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 Cycling N2 + - Soil NH4 & NO3 + 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 Total Coliform Bacteria E. coli Bacteria Logarithmic scale Phosphate Total Coliform Bacteria 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% 4% Scenic Falls 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% 1% 4% 3% 3% Scenic Falls 5% 8% Princess Falls 0% 7% Mountview Falls 11% Sanatorium Falls Westcliffe Falls 77% Cliffview Falls 75% Chedoke Falls ~ 60 mg/s ~ 35 mg/s Total = ~78 mg/s Total = ~47 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.