CBM In Action: Atlantic Water Network
November 6, 2018
Community Based Water Monitoring In Action: Atlantic Water Network
This summer, Atlantic DataStream spoke with Emma Wattie, Director of the Atlantic Water Network, about community-based water monitoring in Atlantic Canada.
My name is Emma Wattie and I am the Director of the Atlantic Water Network. There are a lot of groups that collect freshwater data throughout the entire watershed – so from the streams and brooks that feed into the rivers, into the estuaries where the ocean meets the river.
It’s really interesting to see how the ocean also impacts our freshwater systems.
DataStream has been the goal that we’ve been wanting to achieve in Atlantic Canada for some time. Some of the things that are really appealing about DataStream is that you can upload a whole field season at once.
Other great tools are the visualization tools like being able to plot the different parameters and see the trends over time. If a program has similar protocols as you, how can you work together and really build upon each other’s work?
It’s really common in Atlantic Canada that groups work within a small river or small watershed. But Atlantic DataStream gives us the opportunity to not only communicate our results within our own communities but across the region.
Discover more about the Atlantic Water Network online at www.atlwaternetwork.ca.
Set up a data contributor account by contacting us.
DataStream Data Informs Assessment of Freshwater Health
The recently released WWF Canada 2020 Watershed Reports provide a national assessment of Canada’s freshwater. WWF Canada was able to efficiently draw on community based water monitoring (CBWM) data thanks to DataStream.
Community Based Monitoring in Action – The PEI Watershed Alliance
For the Prince Edward Island Watershed Alliance (PEIWA) the benefits of being based in a small province are clear. “We can be really interconnected, and we can facilitate working together” explains Angela Banks, Project Manager at the Alliance, “when it comes to data management and equipment sharing and stuff like that it’s been really, really helpful to have that umbrella organization.”
Elevating Community-Based Water Monitoring in Canada: A National Discussion
On November 27-28, a national discussion focused on identifying potential government supports for community-based water monitoring (CBWM) initiatives took place in Ottawa. More than 60 attendees, from across Canada, took part.