ETF Thinking Water

This report summarizes the findings from ACAP Saint John’s 2023 Thinking Water project. The Thinking Water program aims to assess the general water quality of streams within the Saint John and surrounding area, including tributaries of the Wolastoq (St. John River) and the Saint John Harbour. In a city with a long history of human and industrial influences, this program offers significant insight into the health of Saint John’s waterways. ACAP Saint John has been conducting water quality monitoring in the Greater Saint John area for over 30 years, providing a long-term dataset that can be used by professionals and other organizations.

In 2023, ACAP Saint John monitored the water quality at 31 sites in freshwater streams and estuarine environments in the Saint John and surrounding area. Water Quality Index (WQI) values were calculated from field and lab measurements including water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, salinity, turbidity, ammonia (as NH3), orthophosphate (as P), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration, collected between May and October. In 2023, no sites achieved “excellent” or “poor” water quality as determined by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME); improvements in water quality were observed in all but five sites (Tin Can Beach, Bayshore Beach, Kennebecasis Drive, Marsh Creek 11, Spruce Lake Stream Upstream, and Spruce Lake Stream Mouth). Five sites received a “good” WQI score, while most sites (15 of 31) achieved “fair” water quality, and eight had “marginal” water quality. in comparison to last year, where most sites had marginal water quality. As in previous years, the sites with the worst water quality index score included Marsh Creek Downstream (WQI of 45.1), Marsh Creek 11 (WQI of 48.6), and Little River (WQI of 49.4). Average phosphate concentrations exceeded the threshold limit at 22 of 31 sites (93.6%), while ammonia exceeded the limit at 7 of 31 sites (22.6%), and E. coli concentrations surpassed the threshold at 19 of 31 sites (61.3%). These water quality issues have been a persistent problem in these watersheds, indicating stormwater or sewage inputs and other sources of contamination continue to have considerable impact within the Saint John region, despite the modernization efforts of existing infrastructure.

Biotic communities were monitored at Courtenay Bay and Marsh Creek 2 within the Saint John Harbour in 2023. Abundances of fish and invertebrates were quantified using beach seines and fyke nets; this work aimed to continue longstanding monitoring to determine an environmental baseline for the region. In 2023, a total of 1891 individuals representing 12 species were caught, the majority of the catch consisted of sand shrimp (Crangon septemspinosa).

ACAP Annual Report 2022/2023

Community-Based Monitoring in the Saint John Harbour

The goal of this project was to create a field program in the Saint John Harbour to collect

aquatic environmental data on water quality, fish communities, and sediment PAHs in line

with Fisheries and Oceans’ Coastal Environmental Baseline Monitoring Program. The

2018 sampling season served as a pilot year for building the Harbour Baseline Monitoring

Program, and there have been four full sampling seasons since. Water quality was

analyzed at 22 sites, and of these sites, 13 were also sampled for sediment contaminants

and eight sites were surveyed for nekton communities via beach seine and fyke net. There

was generally good water quality at most Harbour sites, except for certain sites, especially

those in Marsh Creek and Little River. Marsh Creek and Little River are two streams

known to have historic contamination from industrial and municipal effluents. We collected

a total of 41,715 fish and invertebrates, representing 38 species, in beach seines and

fyke nets across the eight fishing sites

Freshwater Action on Plastic Polution

Throughout the success of this project, ACAP Saint John was able to improve the quality of freshwater throughout the Greater Saint John region by organizing and participating in numerous cleanups, reducing the amount of debris from entering our waterways, and by creating and delivering comprehensive educational presentations that focused on the reduction of harmful plastic pollution in freshwater. ACAP Saint John facilitated a total of 47 community cleanups removing over 11,000 kg of waste from our environment. Through education and awareness, and a citizen science project, this project has demonstrated why action is necessary, provided examples of simple actions citizens can take to reduce plastics and provided opportunities for the community to participate in the reduction of plastic pollution around our region, all to improve freshwater quality.

