THE SAINT JOHN RIVER: a State of the Environment Report
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THE SAINT JOHN RIVER: A State of the Environment Report A publication of the Canadian Rivers Institute Celebrating 10 Years of Science July 2011 The Saint John River: A State of the Environment Report ___ A publication of the Canadian Rivers Institute Celebrating 10 years of science Editors Scott D. Kidd, R. Allen Curry, Kelly R. Munkittrick The Saint John River: A State of the Environment Report 2011 Published by: Canadian River Institute University of New Brunswick Office # 202, IUC Forestry Bldg. (NF) Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada E3B 5A3 Tel: (506) 453-4770 Fax: (506) 453-3583 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.unb.ca/cri Reproduction of this report in part or full requires written permission from the Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Editors: Kidd, Scott D., 1968- Curry, R. Allen, 1960- Munkittrick, Kelly, R., 1958- The Saint John River: A State of the Environment Report ISBN 978-1-55131-158-6 1. Saint John River, New Brunswick, Canada 2. State of the environment reporting 3. Socioeconomic conditions – Saint John River Basin 4. River habitats – Saint John River 5. Water quality – Saint John River 6. Primary production – Saint John River 7. Fishes – Saint John River 8. Traditional ecological knowledge – Saint John River Basin © 2011 Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick Acknowledgements The editors gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund in the preparation and publishing of this report. We also appreciate the time and hard work all the authors put into their chapters. We would also like to thank staff members of the New Brunswick Department of Environment and other anonymous reviewers who provided the editors and chapter authors with valuable feedback on the report. The maps are the product of the expertise and patience of Dave Hryn (Environment Canada), Eric Luiker (Environment Canada), and Faye Cowie (NB Aquatic Data Warehouse). The cover was designed by Susan Farquharson (Executive Director, Canadian Rivers Institute). Photographic Credits Photographs are from the photo collection of the Canadian Rivers Institute and were taken primarily by students. The editors appreciate their permission to use them in this report. General Disclaimer Information in this report was obtained from highly regarded data sources, references, and individual experts. It is the publisher’s intent to print accurate and reliable information. However, the editors, authors and publisher are not responsible for the validity of all information presented in this report or for the consequences of its use. The views, opinions, or conclusions expressed in this report are those of the editors and respective chapter authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Canadian Rivers Institute, the University of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, or the reviewers. “Your Environmental Trust Fund at Work – Votre fonds en fiducie pour l'environnement au travail” Saint John River: State of the Environment Table of Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 3 Contributors ................................................................................................................................ 5 List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. 6 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 9 1.1 Purpose of this Report ....................................................................................................... 9 1.2 What is the Canadian Rivers Institute? ............................................................................. 10 1.3 General Description of the Saint John River .................................................................... 10 1.4 Physical Geography .......................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Climate and Hydrology ..................................................................................................... 13 1.6 Landscape ........................................................................................................................ 13 1.7 Biodiversity of the Saint John River Basin ......................................................................... 16 1.8 Species at Risk.................................................................................................................. 19 1.9 References ....................................................................................................................... 20 2. Report Methodology ............................................................................................................. 23 2.1 Information Provided in Chapters .................................................................................... 23 2.2 River Reaches................................................................................................................... 23 2.3 Historical Data: Work of the SJRB Board........................................................................... 25 2.4 References ....................................................................................................................... 26 3. Development in the Saint John River Basin ............................................................................ 29 3.1 History of Development ................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Population ....................................................................................................................... 31 3.3 Land Use .......................................................................................................................... 32 3.4 Development in Focus: Dams and Wastewater ................................................................ 34 3.5 Fishing ............................................................................................................................. 37 3.6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 38 3.7 References ....................................................................................................................... 38 4. Socioeconomic Conditions in the Saint John River Basin ........................................................ 41 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 41 4.2 Methods of Data Collection and Analysis ........................................................................ 45 4.3 Findings ........................................................................................................................... 47 4.4 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 54 4.5 References ....................................................................................................................... 54 5. River Habitats ........................................................................................................................ 57 5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 57 5.2 Hydrologic Regime ........................................................................................................... 59 5.3 River Gradient .................................................................................................................. 63 5.4 Structural Discontinuities ................................................................................................. 65 5.5 Benthic Macroinvertebrates ............................................................................................ 69 5.6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 70 5.7 References ....................................................................................................................... 72 6. Water Quality ........................................................................................................................ 77 6.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 77 6.2 pH .................................................................................................................................... 82 6.3 Dissolved Oxygen ............................................................................................................. 83 6.4 Metals.............................................................................................................................. 85 6.5 Coliform Bacteria ............................................................................................................. 87 6.6 The Water Quality Index