Long-term freshwater quality data from federal and federal-provincial sampling sites throughout Canada's aquatic ecosystems are included in this dataset. Measurements regularly include physical-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, alkalinity, major ions, nutrients and metals. Collection includes data from active sites, as well as historical sites that have a period of record suitable for trend analysis. Sampling frequencies vary according to monitoring objectives. The number of sites in the network varies slightly from year-to-year, as sites are adjusted according to a risk-based adaptive management framework. The Great Lakes are sampled on a rotation basis and not all sites are sampled every year. Data are collected to meet federal commitments related to transboundary watersheds (rivers and lakes crossing international, inter-provincial and territorial borders) or under authorities such as the Department of the Environment Act, the Canada Water Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, or to meet Canada's commitments under the 1969 Master Agreement on Apportionment.

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. 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. These indicators provide information about the state of surface water quality and its change through time, to support water resource management. 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. Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators - Home page: https://www.canada.ca/environmental-indicators

Water quality and ecosystem health data collected in the Great Lakes and priority tributaries to determine baseline water quality status, long term trends and spatial distributions, the effectiveness of management actions, determine compliance with water quality objectives and identify emerging issues are included in this dataset.

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for sites in the Maritime 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 Parks Canada as well as through the Canada-New Brunswick Water Quality Monitoring Agreement, the Canada-PEI Water Annex, and through collaborative work with the province of Nova Scotia 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.

This project monitors water quality at 14 sites (streams and lakes) within the Long Beach Unit of the Park. A total of 46 water quality parameters are recorded at each site twice per year (spring and fall), including concentrations of nutrients, metals, and physical properties. The thresholds applied to the data are standards prescribed by the federal or provincial government for freshwater aquatic life and overall water quality is ranked based on the annual average CCME WQI (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index). This measure is used to report and act on issues related to water quality and water pollution in the park from external sources, answering the important questions of: (1) Is water quality, in selected streams or lakes of the Long Beach Unit, within set water quality limits for aquatic wildlife as determined from concentrations of anthropogenically generated contaminants and (2) Is the overall water quality within the specified quality bounds?

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for over 13 sites in the Columbia 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 is a simplified version of water quality measurements taken in Tuktut Nogait National Park. It is a collection of measurements which make up two water quality indexes: Nutrients and Major Ions (NMI) Index and Metals Index. The measurements are taken along the Hornaday River annually in early-July. The chemical composition of water influences the biological productivity and species composition of rivers. Changes in the water quality in the rivers and creeks in the Western Arctic can act as early indicators of ecosystem change. The presence of contaminants, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), heavy metals, and radionuclides are a concern because they can have negative effects on Arctic ecosystems and human health. Furthermore, a changing climate in the Arctic can influence the nutrient levels in the streams and rivers as more nutrients will be released from thawing permafrost. As the expected effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems are still unknown, continuous monitoring is paramount.

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for two sites in the Missouri 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) 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

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. 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 parameters in a river very rarely exceed their guidelines. Conversely, water quality is rated poor when parameters usually exceed their guidelines, sometimes by a wide margin. These indicators provide information about the state of surface water quality and its change through time, to support water resource management. 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

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 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 parameters in a river very rarely exceed their guidelines. Conversely, water quality is rated poor when parameters usually exceed their guidelines, sometimes by a wide margin. These indicators provide information about the state of surface water quality and its change through time, to support water resource management. 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

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. 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 parameters in a river are very rarely exceed their guidelines. Conversely, water quality is rated poor when parameters usually exceed their guidelines, sometimes by a wide margin. These indicators provide information about the state of surface water quality and its change through time, to support water resource management. 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

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for one site in the North Shore - Gaspé 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 NL Environment and Conservation through the Canada-NL 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. Data for additional sites are available from NL Environment and Conservation.

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) has designed a Water Quality Index (WQI) to translate complex water quality data into an overall integrated score from 0-100. This score is based on the number of measured variables, which have observations exceeding water quality thresholds (i.e., scope); the number of these exceedances in the dataset (i.e., frequency); and the magnitude by which the observations exceed the guidelines (i.e., amplitude). These water quality parameters are crucial indicators of the physical, chemical or biological conditions in aquatic systems and processes. The purpose of the water quality monitoring program at Kouchibouguac National Park is to use this index to calculate a score and evaluate the status of our freshwater ecosystems. The methods for this measure involve a once-a-month sampling, from May to November, of permanent stations in five tributaries: Kouchibouguacis River, Tweedie Brook, Black River, Rankin Brook, and Portage River. At each station, a number of water quality parameters are measured in situ as well as the collection of samples that are sent for laboratory analysis of chemical content three times a year in the Spring, Summer, and Fall to capture seasonal variation. In addition, ten key variables (i.e., total phosphorus, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, pH, total alkalinity, aluminium, calcium, total suspended solids, turbidity, total organic carbon) were selected to include in the WQI calculation in order to reflect the regional situation and account for possible natural or anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., eutrophication or oxygen deficits, acidification, land-use changes) related to deforestation, agriculture, and urbanization activities.

