Beaver Creek in the RM of Corman Park south of Saskatoon is one of the water boies being monitored for phosphorus levels

Concern over growing levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in Saskatchewan’s creeks, rivers and lakes has prompted watershed stewardship groups to collect and analyze  water samples from tributaries of the South Saskatchewan and North Saskatchewan rivers

Kerry Lowndes, coordinator of the South Saskatchewan River Watershed Stewards (SSRWS), said the organization is currently sampling water from Beaver Creek, Opimihaw Creek and Fish Creek.

All three creeks empty into the South Saskatchewan River, the primary source of drinking water for about half the province’s population.

“Water quality is fundamental not only to human and animal health, but also to the health of plant life and the entire ecosystem,” said Lowndes in an interview September 8. “We use water for many purposes, including drinking water, livestock watering, irrigation of crops, watering gardens, and recreation.”

She noted that many factors affect the quality of surface water and underground aquifers. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen in fertilizers, septic systems and lawn waste can make their way into source water, and at high concentrations these nutrients can promote Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) growth, reduce available oxygen for fish and aquatic plants, and even make the water unsafe for bathing and drinking.

Natural riparian areas along creek beds and lakefronts do much to filter potential contaminants, but that natural buffer is not always available. Some agricultural fields are cultivated right up to the water’s edge; and in urban areas, runoff often flows into stormwater reservoirs and from there into the river. Eventually, water from the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers ends up in Lake Winnipeg.

Lowndes said in an effort to monitor phosphorus levels in the two major river watersheds, samples from tributaries have been collected over the past two years and sent to a laboratory to be tested.

She noted that Beaver Creek, which is located south of Saskatoon in a conservation area with considerable natural prairie and riparian areas nearby, showed the least amount of contamination from nutrients.

Opimihaw Creek, which is in a heavily-urbanized area just north of Saskatoon, has the highest levels of nutrients. Fish Creek, in a largely agricultural area, is somewhere in between.

As part of the project, a free smart phone app from Global Water Futures (GWF) called Nutrient App is being used to connect results from this app to those received from laboratory testing. The app also measures levels of nitrate.

After downloading the app, landowners and residents can use their smart phones to measure and record phosphate and nitrate concentrations in their local waterways. Results can then be used to determine hot spots of contamination.

Lowndes said people across the province are encouraged to take part in this project. A ‘Nutrient Watch’ contest has been launched as part of the campaign.

Lowndes said in addition to monitoring surface water quality, the SSRWS is encouraging landowners to test water from their wells.

“Occasionally wells are downslope from corrals,” said Lowndes. “Contaminants could end up, over a period of months or years, in those drinking water sources, so that’s why it’s important to test water quality on a regular basis.”

She noted that even communities with new water treatment plants shouldn’t be complacent about source water quality.

“It’s great to have state-of-the-art treatment plants,” she said. “But communities also have a vested interest in the quality of the water before it gets to the treatment plant.

“It makes sense to know what it is you’re filtering out of the water.”

The SSRWS has educational material to assist landowners and communities protect their surface and ground water quality. The SSWRS website is www.southsaskriverstewards.ca .