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Biodiversity Offsetting - Water Quality
- 1. Biodiversity Offsetting Water Quality Information Session – Balls Falls January 27, 2016
- 2. 1) Assess water quality: • Surface water quality • Groundwater quality 2) Report water quality: • Annual Water quality Reports • Watershed Report Card • NPCA Web Site NPCA Water Quality Monitoring Program was implemented in 2001 with a mandate to:
- 3. NPCA monitors 74 Surface Water Stations and 15 Groundwater Stations.
- 4. Indicator Sources Impacts Chloride Road salt, sewage Ecological toxicity Phosphorus Fertilizers, sewage Excess algae growth Nitrate Septic systems, fertilizers Human health Suspended Solids Erosion, urban and agricultural runoff Degraded aquatic habitat E. coli Sewage, manure Beach closures, boil water advisories Metals Industrial effluents, pesticides, storm water runoff Ecological toxicity What does the NPCA look at in our water?
- 5. Phosphorus Nitrate Suspended SolidsE. coli Chloride Copper Lead Zinc Canadian Water Quality Index Quality Index Chemical Data Analysis
- 7. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DateMay October PWQO Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations for Big Forks Creek (May-October 2009) Total Phosphorus E. coli mg/L Algae & Duckweed There are two chronic water quality issues:
- 8. BioMAP Water Quality Index Biological Data Analysis
- 12. What is the groundwater data telling us? • Water quality at most NPCA wells meets Ontario Drinking Water Guidelines. • Those parameters exceeding the Guidelines (i.e. fluoride, sodium) are attributed to natural contact with local bedrock.
- 13. • Identify ‘Target Areas’ • Are we successful?
Editor's Notes
- NPCA WQ monitoring program was implemented in 2001. It is the most comprehensive water quality sampling and analysis program within NPCA’s jurisdiction. with a mandate to: Assess water quality of local watersheds To do this the NPCA has: NPCA has 74 Surface Water monitoring stations that we collect chemical and biological (animals) samples NPCA has 15 groundwater monitors with the PGMN 2)Report water quality information to stakeholder through: Reports- 2012 NPCA Watershed Report Card, 2009 Water Quality Report, 2011 Welland River Eutrophication Study, 2012 Glanbrook Landfill Biological Assessment Report which are distributed our stakeholder and the public
- The NPCA analyzes for a whole suite of water chemical parameters. This table shows a list of key parameters that the NPCA uses for our analysis. These parameters have ecological thresholds values (Provincial Water Quality Objectives, Canadian Water Quality Guidelines). And these parameters are sensitive to both rural and urban landuses . Commonly used by other CAs and the MOE.
- For the chemical data analysis we have take large dataset for each water quality station and we have distill it done to something meaningful. The Canadian Water Quality Index is a the tool that does this. It was developed by Environment Canada transforms complex water quality data into understandable descriptions. Water quality is classified as: excellent, good, fair, marginal and poor. The CWQI is determined by: Scope (F1) - number of parameters not meeting water quality objectives/guidelines Frequency (F2) - the number of times the objectives/guidelines are not met Amplitude (F3) - the extent to which objectives/guidelines exceeded This is used by agencies across Canada. Scientific rigor - maximum use of monitoring data Consistent use and interpretation across distributed jurisdictions Applies to all beneficial water uses i.e., socio-economically relevant Amenable to multiple reporting scales - local, regional and national scales of reporting
- Based on the results of the 2010 to 2014 WQI, 60% of the NPCA surface water monitoring stations are rated as poor, 32% are rated as marginal, 5% are rated as fair and 3% are rated good. None of the stations were able to achieve a WQI rating of good or excellent. The best water quality can be found in the Effingham tributary of upper Twelve Mile Creek (Pelham), Lower Section of Twelve Creek in Port Dalhousie, Frenchman Creek (Fort Erie) and Lyons Creek (Welland/Niagara Falls). The Welland Canal Generally, the WQI ratings at water quality stations were relatively stable when compared to historic NPCA data. Water quality improvements were observed in Drapers Creek and the lower Welland River when comparing to previous water quality assessments. WQI ratings decreased in the St. John’s sections of Twelve Mile Creek, Lowbanks Drain, Kraft Drain, Drapers Creek (Pelham/Welland), and in Eight Mile Creek (NOTL), because of increased exceedances of water quality parameters. So what are main culprits that are impairing water quality???
- Elevated concentrations of total phosphorus and E. coli are the most frequent and widespread cause of water quality impairment in the NPCA watershed. The high frequency and magnitude of these exceedances are the driving factors in lowering the WQI at all stations. TP is not inherently toxic but excess phosphorus (essential nutrient) can over stimulate the growth of algae and aquatic plants which leads to depletion of DO. Talk about picture and DO Fig. E. coli refers to a large group of bacteria that is commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless; however, some strains, such as E. coli O157: H7, can make people sick, causing severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Serious complications of an E. coli O157:H7 infection can include kidney failure. Responsible for virtually all beach closings.
- The NPCA also uses biological monitoring to evaluate water quality. Used by other CAs and agencies. Biological data uses of living organisms determine the quality of the aquatic environment. These animals can be fish, macroinvertebrtes or microinvertebrates. The NPCA uses macroinvertebrates: aquatic insects, worms, crustaceans, clams etc. for our monitoring needs. The basic principle behind the study of macroinvertebrates is that some are more sensitive to pollution than others. Therefore, if a stream site is inhabited by organisms that can tolerate pollution and the more pollution sensitive organisms are missing a pollution problem is likely. We take this complex stream animals community data (abundance, diversity and sensitivity) and calculate at BioMAP water quality with it. The BioMAP Water Quality Index functions similarly to the Canadian water quality index by transforming the data into an assessment rating: unimpaired, impaired, and intermediate level. So what does the data tell us….. •They are affected by the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the stream. •They can't escape pollution and show the effects of short- and long term pollution events. •They may show the cumulative impacts of pollution. •They may show the impacts from habitat loss not detected by traditional water quality assessments. •They are a critical part of the stream's food web. •Some are very intolerant of pollution. •They are relatively easy to sample and identify.
- Based on the results of the 2010 to 2014 BioMAP assessments: 81% of the NPCA BioMAP stations have water quality rated as impaired, 7% are rated as intermediate, 5% are rated as unimpaired, and 7% have not been assessed. Results are very stable to historic data. Generally matches the results for the chemical monitoring
- The NPCA watershed is currently instrumented with 15 monitoring wells through the Provincial Groundwater Network in partnership with the MOE. Continuous water levels and temperature are collected with datalogger Water quality samples are collected twice per year in the spring in the fall.
- Some of the wells were found to have exceedances in boron, fluoride, selenium and sodium that were attributed to natural conditions of the groundwater. Nitrate exceedances found in two PGMN wells were attributed to land use activities in the vicinity of the monitoring well. Follow-up monitoring by the NPCA and Niagara Public Health determined that these nitrate exceedances were site specific to the PGMN monitoring well only.