WATER QUALITY MONITORING

Water Quality Monitoring

Did you know that ACAP has been monitoring the water quality of Marsh Creek since 1993? Over the last 25 years, more sites have been added to our regular monitoring program and we now have more than 30 water quality monitoring sites!

In the past, the objective of the Marsh Creek Water Quality Monitoring project was to retrieve and record as much data as possible prior to the removal of raw sewage outfalls within Marsh Creek. Following the cessation of raw sewage deposition in late 2014, the objectives of the project continued, with a mind toward evaluating the recovery the water quality since this historic Harbour Cleanup milestone. Since the completion of Harbour Cleanup, the Water Quality Monitoring project has expanded into other watersheds within the Greater Saint John area.

Water samples are collected bi-weekly across sites and monitored for a number of parameters throughout the field season. These tests are performed by summer students from the Chemical Technology program at the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC). Parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature are measured in the field, while total coliform count, E.coli concentrations, ammonia and orthophosphates are analyzed in the laboratory at NBCC. 

Interested in learning more about the water quality in your favourite stream? Looking to find temperature levels in Marsh Creek or do you just want to explore our historical data? Check out this interactive map showcasing data we’ve collected over the last 30 years!

Want to learn more?

Atlantic DataStream is an open access platform for sharing information on freshwater health. It currently allows users to access, visualize, and download full water quality datasets collected by 23 monitoring groups from Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.