World Water Monitoring Day is traditionally celebrated on September 18.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority Healthy Watersheds Manager Mari Veliz says they do a lot of environmental monitoring and water monitoring, in particular.
“Monitoring the fish species there and some of the factors that limit their abundance and distribution. So things like too many nutrients getting into the system, causing excessive plant growth and when the plants die off they take up oxygen and then that has negative repercussions for some of the fish.”
Veliz says habitat loss is one threat to aquatic species, but invasive species and pollution from sediments and nutrients and sometimes chemical contamination as well as over exploitation, over fishing or over harvesting are other threats. She says every species has its own particular issue, but many of them are common throughout Southern Ontario.
Veliz says the water monitoring will help them reduce the risks in some cases.
“The other important thing is we are trying different activities, we are making different projects and what we really want to know is what is working and how are some of the things we're trying, working. And without the monitoring, then we really wouldn't know.”
Veliz also says the monitoring and restoration projects they do would not be possible without Federal government funding.