Clean, protected and sustainable water resources with natural flows will allow all living things, including humans, to thrive.

Data collection related to water quality can tell us a lot about the health of an ecosystem. Comparing measurements can identify concerns that might be associated with activities in or near the creek. This information is key in any restoration project to provide a baseline of data, have measurable outcomes, and clear target objectives. Dissolved oxygen, pH, flow, conductivity, turbidity and temperature are all parameters that are indicators of the health of a creek. Currently, we are taking continuous water temperature measurements and bi-weekly water quality readings. In the future, we will be collaborating with the City of Cranbrook to develop a comprehensive water quality database for Joseph Creek.

Water Quality Parameters

Dissolved Oxygen  

Oxygen is important for all aquatic organisms. Oxygen is captured in water by turbulence, fetch (length of water over which a given wind has blown without obstruction) and high water flow. Therefore, moving water has higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen than standing water. As water temperatures increase, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases making it less suitable for aquatic life. Adding yard waste, like grass clippings, can also reduce the availability of dissolved oxygen for fish species because oxygen is used to decompose organics. Make sure you dispose of your yard waste properly!

pH

This is a measurement of how acidic or basic water is. It is defined as the hydrogen ion concentration in water. The lower the pH value, the more acidic the water, while a higher pH value equals a more basic water chemistry.

Water pH determines the suitability of a waterbody for fish and other life forms. Highly acidic or basic waters are generally inhospitable to life forms.

pH will impact the solubility, the amount that can be dissolved, of metals or nutrients in a water system. Lower pH can be toxic because of higher metal concentrations, whereas higher pH can also be toxic because of high ammonia concentrations. The ideal pH for most aquatic life is neutral (pH=7).

It is therefore important to avoid using any harmful chemicals in your driveway or fertilizers on your lawn because storm water drains often lead directly to our waterbodies. 

Flow 

The flow of the stream will change with the seasons. As the snow melts in the spring or during rain events, flow will increase, which is positive for temperature and dissolved oxygen. Fish and other aquatic organisms respond differently to high or low flows. They will seek out the best flows to be able to feed and exist in the waterbody. In higher flowing water, fish will seek out refuge habitats such as under boulders, undercut banks and off channels. Adequate water flow is essential to all fish life stages. Fish prefer specific ranges for spawning, rearing, and overwintering.

Without a healthy riparian zone, too much flow can lead to erosion and be very harmful to species in the creek. Erosion will increase the sediment in the water and this can be a problem for fish habitat and fish gills. Therefore, it is important to prevent erosion by planting native species along the creek edge. 

Conductivity

Conductivity is the total concentration of dissolved ions such as salts in water. Salts in this instance refer to sodium, calcium, and sulphate. This concentration indicates how many particles can transmit electricity through the water. The higher the particles, the higher the conductivity.

Conductivity is in part related to productivity in a waterbody. In a balanced system, the presence of nutrients can result in greater plant growth and decay, resulting in more organic growth, insect life and possibly higher fish activity. However, high concentration of particles in the water may also indicate that there are contaminants in the water. Therefore water quality can be indirectly measured through conductivity. 

Pure water (H2O) is inherently bad at conducting electricity, in other words, it has low conductivity.   Clean water contains little to no ions floating around which is what allows electricity to travel through liquid.  By introducing sources of ions such as salts, chlorides, sulfides, and carbonates, the conductivity of water will increase.  These sources of ions can be pollutants in our waterways and therefore the lower the conductivity, usually the better the water quality.

The key here is understanding the source of the ions that are causing a high conductivity and determining how it will affect the health of the aquatic system.

Turbidity

Turbidity measures the amount of suspended solids in water by detecting how much light is deflected when passing through the water column. The higher the turbidity, the higher the concentration of particles in the water. Examples of sources of particles in the water include sediment from erosion or runoff and increased flow, chemicals, sawdust and plant and animals material. If the water is too turbid, it loses the ability to support a wide variety of aquatic plants and animals. Fish require clear enough water to navigate and find food. Suspended solids can also clog and damage fish gills, prevent proper egg and larval development and even suffocate newly hatched larvae.

Temperature

Water temperature influences production and activity in aquatic habitats which directly affects aquatic organisms. Fish species have differing temperature thresholds in which they thrive. For example, Westslope Cutthroat Trout cannot survive in temperatures over 16°C. When the temperature increases, available oxygen will decrease thus creating an unsuitable habitat for sensitive species. We have been doing continuous temperature monitoring of Joseph Creek since October 2019. Check out the graph below to see the average stream temperatures from an entire year!