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WERAP in Eastern Ontario
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Trudeau, VL (Langlois, V; Duarte, P) - Levels and effects of endocrine disruptors ... Provide CA managers with key components to the water budget. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: WERAP in Eastern Ontario
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WERAP in Eastern Ontario
Watershed Environmental Resource Assessment
Project
A Holistic Assessment of the Factors Important
for the Maintenance and Restoration of Rivers in
Agricultural Watersheds
- November 24, 2005
- Kananaskis Researcher Retreat
Michel J.L. Robin
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Overall Goal
- Evaluate state of Raisin River watershed
- Physical science perspectives
- Ecology
- Ecotoxicology impacts on indicator species
- Contaminant hydrology mass loading
- Physical hydrogeology water budget components
- Social-science perspective
- Evaluation of incentive programs
- Identify Barriers Society vs Institutions vs
Science
- Develop strategies to balance human vs ecological
demands - Strategies to reduce contaminant loading
- Prescriptions for actions and reducing barriers
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Research Team
- University of Ottawa
- Clark, ID (Suchy, M Henry, C) -
Agro-contaminant transport in the subsurface - Lean, DRS (Maharaj,S, Hines, E) - Methyl mercury
cont. endocrine disruptors - Needham, RD (Bérubé, D, Mannella, M, Robin,
MJ) - Human Geography - Pick, FR (Woods, L Holsworth, J) - River
productivity and impact of nutrients - Robin, MJL (Bustros-Lussier, E Woods, L
Craiovan, E) - Groundwater/surface water
interaction - Trudeau, VL (Langlois, V Duarte, P) - Levels
and effects of endocrine disruptors - University of Waterloo
- Conant Jr, B (McGuinty, D) - Cont. transport at
GW/SW interface - Rudolph, DL - Groundwater/surface water
interaction - Queens University / St-Lawrence River Inst.
- Ridal, JJ (MacLean, CMc Donald, L) - surface
water quality/contaminant loading - Raisin Region Conservation Authority
- Critoph, C - Public policy and governance
- Canadian Wildlife Service
- Pauli, B - Levels and effects of endocrine
disruptors - Thompson Rosemount Group Industrial partner
- St-Marseille, J - Contaminant loading
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Key Challenges/Goals
- Improve capability of rural and remote
communities to provide safe drinking water and
manage waste discharges - Ensure focus on priorities for safe water based
on evidence despite competing interests - Integrate factors affecting water quality to
advance conceptual models for decision making - Balance human and ecosystem demands for water
- Develop water management strategies for local
watershed scale applications - Develop a tool kit for use in this and other
watersheds
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Relevant State-of-The-Research
- Most watershed studies are limited in scope
and/or in geographical extent. - Our study
- Multidisciplinary framework
- Phased approach to identify critical areas
- Holistic examination of entire watershed,
including - Agricultural, rural, urban, and forested settings
- hard sciences (biology, hydrogeology)
- harder sciences (human geography)
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Approach
- State of the watershed
- Ecology ecotoxicology
- Strategic sampling and indicator parameter
mapping - Impacts of agro-contaminants (e.g. atrazine) on
indicator species (Rana pipiens) - Groundwater surface water interactions
- Identify and quantify groundwater
discharge/recharge areas - Locate contaminant loading areas (ECT survey)
- Quantify groundwater recharge and nitrate loading
at selected locations - Determine basin water budget and contaminant
loading - Social sciences
- Evaluate incentive programs and societal
interactions - Long interview method for identifying social
barriers - Integration of Information
- GIS data base
- Information transfer- monthly meetings and web
site - Agricultural community outreach
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Stage of Research
First season (instrumentation, id target areas
processes)
- River ecology
- 50 sites (pools and riffle zones)
- Physical/chemical parameters velocity,
discharge, water residence time, light
penetration, DO, conductivity, DOC, turbidity,
nutrients - Biological variables suspended vs attached algal
biomass, clams
- Ecotoxicology
- 20 sites for water quality parameters pH, EC,
DO, BOD, TSS, N,P, DOC, Major ions, total and
Methyl Hg, Fecal coliforms and E. coli - Conducted controlled Atrazine exposure
