Turtle Lake Water Quality Index

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Turtle LakeWater Quality Index

• Turtle Lake Watershed Inc.
• June 13, 2005

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Water Quality Monitoring

• Gathers and collects data
• Provides information on current conditions
• Can show trends in water quality over time
• Provides information on which to make decisions

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Water Quality Monitoring

• Monitoring programs can be established for a
  variety of different reasons
• The parameters monitored can tell us different
  things about the water quality
• Parameters can be related to one another
• Each piece of information can be used to provide
  an overall assessment of the water quality

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Water Quality Data

• Individual parameters are compared to some form
  of standard/objective (Saskatchewan Surface Water
  Quality Objectives)
• Usually based on intended use of the water
  (protection of aquatic life, irrigation,
  recreation, livestock watering)

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Water Quality Data

• Parameters that are within the Surface Water
  Quality Objectives would be considered suitable
  for a particular intended use.

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Monitoring data
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Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

• All Aquatic organisms require oxygen to live
• Fish, invertebrates, plants, and aerobic bacteria
• Objectives set DO levels at 5 mg/L for the
  protection of fish and aquatic life
• Levels below 3 mg/L can be stressful for most
  aquatic organisms
• Levels below 1 mg/L are considered to be anoxic
  (no oxygen present)

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Total Phosphorous

• Is an essential nutrient for plant and animal
  growth
• Occurs naturally in the environment
• Enters water bodies as a result of surface
  run-off, soil erosion, decay of organic matter,
  and waste
• High phosphorous levels can stimulate algal and
  weed growth (TP greater than 0.1 mg/L)

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Nitrogen

• Occurs in several forms in water
• Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and organically bound
• It is an important plant nutrient
• Ammonia nitrogen is used as an indicator of the
  quality of the water for aquatic life
• High ammonia concentrations can be toxic to fish
• Nitrate levels are typically less that 1 mg/L in
  healthy surface water systems

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Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

• Is a measure of the amount of dissolved material
  in water
• Bicarbonate, sulphate, chloride, calcium,
  magnesium, sodium, and potassium
• Concentration of TDS depends on
• The amount of precipitation a water body receives
• The type of solid and rock the water passes over
• Human activities
• TDS levels for irrigation should not exceed 700
  mg/L
• Turtle Lake TDS values range between 576-750 mg/L

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Turbidity

• Indicates the amount of suspended material in
  water
• Soil particles, algae, or other microscopic
  organisms
• High turbidity reduces light penetration,
  productivity and habitat quality
• Suspended sediment can carry nutrients, metals,
  and pesticides

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Heavy Metals

• Can be toxic to the aquatic environment at
  elevated levels
• Some metals can bio-accumulate, e.g. mercury
• Occurs naturally in the environment
• Enters water bodies as a result of surface
  run-off, soil erosion, or improper waste disposal
• Can restrict water use

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Algal Blooms

• Common in nutrient-rich surface waters
• Main types include
• Green algae, diatoms, and blue-green algae
  (cyanobacteria)
• Green algae and diatoms nuisance organisms
• Plug irrigation equipment, affect recreation,
  treatment plant operations, and can produce taste
  and odour compounds
• Blue-green algae toxic organisms
• Produce neuro- and hepato-toxins

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Fecal Coliforms

• Used as an indicator of the sanitary quality of
  water
• Found in the intestinal tract of human and other
  warm blooded animals
• A high fecal coliform count indicates water
  contamination
• For recreational use of a water body, levels
  should not exceed mean density of 200 organisms
  per 100 mL, must be absent in drinking water

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Water Quality Index
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Water Quality Index

• The WQI is a simple tool that can be used to
  summarize and report on complex water quality
  monitoring data

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What is the Water Quality Index?

• It is a mathematically calculation that combines
  a number of water quality factors and then ranks
  the water quality in a simple and easily
  understood way
• It can be used to report on the overall and
  on-going condition of a water body in a way that
  can be used by technical and non technical people

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Development of the Water Quality Index

• The Canadian Water Quality Index was developed by
  a Federal/Provincial Taskforce for the Canadian
  Council of Ministers of the Environment
• It was based on an index developed by British
  Columbia - Ministry Environment, Land and Parks

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CWQI

• The Water Quality Index is based on a combination
  of three factors
• the number of variables whose objectives are not
  met (scope)
• The frequency with which the objectives are not
  met (frequency) and
• The amount by which the objective is not met
  (amplitude)

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Water Quality Index

• Combining all water quality parameters the water
  quality index produces a number between 0 and
  100, where 0 represents the worst water quality
  and 100 represents the best water quality.

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CWQI

• Excellent (CWQI Value 95-100)
• water quality is protected with a virtual
  absence of threat or impairment conditions very
  close to natural or pristine levels.
• Good (CWQI Value 80-94)
• water quality is protected with only a minor
  degree of threat or impairment conditions rarely
  depart from natural or desirable levels.

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CWQI

• Fair (CWQI Value 65-79)
• water quality is usually protected but
  occasionally threatened or impaired conditions
  sometimes depart from natural or desirable
  levels.
• Marginal (CWQI Value 45-64)
• water quality is frequently threatened or
  impaired conditions often depart from natural or
  desirable levels.

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CWQI

• Poor (CWQI Value 0-44) water quality is
  usually threatened or impaired conditions
  usually depart from natural or desirable levels.

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Saskatchewan Water Quality Index for use in
Watershed Protection

• Parameters used in the SWA Water Quality Index
• Total Dissolved Solids
• Sulphate
• Chloride
• Sodium
• Nitrate/nitrite
• Ammonia
• Total Phosphorous
• Chromium

• Mercury
• Aluminum
• Arsenic
• pH
• Dissolved oxygen
• Chlorophyll a
• MCPA
• 2, 4-D
• Fecal coliforms

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Turtle Lake Water Quality Index
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Water Quality Index Turtle Lake

• Turtle Lake water quality rated as Good (WQI
  value 90.1)
• water quality is protected with only a minor
  degree of threat or impairment conditions rarely
  depart from natural or desirable levels.

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Turtle Lake Summary

• Water Quality Index rating was good
• Parameters that exceeded the WQI objectives the
  most were pH and TDS
• In 2004
• pH 8.83 9.38
• TDS 576-583, 750

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WQI Summary

• Provides a simple ranking system to evaluate
  water quality - although some interpretation is
  still required.
• Can be used to assess overall watershed health
  and assess changes in water quality over time

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Questions?