Antoine Morin

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Rivière Gatineau Commentaires sur les
résultatsdu programme de suivi de la qualité des
eaux par les Amis de la Rivière
Gatineau2000-2006Gatineau RiverComments on
the results of the water quality monitoring by
the Friends of the Gatineau River2000-2006Antoi
ne MorinUniversité dOttawa

Photo by MARSHALL MARUSKA AERIAL IMAGES,
CHELSEA QC
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Monitoring program

• Mostly based on grab samples for fecal coliforms
• fecal coliforms are bacteria normally found in
  the gut of warm blooded animals
• humans, dogs, cows, deers, gulls, racoons, etc.
• typically not pathogenic
• used as a tracer of fecal contamination, indicate
  possibility that pathogens would be present

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Sampling stations
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Recreational water quality rating Le ministère
du Développement durable, de lEnvironnement et
des Parcs

 
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All stations, all years2000-2006
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E. coli at Brittania, Summer 1997
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Creeks vs River, all years
GR_010
Burnside
GR_020
GR_021
TYPE
GR_022
La Pêche
GR_030
GR_040
GR_050
Creeks
GR_060
Meech
GR_061
Gatineau
GR_062
GR_070
GR_071
GR_080
GR_090
GR_100
Site
GR_110
GR_111
GR_130
Le grand gulley (Cantley)
Romaniuk
GR_131
GR_140
Blackburn
GR_150
GR_151
GR_160
GR_170
GR_171
Hellard
GR_172
GR_173
GR_174
GR_175
GR_180
GR_190
1
10
100
Fecal coliform (col/100ml)
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Temporal evolution
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Romaniuk
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Other measured parameters

• Nutrients (P and N) below levels of concern in
  the River.
• Nutrients higher in streams, approaching
  undesirable levels
• Dissolved oxygen in the river always above anoxia.

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Summary

• Fecal contamination is low in the Gatineau River
• Affluents of the river are more contaminated
• Situation is stable
• Single measurements of fecal contamination are
  almost useless
• Long term monitoring is key
• More sophisticated methods (ribotyping) can
  sometimes be used to distinguish sources of fecal
  coliform