Petitcodiac Watershed Water Quality Monitoring

Since 1999, the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance (PWA) has been sampling water to monitor various water quality parameters throughout the Petitcodiac Watershed to gauge the health of our local ecosystem. The objective of our long-term water quality monitoring remains to identify sources of water pollution to help us and our stakeholders improve water quality within the Petitcodiac and Memramcook River watersheds. To fulfill this objective, we collect annual data at 20 long-term monitoring sites once a month from May to October on the following parameters: dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, water temperature, turbidity, total coliforms, Escherichia coli (E.coli), nitrates and phosphates. Results are compared to relevant water quality guidelines and past data to infer trends in water quality measurements, which allows us to speculate on the potential causes for each parameter’s fluctuations and relationships, and prepare remedial plans when necessary. The PWA engages with community members to improve riparian buffer zones in urban and rural areas and promote best management practices related to watershed management. This program would not be possible without our key funder, the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, and other important funders such as the Government of Canada and RBC.