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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