While there was some improvement noted, the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) doled out two failing grades in its report card for surface water quality and forest conditions.
The ECRA released its five-year watershed checkup on Wednesday, also World Water Day, which looked at the status of water resources in the area from 2017 to 2021. Conservation authorities across the province also released similar reports in recognition of the day recognized annually by the United Nations.
Data collected for the report shows that local groundwater in the region continues to score well, mainly due to the protection offered by hard clay soils in the area. However, surface water quality and forest cover scores are consistently low, according to ERCA officials.
"Surface water quality grades range from C to F, with an average score of D," said ERCA's Water Quality Scientist Dr. Katie Stammler. "This is an improvement in many watersheds since our last report card in 2018. While the improved score is due to lower concentrations of E.coli, there are not enough data to suggest a consistent trend."
Stammler noted that total phosphorus concentrations have increased in some watersheds, resulting in all but one receiving a failing grade.
"As well, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to sample benthic invertebrates, the insects that live in streams, during the time period used for this report card," said Stammler. The absence of this data is another possible factor in the improved surface water quality grades."
Forest conditions also scored low, with most watersheds ranked as a D or an F. These decreases were due to more stringent measurement standards, not the loss of forest habitat. ERCA CAO Tim Byrne said that it is important to note the standards for measurement are set across the province.
"It would be difficult to achieve a higher score on this scale within our highly developed watershed,” said Byrne. "ERCA's forest cover has increased from less than 4 per cent, the lowest in Canada, to 5.7 per cent. This is an increase of more than 7,000 acres. This is a substantial accomplishment, but is not enough to meet the threshold to move up a letter grade."
For reference, a C rating would require 15.1 per cent forest cover. Even though grades are an indicator of how local watersheds are doing when compared to others across Ontario, he said there are other factors to consider. Byrne noted it is critically important to continue tree planting, restoration, and water quality improvement projects.
"We need to do so much more with ‘green’ infrastructure, particularly in the face of a changing climate," said Byrne. "Planting new forests, creating new habitat, and restoring wetlands will help mitigate flooding and improve human health and the health of our watersheds."
The full version of the report can be found on ERCA's website.
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