Summary of Water Quality Sampling Program, 2018

SARDA Ag Research has been monitoring water quality at three locations since 2011. The parameters assessed followed Alberta Environment & Parks Guidelines for river water quality and included nutrients, bacteria, metals and pesticides. This program has assisted in determining the most serious impediments to water quality in Peavine Creek, Fish Creek, and the Little Smoky River.

The results of this ongoing study indicate Peavine Creek has the greatest impediments to water quality, while Fish Creek and the Little Smoky River are less impaired. In all systems, nutrients and to a lesser extent metals are the greatest impediments to water quality, though in Peavine Creek nutrients are a relatively greater problem than at the other sites. Due to the continued elevated nutrient concentrations at Peavine Creek, an investigation of differences in land use practices between the basins may be warranted to determine the source of these contaminants, though based on a preliminary examination it appears likely related to the small size of the catchment and the relatively higher density of agricultural lands compared to the other basins.