experiments on Northern Leopard Frogs sampled
frogs at key locations in Raisin R. - Investigating histology of frog gonads
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- Groundwater surface water interactions
- ECT survey of all three branches of the Raisin
- Processing data to identify hot spots for
further investigation
- Recharge through farm fields
- Instrumented 3 farms next to River
- Initiated year round sampling for
- NH4, NO3 with d15N and d18O
- DOC, DIC with d13C,
- P, major ions, TDS, d18O/dD
- Social dynamics
- Review of government programs and policies
completed - 47 interviews with agricultural stake holders
completed interviews ongoing with regional land
owners associations - Diagnostic field study and workshop held in a
control county
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Key Expectations and Linkages
- Ecology of rivers in agricultural landscapes
- To determine role of nutrients vs flow in algal
growth and incidences of blooms/scum, and
groundwater seepage. - To establish links between O2 dynamics and algal
biomass and potential role/impact of
herbicides/pesticides. - Lead to possible management options (e.g.
nutrient control versus flow regulation, BMPs)
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Key Expectations and Linkages
- Ecotoxicology
- Estimate and link river assimilation capacity to
- nutrient concentrations
- organic loading and BOD water budget and
contaminant loading - Impacts on sentinel species Rana pipiens
- Links between low level exposure and sexual
development of R. pipiens - Links with human health
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Key Expectations and Linkages
- Groundwater surface water interactions
- Map ECT anomalies in Raisin R. and identify
conductance loading groundwater discharge
areas. - Confirm discharge flux and contaminant hot
spots with seepage meters, streambed temperature
surveys and sampling - Provide CA managers with key components to the
water budget. - Geographically correlate these areas with
biological indicators.
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Key Expectations and Linkages
- Groundwater recharge through farm fields
- Determine pathways and transformations for
agro-contaminants to water supply aquifer and
river using nutrient analyses and environmental
isotopes.
- Quantify attenuation processes during recharge.
- Monthly monitoring throughout year to
characterize seasonal variations in
biogeochemical reactions. - Provide in-situ measurements of contaminant and
nutrient loading.
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Key Expectations and Linkages
- Social dynamics
- Identification of
- participation rates in water quality improvement
initiatives - facilitators or barriers to active participation
- Inducements rewards needed
- Congruency test of perceptions, attitudes
values of society members, resource managers, and
scientists
- Competing water resource demands
- Conflict resolution mechanisms (communications
instruments) - Other contextual stresses realities (e.g.
commodity pricing new on-farm regulations)
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Insights on Knowledge Transfer
- Interactions with Agricultural Community
- Tremendous cooperation on an individual basis
(frog catching) - Some feel under siege by environmental
regulations - Enthusiastic and volunteered participation in
interview process - Participation of land owners is difficult during
the field season. - Conservation authority (CA) staff
- Directly integrated into science team
- Value outcomes and are enthusiastic and eager to
participate. - Direct participation in the State of the river
report - Synergy between researchers and local expertise
- Eastern Ontario Water Resources Committee EOWRC
- Partnership is extremely positive
- Used 1/3 of their budget to cover funding
shortfall.
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Opportunities
- Influence the Application of Legislation
- Source Water Protection in Ontario
- Nutrient Management Act and implementation of
BMPs - Technology Transfer
- Application of methodology to other CA
territories - Design and testing of communication instruments
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Future challenges and Interests
- include additional disciplines on the team
- Agronomy
- Hydrology
- Risk assessment
- Health science
- Law governance
- Better utilize expertise from the CWN e.g.
groundwater/surface water modeling. - Public and political participation
- Public access to watershed information at an
interactive sustainable watershed bulletin
board website through a program like
geoConnections.
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