Collaborative Monitoring and Education of Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins in the Wolastoq Watershed

Since the death of dogs near Fredericton, New Brunswick, and the discovery of benthic cyanobacteria mats in the mainstem of the Wolastoq in 2018, much research has been undertaken to understand the distribution of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in the watershed. Under the leadership of ACAP Saint John, multiple watershed organizations came together to build cyanotoxin monitoring within the watershed. Originally monitoring was done in conjunction with researchers at the Lawrence Lab at the University of New Brunswick and the Canadian Rivers Institute using Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) collectors to passively adsorb cyanotoxin. Unfortunately, lab analysis for these samples was not available during this project, so ACAP Saint John pivoted the monitoring to using test kits for anatoxin-a and total microcystins to ensure readily available data and that all watershed groups would have the capacity to conduct the testing.

These test kits have proven to be a valuable tool for watershed groups to be able to detect cyanotoxins in suspected cyanobacteria sightings and report their findings to the Department of Environment in their local area for additional instructions and response. Together the collaborative partnership was able to collect over 93 samples for cyanotoxin analysis and were able to detect toxins in a small number of samples. As this collaborative groups continues to work together for years to come, additional toxin monitoring, and capacity will be built to continue and expand this project.

Prioritizing Nature in Climate Adaptation

The City of Saint John, New Brunswick is known for its location on the Bay of Fundy, where the world’s highest tides meet the Wolastoq. The vast coastline, forests and freshwater ecosystems that make up the City provide ecosystem services that make Saint John a beautiful and resilient place to live. These services can be advantageous to the municipality for their role in managing water levels, mitigating temperature, and creating habitat and biodiversity. As our climate changes, the City of Saint John is faced with challenges like sea level rise and increased storm events, increasing the vulnerability of communities and infrastructure along the coast.

This project explored the impacts of changing climate on the natural environment by identifying and assigning value to existing natural assets, and developing a roadmap to protect, enhance and restore the function of these assets in the future. A natural asset inventory identified the types of natural assets located on municipally-owned property, size and the climate risks to each asset. This project also identified gaps in legislation, areas where natural assets are supporting traditional infrastructure, and areas where natural assets could be enhanced. This information was provided to City of Saint John staff to implement into their already existing asset management structure.

Greening the Region

Climate change in Saint John, New Brunswick is recognized as an emergent risk to residents, infrastructure, and habitats. In 2019 the City of Saint John (the “City”) declared a climate emergency and has committed to actions to reduce emissions as well as adapt to an already changing climate. In 2020, the City adopted the Climate Change Adaptation Plan and this project addresses Objective 4-25, to provide “education on green infrastructure and ID design to manage the impacts of climate change through pilot projects and workshops” (ACAP Saint John, 2020). 

In the 2022 field season, ACAP Saint John worked with the community to incorporate unique GI solutions into the urban environment through the project “Growing with the Flow”. Throughout these events, ACAP Saint John explained the connection of this work to climate change impacts and the benefits that GI has for increasing resiliency in the City of Saint John. The project engaged over 400 individuals and installed two native gardens, planting over 300 native plants and over 1,400 trees. ACAP Saint John has had the opportunity to pilot stormwater methods and demonstrate that GI is an effective method for climate change adaptation. Through this work, ACAP Saint John has generated discussions with community members, City councilors and institutions, and will continue to move this work forward in Saint John. ACAP Saint John continues to use GI with a focus on managing stormwater and reducing inland flooding while providing education to schools and the community as a whole.

A Community of Action: Creating Volunteer Opportunities in the Greater Saint John Region

For 30 years, ACAP Saint John has been a leader in environmental stewardship throughout the Greater Saint John area, conducting successful community-based environmental initiatives that have engaged thousands of citizens and organizations over the years. Through funding from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, ACAP Saint John’s A Community of Action project has been able to organize countless cleanup events removing litter, debris and illegally dumped materials from green spaces, critical habitats and waterways.

This year, our efforts leaned towards the cleanup of local islands that were in need of attention, where volunteers removed over 1,500 kg of trash from these isolated areas. ACAP Saint John expanded environmental awareness and education initiatives to residents of all ages and demographics including decision makers, city staff, developers, community members, and students through educational outreach activities. These ambitious initiatives have advanced environmental awareness and action in the region and will continue to protect our environment by improving our watercourses, wildlife habitat and urban green spaces.

