LakeKeepers Water Quality Data

LakeKeepers aims to address the gaps in lake water quality data that exist in many parts of Alberta. Current monitoring strategies restrict much of the Provincial data to lakes within easy driving distance from Edmonton or Calgary – however, many of Alberta’s invaluable water resources exist outside of this range and as a result have little water quality data. Current monitoring strategies for the ice-on period through the winter months are also limited. Citizen scientists collect information such as water clarity, chlorophyll-a, total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, total Phosphorus, microcystin concentrations, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and some other water quality parameters. Information is also collected through the year, with monitoring occurring in both the summer and winter months. While the focus of the summer sampling is to gather baseline water quality information, the winter sampling is focused towards collecting parameters that best represent fish habitat quality, since ice anglers are the primary citizen scientists in the winter months.