LAND-USE CHANGE AND SURFACE WATER QUALITY IN THE CATARAQUI REGION By Harkiran Kaur A thesis submitted to the School of Environmental Studies In conformity Harkiran with the Kaur requirements for the Degree of Masters of Environmental Studies (MES) Kingston, Ontario, Canada (January, 2015) Copyright © Harkiran Kaur, 2015 Abstract The scientific community has increased its focus on studies dealing with land-use change and water quality. The emphasis on land use and water quality can be attributed to the continued rise in human population leading to an overall degradation of water quality and serious modifications in land use characteristics. The current study is focused on regional-level linkages between land use and surface water quality which in turn affect interrelationships at a larger scale. The main objective of the present research is to discover the interrelationship between the change in land use and its impact on surface water quality in the Cataraqui Region. The feasibility of adopting Adaptive Environmental Management [AEM] techniques as a sustainable resource management process within the region is also discussed. A total of four watersheds with seven Provincial Water Quality Monitoring [PWQMN] stations under Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority [CRCA] jurisdiction are analysed. Eight parameters including water alkalinity, water hardness, phosphorus, iron, Aluminum, vanadium, manganese and chloride are examined under PWQMN guidelines for each station as indicators of surface water quality over a time period of twenty years from 1993-2012. Land use maps are prepared using Landsat imagery at five-year intervals for areas drained by each creek. Final analysis shows a minor causal relationship between land- use change and surface water quality within the four selected creeks. An increasing trend for metallic and persistently high concentration of non-metallic parameters indicates the need for better and improved AEM procedures to ensure sustainable utilization of water resources in the future. Land-Use Change and Surface Water Quality in the Cataraqui Region ii Co-Authorship I hereby declare that this thesis incorporates material that is a result of joint research, as follows: The water quality (PWQMN) and limited land use data was supplied by the CRCA under the guidance of Rob McRae, Watershed Planning Coordinator. The research and analysis was completed by Harkiran Kaur. The role of Dr. Graham Whitelaw, Dr. Dongmei Chen and Rob McRae was primarily through guidance and supervision throughout the research design, data analysis and thesis development. Holly Evans, Kimberley Denison and Travis York at CRCA assisted this work by compiling all data and providing valuable suggestions at different stages of project completion. Land-Use Change and Surface Water Quality in the Cataraqui Region iii Acknowledgements There have been so many people who have contributed towards the completion of this document in some form or the other. I hope I am able to acknowledge all their support in an effective manner. First and foremost, Thank You Dr. Graham Whitelaw, for finding a way to admit me to this wonderful MES program at Queen’s. The unparalleled level of support that I received from you even in the event of unavoidable delays on my side will always be the highlight of my stay at Queen’s. Without you and your guidance, this thesis would never have been accomplished. I will always carry the memories of your motivation with me where ever I go. Dr. Dongmei Chen, you have my utmost gratitude for agreeing to supervise my thesis. Your knowledge and GIS expertise with the technical aspects helped me during all stages of research. Thank you also for encouraging me when I was really ‘down and out’ and in need of personal guidance. Your kindness and willingness to give me enough leeway for project completion without any time constraints were a big factor in submitting the finished thesis. To Rob McRae and the CRCA staff, thank you for supplying me with a suitable project under your expert supervision and putting together all the data. While completing this project, I enhanced my knowledge on a diverse range of subjects related to the research. This will go a long way in helping me establish a foothold in the field; especially as an international student here in Canada. All the committee meetings and correspondence were extremely useful stepping-stones in the completion of this research. I also appreciate the MES and Geography staff at Queen’s who helped me deal with visas, permits and scholarship issues at Queen’s. Karen Topping, Karen Depew, Sheila Macdonald and Kathy Hoover, you have my heartfelt gratitude for always being there and helping me reach my goals; I could rest easy because I knew you all would be here to help me whenever any issues arose