Community-based monitoring in the Saint John Harbour (2018 - 2021)

The goal of this project was to create a field program in the Saint John Harbour to collect aquatic environmental data on water quality, fish communities, and sediment PAHs in line with Fisheries and Oceans’ Coastal Environmental Baseline Monitoring Program. The 2018 sampling season served as a pilot year for building the Harbour Baseline Monitoring Program, and there have been three full sampling seasons since (2019 - 2021). Water quality was analyzed at 22 sites, and of these sites, 13 were also sampled for sediment contaminants and 8 sites were surveyed for nekton communities via beach seine and fyke net. There was generally good water quality at most Harbour sites, except for certain sites, especially those in Marsh Creek and Little River. Marsh Creek and Little River are two streams known to have historic contamination from industrial and municipal effluents. E. coli concentrations exceeded the recommended guidelines at 14 sites, indicating a chronic problem with fecal contamination. Sediment PAHs were also high at 6 sites, particularly Marsh Creek; these sites are exposed to a number of industrial contamination sources. We collected a total of 35,213 fish and invertebrates, representing 34 species, in beach seines and fyke nets. Spar Cove had the highest abundances but lowest richness and diversity, and species diversity was highest at Inner Harbour, Little River, Marsh Creek and Tin Can Beach. Lengths and counts of the most common species (Atlantic silverside, sand shrimp, Atlantic tomcod) varied temporally and spatially, potentially due to changes in environmental conditions.

Characterizing Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Saint John Harbour (2018-2021)

The population abundance of harbour seals in Atlantic Canada is currently listed as unknown and little is known about their behaviour, food habitats, and distribution in the area. The goal of this project was to provide a baseline of harbour seal populations to fulfil the mandate of the Coastal Environmental Baseline Project (CEBP). The objective of this study was to identify the population number of harbour seals in the Saint John Harbour and to examine the seasonal trends and distribution in seal numbers in the area. Observations were made during the afternoon low tides where seals hauled out on the rocks were counted and recorded. It was found that the population of harbour seals has increased since the 1990s. The CEBP has provided an update to research completed 30 years ago, and continuing this work is essential for understanding changes in the ecosystem over time.

Green Resilience: Implementing restoration and green infrastructure in the Greater Saint John Area

Over the 2021 field season, ACAP Saint John worked with the community to incorporate four unique green infrastructure (GI) solutions into the urban environment of Saint John. Throughout the tenure of this project, ACAP Saint John and community volunteers installed a 200m2 rain garden containing over 400 plants, removed 100m2 of asphalt from a community park, naturalized a stormwater retention pond, and planted almost 1,300 trees. This project will help to reduce the impacts of increased rainfall, extreme weather and sea level rise predicted to impact the City of Saint John due to climate change. Through this work, ACAP has had the opportunity to demonstrate that GI is an effective method for climate change adaptation and has generated more discussions with community members, City councillors and institutions to move this work forward in Saint John.

Living Coastal: Exploring Coastline Changes in Saint John

The City of Saint John, New Brunswick is located on the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Wolastoq [St. John River]. As a municipality, many actions have been taken to address climate change impacts including increasing precipitation and temperatures, sea level rise, and increased storm severity. The City of Saint John’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan, adopted in November 2020, formalizes several objectives that aim to increase resilience and protect the city in the future. Objective 2 of this plan is focused on adaptations to sea level rise which is identified as a high risk for the municipality. Monitoring, infrastructure relocation, and information sharing are recognized as opportunities to protect and enhance communities at risk. This research intends to support the actions outlined in Objective 2 and can be used by municipal staff, stakeholders, and community members to protect, preserve, and restore the beautiful coastline that surrounds the city.

In 2020, sea level rise estimates for the province of New Brunswick were updated, reinforcing the severity of the issues and the urgency that climate change poses. The rising sea level is not the only threat to coastlines, as erosional processes are a function of marine, terrestrial (i.e., land use), and atmospheric (weather) systems. ACAP Saint John has collected data from ten sites throughout the city to inform adaptation measures and highlight the need for action. This report includes an overview of coastal erosion, historical analysis, results from site assessments, and information to guide adaptation.

