Boundary Bay Ambient Monitoring Program - Water Quality Monitoring Results
Presentation Abstract
The Metro Vancouver region’s Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management Plan (ILWRMP) includes a regulatory requirement to conduct ambient monitoring programs to assess, forecast and evaluate the effects of wastewater and stormwater discharges to ambient environments. Ambient monitoring entails measuring conditions in the immediate environment surrounding, but not directly affected by discharges. The Boundary Bay Ambient Monitoring Program was initiated in 2009, in partnership with the municipalities of Surrey, Delta and White Rock. This program is currently continuing as a partnership between the City of Surrey and Metro Vancouver. The City of Surrey conducts the monitoring of the upland fresh water conditions in tributaries and rivers that discharge into the bay, and Metro Vancouver conducts the monitoring of the marine water in the bay. Monitoring is conducted annually in both dry weather and wet weather conditions. The objectives of the program are to: provide baseline environmental quality data, characterize changes in water quality parameters, evaluate temporal and spatial trends within the monitoring area, identify changes in parameters that might indicate environmental changes, and act as a measure of performance for Metro Vancouver’s ILWRMP.
This presentation provides an overview of the water quality monitoring results of the program.
Monitoring and assessment was targeted to parameters that are potential indicators of stormwater discharges. Results are compared to site specific objectives and applicable environmental quality guidelines. Additionally, a Water Quality Index rating based on the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment WQI tool was calculated for separate tributaries and rivers and also for Boundary Bay as a whole.
Session Title
Trans-boundary monitoring in the marine evironment: Challenges and opportunities
Conference Track
Fate and Effects of Pollutants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Water quality management--Environmental aspects--British Columbia--Vancouver; Water quality--British Columbia--Vancouver
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Vancouver (B.C.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Boundary Bay Ambient Monitoring Program - Water Quality Monitoring Results
2016SSEC
The Metro Vancouver region’s Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management Plan (ILWRMP) includes a regulatory requirement to conduct ambient monitoring programs to assess, forecast and evaluate the effects of wastewater and stormwater discharges to ambient environments. Ambient monitoring entails measuring conditions in the immediate environment surrounding, but not directly affected by discharges. The Boundary Bay Ambient Monitoring Program was initiated in 2009, in partnership with the municipalities of Surrey, Delta and White Rock. This program is currently continuing as a partnership between the City of Surrey and Metro Vancouver. The City of Surrey conducts the monitoring of the upland fresh water conditions in tributaries and rivers that discharge into the bay, and Metro Vancouver conducts the monitoring of the marine water in the bay. Monitoring is conducted annually in both dry weather and wet weather conditions. The objectives of the program are to: provide baseline environmental quality data, characterize changes in water quality parameters, evaluate temporal and spatial trends within the monitoring area, identify changes in parameters that might indicate environmental changes, and act as a measure of performance for Metro Vancouver’s ILWRMP.
This presentation provides an overview of the water quality monitoring results of the program.
Monitoring and assessment was targeted to parameters that are potential indicators of stormwater discharges. Results are compared to site specific objectives and applicable environmental quality guidelines. Additionally, a Water Quality Index rating based on the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment WQI tool was calculated for separate tributaries and rivers and also for Boundary Bay as a whole.