on the side-lines. Land-Use Change and Surface Water Quality in the Cataraqui Region iv Queen’s Medical Centre and Arunima Khanna were always at hand for innumerable times when I needed prompt assistance. For all that and much more, I am truly thankful. Shukriya my extraordinary families back home in India and here in Mississauga for literally being the backbone of my existence. Ashok Uncle, Kuldip Uncle and Bua, without your constant encouragement, this would not have been possible. Massi, thank you for your patience while hearing and effectively solving all my ‘statistical problems’. To everyone back home, I love you for your unconditional support and encouragement always; you make me a better student and a stronger person. Special thanks for all my friends and International Department Staff here at Queen’s who provided me a valuable opportunity to be a part of their lives while giving me liberal support to continue with my work. Ita, Steacy, Susan, Justin, Laura, Hanna, Kathy, Cathy, Alison, Ming, Su, Andrei, Hong, Manju, Adeela, Cheng, Suchita, Kiran , Aparna, Gayatri Di, Michelle, Sam, Jo-Anne, Helen, Haley, Floxy, Erin, Ellen, Rebecca, Alex, Riley, Byomkesh, Andrea, Claire and Jad-you have been my pillars of strength and ‘fun’ while studying at Queen’s. I will carry the best memories of my time in Kingston because of you. Also, thank you Colin Khan and Masroor Hussain for looking over initial drafts of the thesis and providing me the right guidance for writing. Last but not the least, thank you God for being my guardian at every step of the way and helping me accomplish my goals. Waheguru tera shukar hai! Land-Use Change and Surface Water Quality in the Cataraqui Region v Table of Contents Abstract ii Co-authorship iii Acknowledgements iv List of Figures ix List of Tables xii List of Abbreviations xiv Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.0 Defining Water 1 1.1 Water Quality 2 1.2 Land use and its relationship with Water Quality 4 1.3 Research Rationale 6 1.3.1 A brief history of Natural Resource Conservation in Canada 6 1.3.2 Watershed as a basis for water management 7 1.3.3 Watershed-based Source Water Protection Program and rationale for present research 9 1.4 Research Objectives and Methods 10 1.5 The Study Area 14 1.6 Organization of the thesis 19 Chapter 2 Literature Review 20 2.1 Studies in Land use 20 2.1.1 Land-use changes: A global perspective 20 2.1.2 Land use Studies 22 2.2 Studies in Water Quality 30 2.2.1 The Hydrological Cycle 30 2.2.2 Conceptual framework for water quality 33 2.2.3 Water quality studies 37 2.3 Review of studies exploring land-use change and water quality linkages 42 2.4 Land use and water quality studies in the Cataraqui Region 46 2.5 The scope of the current study in the context of past regional research 50 Land-Use Change and Surface Water Quality in the Cataraqui Region vi Chapter 3 Methodology and Techniques 51 3.1 Introduction 51 3.2 Data acquisition and selection 51 3.2.1 Literature review 51 3.2.2 The data 53 3.3 Preliminary data analysis 55 3.3.1 Exploratory water quality data analysis 55 3.3.2 Processing of land use data 58 (a) Image geoprocessing 58 (b) Spectral, Spatial and Radiometric Enhancements 58 (c) Selection of suitable legend and land use classification approach 59 (d) Past and present land use maps based on selected classification decision-rule 60 3.4 Final quantitative data analysis 64 3.4.1Water quality data 64 (a) Data gaps 64 (b) Seasonal data trend 65 (c) Overall quantitative analysis 65 3.4.2 Land use data 67 3.4.3 Relationship between land use and water quality 67 Chapter 4 Results and Analysis 69 4.1 Introduction 69 4.2 Water quality data analysis results 69 4.2.1 Primary analysis of water quality data 69 4.2.2 Overall general data analysis for water quality 78 4.2.3 Overall quantitative comparative analysis for parameter concentrations affecting water quality 81 4.3 Land use data analysis results 95 4.3.1 Land use map preparation 95 4.3.2 Analysis of land-use change 102 4.4 Interrelationship between land-use change and water quality 109 Land-Use Change and Surface Water Quality in the Cataraqui Region vii Chapter 5 Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations 110 5.1 Results and discussion 110 5.1.1 Overall water quality 110 5.1.2 Overall land use 112 5.1.3 Land-use change and water quality interrelationship 113 5.1.4 Limitations 113 5.2 Conclusions 115 5.3 Recommendations 117 References 121 Appendix A: Additional research for Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (Part-I) 139 A.1 The Cataraqui Source Protection Area 139 A.2 The IGBP-IHDP LUCC Project 140 A.3 The biosphere reserve landscape change project, Canada 142 A.4 Historical land use dynamics in Belgian Ardennes 145 A.5 Figures and tables pertaining to literature review for other land