There is no single solution for erosion, however preventative strategies can be taken to slow down the process, allow infrastructure to be relocated or supported, and protect the community. A large part of prevention is monitoring the changes that occur over time and building awareness about effective strategies that may help stabilize and enhance coastal areas. This report builds off research completed in 2016 and aims to provide a baseline for future monitoring of coastlines in the area.

Thinking Water: Community Environmental Monitoring In Saint John (2022-2023)

This report summarizes the results of ACAP Saint John’s 2022 Thinking Water project. This project aims to assess the general water quality of streams within the Greater Saint John Area, including tributaries of the Wolastoq (St. John River) and the Saint John Harbour. The Thinking Water project remains significant in a city with a long history of human and industrial influences within waterways. ACAP Saint John has been conducting water quality monitoring in Saint John and its surrounding areas for over 30 years, providing a long-term dataset that can be used by managers and other organizations.

In 2022, ACAP Saint John continued to analyze the water quality of 27 sites in freshwater streams and estuaries within the Greater Saint John area. Water quality index (WQI) values were calculated from field and lab measurements including water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, salinity, turbidity, ammonia (as NH3), orthophosphate (as P), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration, collected between May and October. No sites had “excellent” water quality in 2022, while only three sites had “good” water quality as determined by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) water quality index calculations. Of the remaining sites, ten were in “fair” condition, eight were in “marginal” condition, and six were in “poor” condition. The sites with the poorest water quality index include five out of seven Marsh Creek sites, Newman’s Brook Downstream, and Hazen Creek Mouth. Mean phosphate concentrations exceeded the threshold limit at 21 of 27 sites (77.7%) while ammonia and E. coli concentrations exceeded the recreational limit at 11 of 27 sites (40.7%). These water quality issues are a persistent problem in these watersheds, indicating stormwater or sewage inputs and other sources of contamination still have considerable impact on the Saint John region. 

ACAP Saint John also evaluated biotic communities across eight sites within the Saint John Harbour by quantifying the abundances of fish and invertebrates caught at these sites using beach seines and fyke nets in 2022. This work is part of a large monitoring program focused on developing an environmental baseline for the region. In 2022, a total of 6516 individuals representing 25 species were caught, with the majority of the catch comprised of sand shrimp (Crangon septemspinosa). 

Educate for Change (2021-2022)

For almost 30 years, ACAP Saint John has been a leader in environmental stewardship throughout the Greater Saint John area, conducting successful community-based environmental initiatives that have engaged thousands of citizens and organizations over the years. Through funding from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, ACAP Saint John’s Educate for Change project has been able to organize countless cleanup events removing litter, debris and illegally dumped materials from green spaces, critical habitats and waterways; planted thousands of native trees throughout the region and delivered multiple educational outreach activities on various ongoing ACAP projects and, citizen science opportunities.

ACAP Saint John expanded environmental awareness and education initiatives to residents of all ages and demographics including decision makers, city staff, developers, community members, and students. These ambitious initiatives have advanced environmental awareness and action in the region and will continue to protect our environment by improving our watercourses, wildlife habitat and urban green spaces.

All Hands On Deck (2020-2021)

ACAP Saint John’s “All Hands on Deck” Project aimed to continue our essential role as environmental stewardship leaders throughout the Greater Saint John area by building on the success of past projects while incorporating new emerging environmental issues and interests.

The goal of this project was to increase environmental awareness and actions by engaging with our network of volunteers, recruiting new volunteers, and promoting and providing environmental education events/initiatives with the general public, students and youth, and other organizations across the city.

With support from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund (ETF), ACAP Saint John staff was able to continue to coordinate initiatives to fulfill two ETF priority areas: environmental awareness/education, and protecting our environment. Focusing on new emerging issues such as cyanobacteria, as well as general issues (i.e., climate change and its impacts, water quality, harbour monitoring, healthy riparian areas, etc.), ACAP Saint John has increased environmental awareness for residents of all ages and demographics including decision makers, city staff, developers, community members, and students.

