Surface Water Monitoring

Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA) is one among many Conservation Authorities (CAs) with a dedicated water quality program, albeit with a more focused approach. While SVCA has a smaller program compared to other CAs, it nonetheless offers valuable insights into aquatic ecosystem health through its benthic monitoring and surface and ground water sampling initiatives.

Many CAs adopt a comprehensive approach, incorporating additional programs to monitor aquatic health, fisheries, species at risk, and aquatic habitats. SVCA, while not hosting such extensive programs, efficiently utilizes its resources to monitor aquatic health within our watershed.

Significantly, the SVCA region is renowned for supporting healthy trout populations, known indicators of aquatic ecosystem health, highlighting the watershed's vitality.

 Municipalities execute water sampling primarily with the objective of safeguarding public health. This essential function ensures that water utilized by the public adheres to health and safety standards. Municipal water sampling does not yield insights into the overall ecosystem health. Further, this type of sampling does not extend its protective cover to residents relying on private wells for drinking water or to those who are recreational users of our watercourses.

SVCA conducts water quality sampling with a broader ecological perspective. Our focus is the comprehensive health of the aquatic ecosystem, contributing to a balanced and thriving environment. As a Conservation Authority, SVCA’s role is inherently geared towards ecological conservation and sustainability, offering a wider scope of water quality assessment compared to municipal sampling.

Understanding the distinction between SVCA’s water quality sampling and municipal water sampling is crucial for appreciating the unique and complementary roles each plays in maintaining both public health and environmental integrity within the member municipalities within our shared watershed.

Grey Bruce Public Health and Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA) engage in water testing with divergent objectives and scopes in mind. The Public Health Unit primarily tests municipal and small drinking water systems, public pools, spas, and 13 public beaches, focusing on detecting bacterial contamination such as E. Coli and blue-green algae for safeguarding public health.

https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Environment/Safe-Water/Recreational-Water

The Public Health Unit does facilitate free bacterial testing for private drinking water systems; however, the onus of collecting and submitting samples under this program falls on the individual landowners. The sole parameter in this program is E.Coli.

SVCA is not a public health agency; its core mission revolves around gaining insights into the aquatic ecosystem health in the Saugeen River watershed. This focus is unique within the watershed, as no other agencies, including municipalities and Grey Bruce Public Health, undertake sampling with the intention of assessing aquatic ecosystem health. SVCA’s distinctive approach and the parameters tested can also provide indications of potential public health concerns, particularly for recreational users such as anglers, canoers, and tubers, by detecting elevated levels of contaminants like E. Coli in the Saugeen River.

SVCA’s Water Quality Program encompasses testing for several key parameters not assessed by the Public Health Unit, each offering distinct insights into the health of our watershed:

• Phosphorus: Originating from both natural sources and human activities like agriculture and industry, high concentrations can lead to excess algae growth, oxygen depletion, and harm to aquatic life.
• Nitrogen: While naturally occurring, additional sources include fertilizers, livestock manure, and septic systems, potentially impacting water quality.
• Chloride: Deriving primarily from road salt application and industrial production, high concentrations can be toxic to aquatic life, with studies indicating increasing trends in surface and groundwater chloride levels.
• Total Suspended Solids: Occurring naturally and increased by human activities, high concentrations can reduce sunlight penetration, affecting aquatic plants and animals, and impact fish populations by altering habitats and food sources.
• Benthic Macroinvertebrates: These organisms are indicators of water quality, with different species varying in pollution sensitivity. Sampling can detect contamination not identifiable through routine water quality tests, including short-duration contamination from incidents like chemical spills.

MECP has a Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN) which engages SVCA staff to collect samples monthly and is a Category 1, mandatory program. There are 16 sampling sites under the PWQMN. Due to data gaps and lack of coverage, SVCA operates an additional 15 sites across the watershed.

SVCA samples for different purposes, parameters and with different frequency to Bruce Power and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. As an example, Bruce Power does thermal monitoring in Lake Huron as part of their Conventional Environmental Monitoring Program (non-radiological), whereas none of SVCA’s sampling programs extend into Lake Huron. It is understood that Bruce Power water quality sampling is focused on a defined region, whereas SVCA seeks water quality information on a watershed scaled, acknowledging the interconnectedness of those systems and the communities they support.

While some groundwater wells are directly influenced by surface water (GUDI), this does not apply universally. Consequently, the monitoring efforts of groundwater systems may or may not have any direct correlation to surface water quality.

The variability in groundwater sampling results stems from factors such as well depth, overburden material, and general topography. These elements are evaluated for municipal drinking water systems but may not be known nor understood for rural drinking water wells. This variance underscores the significance of conducting surface water sampling across the watershed to ensure a robust understanding of water quality and to address the diverse range of influencing factors.

Comprehending the distinct objectives and methodologies of other agencies compared to SVCA in water sampling is fundamental for recognizing the complementary role SVCA represents in both public health and ecological well-being within the Saugeen Watershed.