Increased use of the Ghost-Waiparous basin for random camping and off-highway vehicles (OHVs) has raised concerns among stakeholders that these activities are affecting water quality in the Ghost,...
Description
Increased use of the Ghost-Waiparous basin for random camping and off-highway vehicles (OHVs) has raised concerns among stakeholders that these activities are affecting water quality in the Ghost, Waiparous and Fallentimber Rivers. In order to address these concerns, Alberta Environment has retained Clearwater Environmental Consultants Inc. to conduct a water quality study on the Ghost-Waiparous River Basin with the following goals: 1. To determine baseline water quality conditions in the Ghost Waiparous River Basin; 2. To determine the potential impacts of off-highway vehicle use and random camping in the Ghost River basin and other potentially affected basins (e.g., Fallen Timber Creek); 3. To determine whether there is a significant deterioration in downstream water quality in the Bow River related to OHV activities. Recognizing that a cause-and-effect linkage between OHV usage and water quality in the Ghost-Waiparous Basin is difficult to prove conclusively, this report takes a...