Despite the global pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions, “All Hands on Deck” was able to fulfill all project deliverables including presentations to schools (both in-school and virtually) and community groups; hands-on field tours with school classes; organizing community cleanups and tree planting events; and creating online outreach materials that were posted to our webpage and multiple social media platforms.

Thinking Water 2020-2021

This report will summarize the findings of ACAP Saint John’s 2020 Open Waters project. Open Waters aims to assess the general water quality across streams in the Greater Saint John Area, including tributaries of the Wolastoq [St. John River (SJR)] and of the Saint John Harbour. This project is incredibly significant in a city with a long history of human and industrial uses and impacts on waterways. ACAP Saint John has collected over 28 years of water quality data across many sites in the Saint John region and this historic data has been incorporated into this report. 

In 2020, 27 sites were analyzed and across the Greater Saint John area’s freshwater streams and estuaries. Based on the parameters measured, ten sites were in “Good” or “Excellent” condition as determined by the Canadian Council for the Ministers of Environment (CCME) water quality index calculations, seven sites were in “Fair” condition, nine sites were in “Marginal” condition, and one site was in “Poor” condition. Based on this Water Quality Index calculator we can infer that most sites across Saint John show a degree of impairment, whether it be occasionally (Fair) or always (Poor). The sites showing the most impairment are located in Marsh Creek, Newman’s Brook Downstream, Spruce Lake Stream, and Manawagonish Creek. E.Coli was the parameter that exceeded guidelines most often (higher average concentrations at 59 % of sites) with occasional exceedances of nutrients, dissolved oxygen, and temperature at some sites, as well. Though, generally speaking, the water of the Greater Saint John area is in good conditions or is only threatened some of the time, there is evidence of excessive nutrients and E.Coli present at many sites. This suggests that there is an influence of stormwater or sewer inputs in the system and these parameters should continue to be monitored across the Wolastoq, its tributaries, and the Saint John Harbour. 

Fish community data is also reported herein and will indicate that there is a wide variety of species and abundant numbers sampled across the Saint John Harbour. This work is part of a larger monitoring program that will help identify baseline ecosystem status through various endpoints, including fish community richness and diversity. This is a preliminary reporting of this data and more analysis is to be completed in 2022. 

Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Saint John

Executive Summary

The City of Saint John has a unique opportunity to recognize the risks associated with Climate Change and adapt municipal planning to enable the community to thrive under changing environmental conditions. Climate Change will result in an increase in temperature and precipitation, more frequent extreme weather such as post-tropical storms and ice storms, and rising sea levels. This shift in weather patterns and ocean levels will cause flooding, damage infrastructure, destroy habitats, isolate neighbourhoods, and create public health challenges. ACAP Saint John has completed a background report, Understanding Climate Change in Saint John, that describes the Climate Change projections and impacts for Saint John, New Brunswick. The Climate Change Adaptation Plan focuses on specific risks and actions that will be required to reduce the negative impacts of these changes on the natural and built environment.

ACAP Saint John has conducted extensive research to identify areas of concern throughout the City. Through a Gap Analysis of Existing Initiatives, Integrating Climate Change into Municipal Planning in Saint John, New Brunswick, was completed by reviewing municipal by-laws and existing municipal and provincial initiatives to identify available resources and reveal gaps in legislation. Research also involved community engagement which helped to voice public concerns. The public responses were included in the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment to highlight high risk issues in Saint John and guide the development of the Action Register, which provides 59 adaptation recommendations. The recommended actions are organized into eight objectives:

● Objective 1: Integrate Climate Change impacts into community planning.

● Objective 2: Reduce shoreline erosion & promote natural infrastructure.

● Objective 3: Protect natural spaces, local habitats & migration routes.

● Objective 4: Provide public education on how to deal with the impacts of Climate Change.

● Objective 5: Reduce the impact of Climate Change on human health.

● Objective 6: Support vulnerable groups to increase adaptive capacity.

● Objective 7: Increase resilience to flooding & sea level rise.

● Objective 8: Increase resilience to extreme weather.

