Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 1224 |
|---|---|
| Citation | MacDonald Environmental Services Ltd. 1998. Water quality assessment and recommended objectives for the Salmon River. BC Ministry of Environment. |
| Organization | Ministry of Environment |
| URL | http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/objectives/salmon/salmon.html |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | This document is one in a series that describes the ambient water quality objectives that have been developed for various waterbodies in British Columbia. The report has two parts, including the following overview and a technical appendix (Gwanikar et al. 1997), which is available separately. The overview is intended both for technical readers and for readers who may not be familiar with the process for establishing water quality objectives. The overview provides general information about water quality conditions in the Salmon River watershed. This document also provides a summary of the recommended water quality objectives and monitoring program for the watershed. The technical appendix presents more detailed information on water uses, aquatic ecosystem structure, contaminant sources and ambient environmental conditions in the Salmon River watershed. In addition, the water quality objectives and the detailed monitoring recommendations for the river system are presented in the technical appendix. The Salmon River is an important tributary of Shuswap Lake, which drains into the South Thompson River. In addition to supporting anadromous salmonids, resident fish species and other aquatic organisms, the Salmon River and its tributaries provide important sources of raw water for domestic water supplies, irrigation, and livestock watering. Recreation and aesthetics also represent important uses of the aquatic environment, both of which generate social and economic benefits to area residents. Concerns related to environmental quality conditions in the Salmon River are primarily associated with non-point source contaminant discharges. Such contaminants arise from a variety of land use activities, including forest management, agriculture and urban development. Contaminants of concern in the watershed include suspended solids, turbidity, ammonia, phosphorus, nitrogen, metals and fecal coliforms. In addition, water withdrawals from the river and nearby infiltration galleries have resulted in decreased streamflows and associated effects on water temperatures and other habitat features in the river. This report describes the water quality objectives that have been recommended for the Salmon River watershed. These objectives specify the water quality conditions that are necessary to protect aquatic life, wildlife, livestock watering, irrigation, drinking water supplies and aesthetic and recreational water uses in this river system. The objectives also represent targets which can be used to determine whether remediation efforts have been successful. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Shuswap |
| Sub-watershed if known | Salmon River |
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| Project status | complete |
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