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Water quality of the North Saskatchewan River and its four tributaries in Alberta's Industrial Heartland
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- Author(s) / Creator(s)
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Monitoring the quality of the water in the North Saskatchewan River and its tributaries is critical to ensure compliance with provincial and federal guidelines related to water quality; for the benefit of humans, other animals and the ecosystems surrounding these areas. The human population and urban development is escalating at an unprecedented rate, creating tremendous stress on local and regional water quality within Alberta's Industrial Heartland. Twenty-three different parameters were studied from Wedgewood Creek, Horsehills Creek, Sturgeon River and Redwater River, as well as, upstream and downstream in the North Saskatchewan River at each location in the spring and summer of 2014. These samples were collected to investigate seasonal changes, differences between the tributary and the North Saskatchewan River water quality, differences between upstream and downstream water quality in the North Saskatchewan River, and differences between the types of tributaries studied. Comparisons showed that: 1) North Saskatchewan River water quality variables upstream of Horsehills Creek were the most diverse between seasons; 2) the water quality variables at Wedgewood Creek and North Saskatchewan River downstream of the tributary were the most different; 3) North Saskatchewan River water quality variables upstream and downstream of Horsehills Creek were the most varied; 4) Conductivity at Horsehills Creek and Wedgewood Creek was the most significantly different compared to the other water quality variables. By following the guidelines and regulations provided by the government, individuals can help protect the quality of the limited water resource for future generations to come.
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- Date created
- 2015-02-04
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Type of Item
- Research Material