Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for over 10 sites in the Pacific Coastal Basin for the past 15 years or longer for nutrients, metals, major ions, and other physical-chemical variables are included in this dataset. Monitoring is conducted by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and under the Canada-British Columbia Water Quality Monitoring Agreement to assess water quality status and long-term trends, detect emerging issues, establish water quality guidelines and track the effectiveness of remedial measures and regulatory decisions. Supplemental Information http://www.ec.gc.ca/eaudouce-freshwater/default.asp?lang=En&n=50947E1B-1

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for over eight sites in the Ottawa River basin for the past 15 years or longer for nutrients, metals, major ions, and other physical-chemical variables are included in this dataset. Monitoring is conducted by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) as well as through the Canada-Quebec Water Quality Monitoring Agreement and the St. Lawrence Action Plan to assess water quality status and long-term trends, detect emerging issues, establish water quality guidelines and track the effectiveness of remedial measures and regulatory decisions. Data for sites operated by the province are available from Quebec's Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change Ministry. http://www.ec.gc.ca/eaudouce-freshwater/default.asp?lang=En&n=50947E1B-1

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for over 14 sites in the Fraser River Basin for the past 15 years or longer for nutrients, metals, major ions, and other physical-chemical variables are included in this dataset. Monitoring is conducted by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and under the Canada-British Columbia Water Quality Monitoring Agreement to assess water quality status and long-term trends, detect emerging issues, establish water quality guidelines and track the effectiveness of remedial measures and regulatory decisions. Supplemental Information. http://www.ec.gc.ca/eaudouce-freshwater/default.asp?lang=En&n=50947E1B-1

This dataset provides water quality analyses of lake surface samples and river samples collected throughout the ice-free season (May/June to October) from 2016 to 2019 from the Lake St. Clair nearshore, with a focus on the Thames River discharge area. Data includes nutrients and related biological parameters, including: • Phosphorus • Nitrogen • Suspended solids • Chlorophyll • Bacteria • Algal toxins Samples were collected by Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) staff. Work was conducted in collaboration and partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Great Lakes Institute of Ecosystem Research (GLIER, University of Windsor), Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LVTCA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Keywords: Lake St. Clair, Thames River, Detroit River, Lake Erie, Water Quality, Nearshore, Cyanobacteria, Cyanotoxins, Phosphorus, Nutrients, Eutrophication, algal blooms

This dataset provides marine bacteriological water quality data for bivalve shellfish harvest areas in Canada (British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec). Shellfish harvest area water temperature and salinity data are also provided as adjuncts to the interpretation of fecal coliform concentration data. The latter is the indicator of fecal contamination monitored by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) within the framework of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP). The geospatial positions of the sampling sites are also provided. These data are collected by ECCC for the purpose of making recommendations on the classification of shellfish harvest area waters. ECCC recommendations are reviewed and adopted by Regional Interdepartmental Shellfish Committees prior to regulatory implementation by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

The Nova Scotia Automated Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network was established in 2002 to assess water quality in surface waters across the province at five stations. In 2019 the station list was modified to reduce overlap with Environment and Climate Change Canada surface water quality monitoring stations. The results are used to help manage water resources, determine baseline water quality in lakes and watercourses throughout the province, evaluate the impact of human activities on surface water, and assess long term trends in water quality. The following weblink connects to a Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change web map that includes the five monitoring station locations within the province and an alternative method for downloading the same datasets: http://nse.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=7ded7a30bef44f848e8a4fc8672c89bd

These data are water quality parameters sampled by Environment Canada via a Memorandom of Understanding. The individual parameters were used to calculate results for the Canadian Council of Environment Ministers (CCME) water quality index (WQI).

Contaminants surveillance data in freshwater at sites in the Pacific Basin are included in this dataset. Measurements may include physical-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, alkalinity, and major ions; nutrients, metals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, pesticides and persistent organic pollutants. The number of sites varies from year-to-year, and sampling frequencies vary from one location to another, as surveillance activities are adjusted according to evolving environmental pressures and governmental programs. Data are collected in order to determine baseline water quality status, evaluate the effectiveness of management actions, verify compliance with water quality objectives, and identify emerging issues.

Water quality is a globally accepted and widely used measure for assessing and monitoring the condition of freshwater ecosystems. It has a pivotal affect on the integrity of aquatic ecosystems. The physical and chemical characteristics of water have a strong influence on aquatic biota and freshwater ecosystem processes. As a result, changes in water quality may provide an early warning of environmental stress to aquatic ecosystems. The water quality index (WQI) is a tool that was developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to summarize complex water chemistry data to a single index in order to simplify and standardize water quality assessment and reporting across the country. Water samples are taken twice a year at the same location from 18 lakes during June and August.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) uses satellite remote sensing to monitor lake-wide water quality indicators across Canadian inland waters. Remote sensing provides a cost-effective solution to obtain frequent lake-wide water quality observations in support of lake science and inland water quality management on an on-going basis. The datasets presented in this collection provide long-term satellite-derived monitoring of water quality indicators, contributing to programs such as the Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative and Great Lakes Nutrient Initiative. These data include imagery and summary statistics in support of ECCC’s EOLakeWatch interactive data portal including daily algal bloom indices and imagery, historical algal bloom indices and imagery, and annual algal bloom reports. Citation: Binding, C.E., Pizzolato, L., & Zeng, C. (2021). EOLakeWatch; delivering a comprehensive suite of remote sensing algal bloom indices for enhanced monitoring of Canadian eutrophic lakes. Ecological Indicators, 121, 106999. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106999