The Adaptation Plan takes into consideration the ongoing social and environmental inequity that exists in Saint John, whereby areas with the most severe poverty rates are also those living in high flood risk areas or in closest proximity to highly vulnerable coastal areas. As well, the public health challenges associated with Climate Change are explored and specific actions are suggested to keep residents safe.

As municipal documents are updated, the Climate Change Adaptation Plan can be integrated, further encouraging implementation of the recommended actions and creating an aware and prepared society. Adapting to Climate Change is necessary for the City of Saint John to protect the communities that give this historic City the vibrant, maritime personality it is known for. Through implementation of this Adaptation Plan, the City has an opportunity to become a Canadian leader in climate resilience and coastal adaptation.

Tree Inventory

A summary of the tree inventory completed for street trees found in three Saint John neighbourhoods - the South Central Peninsula, Lower West Side and the North End.

Open Waters 2019-2020

This report will summarize the findings of ACAP Saint John’s 2019 Open Waters project. Open Waters aims to assess the general water quality across streams in the Greater Saint John Area, including tributaries of the Wolastoq [St. John River (SJR)] and of the Saint John Harbour. This project is incredibly significant in a city with a long history of human and industrial uses and impacts on waterways. ACAP Saint John has collected over 27 years of water quality data across many sites in the Saint John region and this historic data has been incorporated into this report.

In 2019, 26 sites were analyzed and across these sites, when excluding fecal coliform counts, general water quality was observed to be in good or excellent condition at 19 of these sites, as determined by the Canadian Council for the Ministers of Environment (CCME) water quality index calculations. This suggests that most sites across Saint John show minimal to no impairment in water quality parameters measured, an excellent feat for an industrial Harbour region. The exception to this is in Marsh Creek and Newman’s Brook Downstream where sites are in fair condition, suggesting water quality is occasionally impaired or threatened. When considering fecal coliform counts the data suggest further impairment across sites (15 of 26 sites). This is especially evident in Marsh Creek where historical sewage contamination is known to be present, although concentrations are low compared to pre-Harbour Cleanup (2014) values. Though generally speaking the water of the Greater Saint John area is in good conditions, the excess nutrients and fecal coliform present across a range of sites suggests that there is an influence of stormwater or sewer inputs in the system and this monitoring should continue across the Wolastoq, its tributaries, and the Saint John Harbour.

Fish community data is also reported herein and will indicate that there is a wide variety of species and abundant numbers sampled across the Saint John Harbour. This work is part of a larger monitoring program that will help identify baseline ecosystem status through various endpoints, including fish community richness and diversity. This is a preliminary reporting of this data and more analysis is to be completed.

Rebirth of Water 2018-2019

Continued water quality monitoring throughout the City of Saint John and the Greater Saint John area helps to gain insight into the aquatic habitats that these watercourses provide, as well as their safety for recreational use for humans. The watercourses that have had continuous monitoring this year include: Marsh Creek, Inner Harbour, Newman’s Brook, Caledonia Brook, Alder Brook, Hazen Creek, Taylor Brook, Salmon Creek and Mispec River. Additional sampling sites were added this year on the west side of the City, which include Mill Creek, Spruce Lake Stream, Walker Creek, Mosquito Cove, Manawagonish Creek, and Dominion Park. These new locations were added this year to more accurately portray the water quality of the city’s waterways as a whole.

Overall, the watercourses included in this year’s sampling all continue to have the capability to provide sufficient aquatic habitats for various forms of aquatic life. There are several factors that potentially affect the water courses such as stormwater runoff, sanitary sewer overflows and riparian degradation. The stormwater runoff and riparian degradation as well as the hot, dry weather led to elevated temperatures and slightly decreased dissolved oxygen levels as compared to previous years. On average, most sites this year saw an increase in orthophosphate concentration when compared to previous data. At this time, there is no official guideline or recommendation for orthophosphate levels in place.

The considerable improvements of water quality parameters for aquatic life seen in Marsh Creek since the completion of Harbour Cleanup in 2014 solidifies that the funding and resources put into the project were much needed. The most notable difference in the water quality is the dissolved oxygen concentrations, although lower in 2018 than 2017, they are still above the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guideline recommended concentration of 6.5 mg/L on average at all the sites sampled.