vi CowR Al CowR TCH CowR Dyke Bings Tan Menz Cur Bings Phil phosphorus (mg/l) Mean Phosphorus Mean Threshold Max Threshold

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Somenos Lake Monthly Mean, Maximum, and Minimum Lake Levels (2015-2018)

4 5 6 7 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Lake Level (m GSC) Mean 5m

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Somenos Lake Monthly Mean, Maximum, and Minimum Lake Levels (early 1960s)

4 5 6 7 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Lake Level (m GSC) Mean 5m

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Somenos Lake Daily Temperature from data loggers 2014-2018

10 20 30 2014-Jul 2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul temperature (°C) 0m 3m 6m

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Somenos Lake Water Quality Monitoring Data for Salmon and Trout Habitat

light blue = good for fish health
yellow = marginal for fish health
red = lethal to fish
Data collected once a week from April 1 to October 31 and
nce per month from November 1 to March 31
Samples at 0,1,2,3,4,5,and 6m for T, DO, pH, conductivity

and total dissolved solids

Samples collected at 0, 3, 5m for total phosphorous

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Temperature 2015-2018

0m 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

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Oxygen 2015-2018

0m 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

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pH 2015-2018

0m 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

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Combined 2015-2018

0m 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

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Solutions Are Possible

Create wetlands where possible as point source remediation of

pollutants, e.g., Beverly Wetland

Encourage riparian vegetation buffers to slow water movement and

storage in the soil, e.g., Clean Water Action Plan

Develop water storage to protect and enhance stream habitat for

salmon and trout, e.g., Crofton Lake weir

Work with land owners to minimize discharges of nutrients and

pollutants, e.g., Clean Water Action Plan

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The Olivia Niven Estate SMWS sponsors for water quality sampling SMWS partners for water quality sampling Acknowledgements and thanks to our funders and partners