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada’s performance on key environmental sustainability issues. The data collection contains datasets that track water quality within Canada. The Water quality in Canadian rivers indicators provide a measure of the ability of river water across Canada to support plants and animals. At each monitoring site, water quality data are compared to water quality guidelines to create a rating for the site. If measured water quality is below the guidelines, it can maintain a healthy ecosystem. Water quality at a monitoring site is considered excellent when substances in a river are very rarely measured above their guidelines. Conversely, water quality is rated poor when measurements are usually above their guidelines, sometimes by a wide margin. Information is provided to Canadians in a number of formats including: static and interactive maps, charts and graphs, HTML and CSV data tables and downloadable reports. See the supplementary documentation for the data sources and details on how the data were collected and how the indicator was calculated. Supplemental Information Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators - Home page: https://www.canada.ca/environmental-indicators

Hamilton Harbour is located at the west end of Lake Ontario. It was designated as one of 43 Areas of Concern in 1987 under the GLWQA where 11 beneficial uses of the harbour were deemed impaired. One of the primary recommendations of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan was to decrease nutrient loads to Hamilton Harbour and establish water quality targets to decrease undesirable algae and improve water clarity. This long term data set consists of spatial and temporal water quality data collected in Hamilton Harbour since 1987 to measure ecological response of remedial efforts. Supplemental Information Funding for this study was provided in part by the Government of Canada’s Great Lakes Action Plan (GLAP) and in support to the Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern. . In 1987 under the revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, 43 areas of concern (AOC), 12 of which are located in Canada, were identified as having severely impaired beneficial uses and water quality. As funded by the Great Lakes Action Plan, a Remedial Action Plan was formed for each area of concern bringing together experts from government, industry, municipalities and environmental non-government organizations to address these impacts. Today over 900 restoration projects have been successfully completed by Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners including Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades, fish and wildlife habitat restoration, and water quality improvements. Today Wheatley Harbour (Lake Erie), Collingwood Harbour and Severn Sound (Georgian Bay) have been de-listed as an area of concern. Spanish Harbour and Jackfish Bay (Lake Superior) are now areas in recovery. Today scientific monitoring and research is continuing in the remaining AOCs to measure response of remedial efforts. For more information please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/great-lakes-protection/areas-concern.html

This Data set provides detailed information about the quality of drinking water.

This map displays an assessment of surface water quality risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Agricultural activities that may have an impact on surface water quality, including livestock, crop production and agrochemical use, were identified and used to produce this map. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk).This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

The plate contains four maps showing the Hardness of Surface Water, Total Dissolved Solids of Surface Waters, Turbidity of Surface Waters and the Chemical Quality of Typical Surface Waters of Canada. These water quality maps were based on data collected from 1970 and 1971 at national river monitoring stations. Only stations with five or more observations over the 2-year period were considered in the compilation. For stations with fewer than five observations and for areas where no data were available, data were extrapolated from surrounding areas. Interpretation is difficult for these maps because it is difficult to generalize on such a broad basis. Some of the provinces, as well as the federal government, have set down some criteria for various water uses, such as drinking water supplies, aesthetics and recreational water, shellfish culture, preservation of wildlife, industrial water, agricultural water, and the preservation of aquatic ecosystems. Since the water use categories are so varied, it is difficult to do interpretive analyses of waters on a national or basin scale except for a specific water use. The purpose of the water quality maps is to give the user a general idea of the concentrations of parameters across the country. To obtain these maps, the concentrations were averaged over fairly large areas and thus, within each area there may be large deviations from the values shown.

Water Quality is measured annually in both streams and lakes in Gwaii Haanas. Many water quality parameters are collected and they can be grouped into three categories: (1) Physical (e.g. temperature, depth); (2) Chemical (e.g. pH, nutrients) and (3) Biological (chlorophyll a). Water quality is a key component of aquatic habitat and changes to any parameters can be caused by the surrounding landscape, climate, in-stream processes, and natural and human impacts. Depending on the parameter, significant changes can impact biota from algae to fish and birds. This data is also posted to, and available from ECCC's CABIN database.

Oceanographic data from stationary moorings deployed as part of the Centre for Marine Applied Research's (CMAR) Coastal Monitoring Program.

What? Water samples are collected in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in various freshwater lakes and streams. When? Water samples are taken in select park lakes biannually (ie. spring and fall) and in select park streams annually (during fall season). How? Water samples are collected by hand in identified park waters and sent into Environment Canada for analysis of identified parameters. Why? Water quality is a globally accepted and widely used measure for assessing the condition of freshwater ecosystems and has a pivotal effect on the integrity of aquatic ecosystems. The physical and chemical characteristics of water have a strong influence on aquatic biota and freshwater system processes. Additionally, many of the primary stressors to freshwater processes (ie. acidification, eutrophication, deforestation) are reflected in changes to water quality. Changes in water quality may provide an early warning of environmental stress to aquatic ecosystems.

One component of this initiative aims to improve current understanding of nutrient dynamics and cyanobacterial and harmful bloom (cHAB) occurrences on Lake of the Woods. Research will focus on investigating the sources of nutrients and additional mechanisms influencing cHAB development and transport on the lake, determining cHAB composition and toxicity, and improving lake-wide monitoring capabilities through remote sensing observations. Results will document the status, trends, and drivers of blooms, and the risk they may pose, in order to inform on appropriate management and mitigation strategies. Here, as part of this effort, phosphorus concentrations are being provided. It is anticipated that other water quality data will be provided once available and quality assured.

Wetland water quality is an important determinant of wetland condition. Wetland water quality can be strongly influenced by many stressors, including land use change and forestry practices, acid deposition and long-range transport of air pollutants and climate change. Monitoring water quality in peatlands provides an early warning of potential threats to wetland ecosystems. Water samples are collected in May from 10 wetland wells once per year.