As part of a three year study funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Natural Resources Canada (ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative, project UOSGQ963; http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/funding/current-fundingprograms/eii/4985) data were gathered to assess and monitor water quality conditions in northeastern British Columbia (BC). Defined in this datasetas portions of the Petitot, Fort Nelson, and Hay River basins, northeast BC is a region subject to both historical conventional oil and gas development and more recent unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development. UOG development in this area is presently focused on the Horn River Basin, Cordova Embayment and Liard Basin shale formations (BCOGC 2010, 2013a). Otherwise, UOG development in BC is centered in the Montney Play, located further south (Adams et al. 2016). Surface water quality assessment and monitoring focused on two river basins in this area: the Petitot River Basin and the Fort Nelson River Basin. Baseline and/or best available surface water quality information was gathered from January 2012 to March 2015. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected over the same period to complement the water quality study through development of a Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) bioassessment model. Routine Water Quality Monitoring study objectives were to gain a better understanding of water quality conditions in the Petitot River Basin by collecting baseline data using a standard suite of physical-chemical variables and establishing a representative long-term site. Routine water quality sampling sites were selected at locations with known exposure to UOG activity and varying watershed areas; submersible loggers were also installed to collect specific conductance and temperature data. Synoptic Water Quality Monitoring study objectives were to establish patterns of spatial and temporal water chemistry through synoptic water sampling at high and low flow periods and examine potential relationships between UOG activity and surface water quality. Sample sites were selected at microbasin drainage outlets to represent a range of upstream activity and potential contamination. A series of samples were also collected along the mainstem Petitot River at 20-kilometre intervals from the Alberta border to the Highway 77 bridge to capture potential “step-changes” in water chemistry as the river flows through the northeast BC gas production area. Biological Monitoring study objectives were to establish baseline reference conditions based on benthic macroinvertebrate communities and habitat characteristics, and develop a predictive bioassessment model to assess the ecosystem health of streams in the Liard, Fort Nelson, and Petitot River basins exposed to UOG activity. The biological monitoring study design followed CABIN sampling methodology for benthic macroinvertebrate collections in streams and rivers (Environment Canada 2012, http://www.ec.gc.ca/rcba-cabin). Sampling was conducted at 53 reference sites unaffected or minimally influenced by human activity. Thirty five test sites were also selected across a gradient of UOG activity, based on well densities. A preliminary predictive bioassessment model for northeast BC was established and is available through the CABIN website for future assessment of water quality and ecosystem health in the region.

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).

This program, led by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), is part of a larger national program serving to describe spatial and temporal patterns in water quality on many major rivers in Canada. In Waterton, physical and chemical variables are measured at water quality sites located on the two major rivers that originate in or flow through the park, the Waterton River and the Belly River. These sites are in the headwaters of major rivers that provide ecosystem services for many downstream users (e.g. drinking water) and are upstream of major point- and non-point source pollution. National park sites represent “reference conditions” for comparison to downstream sites. These sites represent a large upstream catchment that can theoretically capture any potential impacts to water quality.

The map shows the locations of water quality network stations operated by the federal Water Quality Branch, Department of Fisheries and the Environment, and the provincial Water Quality Branches of Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. The federal and provincial monitoring programs provide natural water quality data, data on environmental contaminants, and interpretive information to a wide field of users in support of water resources management programs, pollution control and environmental assessment studies, legislation and research, and federal-provincial, interprovincial, and international agreements. The programs are designed essentially to detect and quantify water pollution, to determine water quality trends on a national and regional basis, and to measure the effectiveness of remedial pollution control measures on surface waters. In this way a better understanding will be achieved of the behaviour and fate of pollutants in the environment and their effects on physical, chemical, and biological systems. This increased knowledge will contribute to improved water resource planning. Initially, the International Hydrological Decade network consisted of about 200 sampling stations located on major rivers and streams across Canada. Besides providing data for industrial, municipal, and other government agencies, the network was designed to explore methods for predicting water quality conditions in streams, using existing and new data, and to study correlations of water quality, stream discharge, geological formations, and meteorology.

Water quality data is based around two of the largest lakes in Prince Albert National Park – Kingsmere and Waskesiu. Data is collected monthly from May through September each year, with additional water chemistry sampling in March. Water chemistry and Secchi disk depths are sampled by boat at three open water locations, and E.coli levels are tested from three high use beach locations. Discharge measurements are taken for Waskesiu Lake inflow (Kingsmere River, Mud Creek) and outflow (Waskesiu River). Kingsmere and Waskesiu Lakes are representative examples of PANP’s natural aquatic ecosystems, and Waskesiu is a popular recreation location. Monitoring water quality in these lakes is a high priority because of their ecological importance to the overall ecological integrity of the park.

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for three sites in the North Saskatchewan 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) 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. The information informs the Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative and supports activities of the Prairie Provinces Water Board (PPWB). Supplemental Information http://www.ec.gc.ca/eaudouce-freshwater/default.asp?lang=En&n=50947E1B-1