Watershed Monitoring
A watershed is an area of land drained by a common stream, river or lake. In a watershed, the landscape may be made up of a variety of natural and man-made features, such as wetlands, forests, agricultural and settlement areas. Since the character of the landscape can greatly influence the character of our water, we have programs established to monitor both land (terrestrial) and water (aquatic) environments.
Monitoring forms an essential part of watershed management. It helps us understand the landscape and identify opportunities for development that respect important environmental features. Monitoring is the link between science and planning policy. Information gathered from monitoring allows for long-term strategies and balanced planning.
We use water monitoring information to determine a lake's capacity to take in nutrients. While certain amounts of nutrients are part of a lake's function, too many nutrients cause problems, such as weed growth.
Examples of monitoring programs include:
- chemical water quality (surface and ground water)
- biological water quality (surface water)
- surface water flow (quantity)
- ecological mapping (environmental)
We use water in many ways: for recreation, agriculture, industry and domestic uses. Therefore, we need to monitor our water in order to carefully manage this precious resource. Through monitoring, we can measure the impact humans have on the landscape, and we can develop policies to balance human needs with the health of our environment.
Your opinion counts! The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are currently undertaking a project to learn about the plants and animals people use in their water gardens.
Link to these surveys:
