Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Barlak, R and Fegan, L. 2014. Regional District of Nanaimo Community Watershed Monitoring Network, 2013 Data Summary. BC Ministry of Environment and Regional District of Nanaimo. |
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| Organization | Regional District of Nanaimo |
| URL | http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms/wpattachments/wpID2844atID6380.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | The purpose of this report is to present a summary of data collected as part of the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) Community Watershed Monitoring Network partnership. This partnership was initiated in 2011 by the RDN and the British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Environment (MOE) to collect data across the RDN. In its early stages (2011-2013) the program will be used for data gathering with the goals of obtaining enough data to see watershed trends and raise watershed health awareness in local communities. Long term goals are to use multiple years of data to determine in which watersheds more detailed monitoring and/or improved watershed management need occur, and to assist in land use planning. Partnerships are core to the monitoring program. In 2013 the RDN and MOE organized the program and trained participants in monitoring protocols. Ten stewardship groups within the RDN participated in the monitoring program, with safety gear, land access and funding for Quality Assurance/Quality Control lab analyses provided by Island Timberlands LP. Stewardship groups participating in 2013 were: Nile Creek Enhancement Society (NCES), Friends of French Creek Conservation Society, Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers, Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society, Nanaimo and Area Land Trust, Departure Creek Streamkeepers, Harbour City River Stewards, Island Waters Fly Fishers, Nanoose – Lantzville Streamkeepers Society and Vancouver Island University. A total of 51 different sites in 17 different watersheds were monitored in 2013, the third year of the program. Samples were collected weekly according to BC MOE sampling procedures (BC MOE, 2003) between August 13 and September 10, 2013 (summer low flow) by all the stewardship groups and between October 15 and November 12, 2013 (fall rains) by all the stewardship groups except NCES which sampled between October 22 and November 19, 2013. Quality assurance/quality control samples were collected by three groups. In this document, data are presented and compared to existing BC Water Quality Guidelines (BC MOE, 1997) and/or Englishman River Water Quality Objectives (Barlak et al., 2010) (Table 1), applicable to other watersheds within the same ecoregion. Exceedences and similarity to 2011 and 2012 data (Barlak, 2012 and 2013) are noted. When any turbidity samples were less than 0 NTU, or not a true reading, calibration corrections were applied to all samples measured with the same instrument on that day and the corrected values presented here. When data collection was missed or a stream had no above ground surface flow the missing data point is represented by a missing bar in the applicable figure in this report. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Vancouver Island South |
| Sub-watershed if known | Englishman River, Nanaimo River, Nile Creek |
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