The JCSC conducts monthly water quality sampling at 13 carefully selected sites along Junction Creek. By tracking changes in water quality over time, it is our hope that the data collected can be used to influence provincial and municipal policies to help protect Junction Creek, and to have a positive impact on people of Sudbury.
WATER SAMPLING IN JUNCTION CREEK
The JCSC launched a water quality monitoring program in 2004 with support from Vale Canada Ltd and Living with Lakes Centre. It started with 6 monitored sites and increased to a total of 10 sites in 2007 and 13 sites in 2021. The sites are distributed in the upper reaches of Junction Creek between Garson and Kelly Lake, and include the connecting points of tributaries: Maley, Frood, Nolin Creek, and Copper Cliff.
Once a month JCSC staff and volunteers visit each site to collect water samples and take measures on the water depth, temperature, conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen. The water samples are then analyzed by Vale, which is generously provided in-kind, to identify levels of various nutrients, metals, and suspended solids.
With help from local experts and academic institutions, the results are compared to Provincial and National water quality standards to help assess stream health. These standards are guidelines to manage water quality to protect aquatic life and recreational uses. Since the Maley Branch has the least amount of urban disturbances and is the only tributary of Junction Creek that does not include active mining operations in its catchment, it is used as a reference site to compare other sections of the creek and reveal urban and industrial influences in the waterway.
By maintaining an ongoing water monitoring program, trends and changes in water quality can be identified over time and between sites. Results from water quality testing, used in conjunction with other research and monitoring efforts, are used to make informed decisions to guide restoration activities along Junction Creek, target educational outreach, and advise watershed management. Our growing scientific database is shared with stakeholders and used in watershed reports at the local and Great Lakes level.
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