Freshwater Quality Data
- National freshwater quality indicator for the 2008 to 2010 period, Canada
- National freshwater quality indicator change between 2003-05 and 2008-10, Canada
- Freshwater quality in drainage regions for the 2008 to 2010 period, Canada
- Freshwater quality by land use category for the 2008 to 2010 period, Canada
The table shows the number of core monitoring stations and percentage of core stations where freshwater quality in Canada was poor, marginal, fair, good or excellent for the period 2008 to 2010.
| Water quality category | Number of core stations | Percentage of core stations |
|---|---|---|
Poor | 2 | 1 |
Marginal | 28 | 16 |
Fair | 67 | 39 |
Good | 66 | 38 |
Excellent | 9 | 5 |
Total | 172 | 100 |
Note: Freshwater quality was assessed at 172 stations throughout Canada's 16 drainage regions where human activity is most intensive, using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment's Water Quality Index.
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The table shows the number of monitoring stations and percentage of stations where freshwater quality was rated poor, marginal, fair, good or excellent for the sampling periods 2003-05 to 2008-10.
| Sampling period | Poor (Percentage of stations) | Marginal (Percentage of stations) | Fair (Percentage of stations) | Good (Percentage of stations) | Excellent (Percentage of stations) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003-05 | 3 | 25 | 39 | 30 | 4 |
2004-06 | 4 | 23 | 36 | 32 | 6 |
2005-07 | 5 | 20 | 35 | 33 | 8 |
2006-08 | 5 | 18 | 40 | 33 | 5 |
2007-09 | 5 | 17 | 42 | 29 | 8 |
2008-10 | 2 | 18 | 41 | 33 | 7 |
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The table shows the number of monitoring stations where the freshwater quality indicator has significantly improved (12), declined (3), and where no change was detected (86) over the period 2003-2005 to 2008-2010.
| Change | Number of stations |
|---|---|
Improving | 12 |
Declining | 3 |
No change detected | 86 |
Total | 101 |
Note: Change in the indicator between the 2003-05 and 2008-10 periods was assessed at 101 stations in 16 drainage regions across Canada where historical data were available. For each station, change in the indicator was assessed using a consistent set of guidelines and parameters through time.
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The table shows the number of stations by drainage region where freshwater quality was rated excellent, good, fair, marginal or poor for the period 2008 to 2010.
| Drainage region and ID | Poor (Number of stations) | Marginal (Number of stations) | Fair (Number of stations) | Good (Number of stations) | Excellent (Number of stations) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pacific Coastal (01) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Fraser–Lower Mainland (02) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Okanagan–Similkameen (03) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Columbia (04) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Peace–Athabasca (06) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
North Saskatchewan (10) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
South Saskatchewan (11) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
Assiniboine–Red (12) and Winnipeg (13) | 0 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Lower Saskatchewan–Nelson (14) | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
Great Lakes (19) | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
Ottawa River (20) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
St. Lawrence (21) | 2 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
Saint John–St. Croix (23) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
Maritime Coastal (24) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
Newfoundland–Labrador (25) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
Note: Care must be taken when comparing regions, because different parameters and guidelines are used to assess water quality among provinces and territories. The Winnipeg drainage region is included in the Assiniboine-Red drainage region because it contains only one core station.
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The table shows the number of stations by land use category: agriculture, mining, mixed pressures and remote, where freshwater quality was rated excellent, good, fair, marginal and poor between 2008 and 2010. The total number of stations by land use category and quality ranking is also provided.
| Land use category | Poor (Number of stations) | Marginal (Number of stations) | Fair (Number of stations) | Good (Number of stations) | Excellent (Number of stations) | Total (Number of stations) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agriculture | 0 | 8 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 37 |
Mining | 0 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 27 |
Mixed | 2 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 0 | 50 |
Remote | 0 | 1 | 16 | 33 | 6 | 56 |
Total | 2 | 28 | 65 | 66 | 9 | 170 |
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