Total suspended solids impact on native fish species in the Bow River

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Total suspended solids (TSS) in the water have much the same effects on fish as dust and particulates in the air have on humans. This is because fish breathe water using their gills like we breathe air using our lungs. Also, fish gills are essential for excreting waste products like ammonia, and for maintaining the overall ion and acid-base balance of the animal. Consequently, TSS has the potential to clog and damage fish gills, which will affect the physiology of the animal causing them stress and affecting growth. As a result, it is essential to manage the amount of TSS, as well as understand the size of the particles, entering the river through stormwater run-offs and sewage treatment effluent discharge. The city of Calgary has established a total loading management plan (TLMP) that identified the need to manage TSS loads due to the direct impact on fish and fish habitat. This project will determine if the current guideline for the TSS impact on fish, which is based on a 20 year old model developed mostly for salmonids, are best suited for the fishes in the Bow River that flows through the city of Calgary. We will incorporate new techniques and analyses to get a better understanding of the effect of TSS on sublethal stress using several species of fish native to the Bow River. This will provide us with a model that best reflects the conditions of the Bow River and provide guidance to the City to better understand TSS interaction and to develop site-specific TSS thresholds. This will also ensure the outcome of the research program results can be immediately translated into an improved Bow River Water Quality Model, which will help guide Calgary's TLMP in working towards the protection of aquatic life in the Bow River into the future. This work is a collaborative effort between the city of Calgary and experts from two Universities, the University of Calgary and the Wilfrid Laurier University, to address a problem of strategic importance. The fundamental knowledge gained from this project, and the model developed, will be applicable to other Canadian cities and across the globe to best manage their water resources.