Measuring the impact of watershed development on water quality in surface water supply reservoirs in Halifax Regional Municipality

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Surface water reservoirs provide much of the drinking water for residents of Halifax Regional Municipality. The region has a long and complex history of mining, logging and development. The sediments in these reservoirs have the ability to record the impact of these activities on both the watershed and the lakes. An understanding of the degree to which natural and man-influenced variables impact water and lake bottom sediment quality in surface water reservoirs is a fundamental component of effective management strategies for the reservoirs and their watersheds. This collaboration between I. Spooner and Halifax Water focuses on the development of accessible, inepensive and rapidly employed methods of measuring the impact of watershed development and environmental change on water quality in surface water reservoirs in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Halifax Water is the municipal water utility serving the residents of HRM and is responsible for 8 water treatment plants and 17 water supply reservoirs. Previous research has established that pH and nutrients are significant stressors in some of the reservoirs. This study will provide Halifax Water with cost effective methods required to determine how watershed development has impact normal water quality variability. Training and technology transfer are a fundamental component of the project; lake sediment coring, sample analysis, basin survey techniques and sub-bottom profiling will all be components of this project. The lake assessment method that will be used in this study will provide Halifax Water with context for long-term management and monitoring of these important water sources.