| | What's happening with the water quality of my local stream? That's the question students, seniors and everyone in between will be learning more about when they dip into Alberta’s natural waterways and participate in the first Alberta Water Quality Awareness (AWQA) Day to be held June 5 as part of this province’s Environment Week, says Sarah Depoe, a water quality specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD).
“This is the first time we’ve organized a province-wide event targeted at raising local awareness of water quality in Alberta. With interest in this valuable resource running so high, we’re really excited about how this event will bring Albertans together-- and get us all talking about our shared responsibility for water stewardship,” says Depoe, who leads the awareness day planning and promotion.
To encourage that conversation, participants in the program will be provided with basic water test kits at no cost. “The kits enable groups to work together to test local streams, lakes or wetlands. We’ve modelled the program after the World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) held last October and our goal is to provide a little user-friendly education alongside some old-fashioned fun,” explains Depoe.
The initiative is sponsored by AAFRD, Alberta Environment, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, EPCOR, Alberta Lake Management Society and Alberta Fish and Game Association.
Water quality field test days definitely help build awareness by giving participants a hands-on experience in the environment, says Jeff Lee. A teacher at Stettler Middle School, he and two other area teachers took their Grade 8 students to nearby waterways last October for the global event.
Still chilled from the fact WWMD coincided with his area’s first fall blizzard of the season, Lee also likes the decision to hold AWQA Day during the school year, but in a warmer month.
AWQA Day kicks off June 5 and participants will be able to collect and analyse their samples anytime from June 5 to 18, 2005. Once the local data about water pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and turbidity are collected, participants will enter the information on a special website. “By the end of June, we will have a kind of province-wide snapshot of water quality in Alberta,” adds Depoe.
AWQA Day is a natural fit with the Grade 8 science curriculum in Alberta, but is open to groups and individuals of all ages and grades. “We anticipate that rural watershed groups will organize family field days and that various urban and rural youth and adult clubs will take part as a way to learn more about the natural environment,” explains Depoe.
Melissa Fuchs, an Environmental Farm Plan technical assistant and an extension specialist for Central Peace Conservation Society, is looking for ways to involve area agricultural producers, students and residents in that part of the province. “The more people learn about water quality, the more responsibility they take as individuals,” says Fuchs.
Tim Dietzler agrees. An agricultural fieldman with the MD of Rocky View in southern Alberta, Dietzler is taking the idea to a number of local watershed groups to see how they might like to get involved. He likes the way the “awareness day” activities could include families.
“We have some very active watershed groups in our area. They’ve been monitoring water quality and learning how it is impacted by management decisions they make on their own land. A province-wide water quality test day is a good way to get even more people thinking about the issues,” Dietzler adds.
Albertans can also incorporate the water sampling activities into other Environment Week events, like shoreline cleanups, river walks or cottage days. AWQA Day “gives us a reason to talk about the quality of water in our local waterways and to start thinking about what we can do to keep that water clean,” says Depoe.
Basic measures of water quality have important implications for fish and wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation and human health. “When you think of the big picture, AWQA Day is citizen science in action!” says Depoe.
To learn more about how you can get involved in AWQA Day, including how you access the free water quality test kits, visit the AWQA website.
For more information, contact Sarah Depoe |
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