Page Page14 14 December, 2019 SARDA News
Water Quality Sampling Program Results, 2019
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ARDA Ag Research began a water quality monitoring program in 2011, with the help of Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd (Aquality). Surface water samples were taken from three sites in SARDA’s research area: Peavine Creek, New Fish Creek, and the Little Smoky River. Sample locations, chosen by SARDA, were based on their proximity to agricultural lands, use as drinking water intakes, and their likelihood of exposure to terrestrial inputs. Semi-annual sampling continued in 2019. Sampling occurred once in the late spring to early summer after the spraying of pre-emergent herbicides on croplands, and again in late summer to early fall following harvest. Water samples were analyzed for nutrients, bacteria, pesticides, and metals. In 2019, samples were collected on July 22 for the spring/early summer period and October 16 for the fall period.
Water Quality Guidelines The Province of Alberta released new water quality guidelines in 2018, updating those previously available from 2014, though no guidelines for the parameters investigated here were changed. Where possible, the newer guidelines will be used in this report. For some parameters (nitrogen and phosphorus in particular), the updated document outlines an approach for calculating site-specific guidelines but does not provide a fixed guideline for comparison. Because site-specific guidelines have not been determined for the sites in the present study, the previous 1999 guidelines will be used for these parameters.
Results Phosphorus Concentrations of Total phosphorus (TP) were highest at all sites in the spring, and exceeded the guideline (0.05 mg/L) at New Fish Creek and Little Smoky River during the spring. Peavine Creek had the lowest average TP concentration in 2019, which contrasts with the historical pattern. Historically, concentrations of TP have been highest at Peavine and lowest at Little Smoky. Dissolved phosphorus concentration was the highest in Peavine Creek and the lowest in Little Smoky River, which generally agrees with the historical pattern (Figure 1 and Figure 2). Overall, dissolved fractions make up a minor component of the total phosphorus concentration. The red line indicates the Alberta surface water quality guideline for the protecton of aquatic life (0.05 mg/L).
Sampling locations for the SARDA Water Quality Monitoring Program
