Environment and Climate Change Canada

In 2006, the Government of Canada initiated the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP), which takes action regarding chemicals that are harmful to human health or the environment. One element of the CMP is Monitoring and Surveillance, which generates data on the presence and levels of chemical...

The Acid Sensitive Lakes Study in the Atlantic Canada was initiated in 1983 by Environment and Climate Change Canada, to evaluate the impact of acid atmospheric pollutant on aquatic ecosystem. Originally, the study focused on the aquatic and terrestrial effects of acid precipitation, but now it...

Stormwater ponds have been widely used to control increased volumes and rates of surface runoff resulting from urbanization. Stormwater ponds have also been designed to provide multiple other benefits; including protection of downstream waters, sediment and habitat (land/aquatic) quality,...

Water quality monitoring data collected in priority tributaries to provide nutrient concentration data to estimate nutrient loads to the waters of the Great Lakes. Data is collected to advance the science to understand and address the complex problem of recurrent toxic and nuisance algae in the...

Expanded Geographic Area (M9, M10, M11a, M12, BI1, RI1, SL1, SL2, QU1 [2013] and M9, M10, M11a, M12, BI1, BU1, BU2, RI1, SL1, SL2, QU1, MC2 [2011-March 2018]) Water quality chemistry data for 17 sites in the lower Athabasca River (LAR), the Peace and Slave rivers, and their tributaries, including...

Shallow groundwater and the interaction of these waters with surface water in the mineable area of the Athabasca oil sands region are being examined to assess the role and importance of groundwater in the regional river ecosystems. Groundwater quality chemistry data is available from 182 shallow...

The Turkey Lakes Watershed (TLW) Study was initiated in 1980 by Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to evaluate anthropogenic perturbation of Canadian Shield ecosystems. Originally, the Study focused on the aquatic and terrestrial effects of acid rain, but...

Water quality and ecosystem health data collected using a risk-based monitoring approach to support the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement are included in this dataset. By conducting regular, systematic measurements of the physical, chemical and biological conditions of the Great Lakes...

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...

Historical water quality data measured on a continuous basis at over 23 locations across Canada is included in this dataset. Most locations include hourly temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance and turbidity. Data are collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and...

We studied the community structure of crustacean zooplankton along the biogeographical zones of the St. Lawrence River (Québec, Canada), to evaluate how the riverscale hydrological network formed by water masses, and local-scale aquatic environment, influenced the distribution of zooplankton...

Stream sampling was conducted in the Whitemans Creek watershed in February 2012 to assess water quality during winter baseflow conditions. A total of 30 stream sites were sampled where streams in the watershed intersected roadways. In addition to conventional water quality parameters (e.g.,...

As part of a study to characterize the habitat of Canada’s only known population of Hine’s emerald dragonfly (HED), a species listed as endangered since 2011, groundwater was collected and analyzed from the eastern Minesing Wetlands near Barrie, Ontario. The water quality analyses included...

As part of a water quality survey, stream samples were collected throughout the Big Creek, Lynn River, and Nanticoke Creek Watershed in Southern Ontario in 2008. The project was undertaken to examine stream water quality under base flow conditions and was done in support of Environment and...

Long-term freshwater quality monitoring data for Rainy River / Lake of the Woods Watershed 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 part of the research activities of the St. Lawrence Action Plan (SLAP) and in collaboration with Parks Canada, a 5-year monitoring program was initiated to assess the effect of metal and element contamination to clams in the Tadoussac area. The sites of concern included marinas near...

The Fish Contaminants Monitoring Program (FCMP) was initiated in 1976. The objective is to collect a variety of biological samples in freshwater environments for the purpose of determining ecosystem contaminant levels. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) collects biological samples from...

This project examined the use of parasites of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) as indicators of water quality in the Athabasca River. Specimens of C. cognatus were sampled from four tributaries to assess patterns of helminth parasite community structure in this fish and to study the composition...