Description
The purpose of this report was to provide both a general summary of water quality conditions in the Oldman River and to subject the extensive long-term dataset to a thorough series of trend assessments. Although monitoring on the Oldman River has frequently addressed a host of trace organic contaminants, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and numerous other compounds, most of these data are insufficient for statistical evaluation of trends. Hence, analysed data are largely restricted to conventional water quality variables, including such things as ions, nutrients, bacteria, and metals. Results of trend assessment on these data suggest that a number of variables have undergone significant changes over the years. Despite ongoing expansion of livestock operations, irrigation activities, and human population in the Oldman River basin, all but one significant trend detected at the two sites after 1987 are decreasing and largely indicative of improving water quality. Significant downward trends at the Highway 3 site include those for total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus, fecal coliform bacteria, and dissolved fractions of iron and selenium. Similar reductions in non-filterable residue, dissolved Kjeldahl nitrogen, total ammonia nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus, and reactive silica at the Highway 36 site may be related to upgrades at the Lethbridge Wastewater Treatment Plant as well as regulated flows provided by the Oldman River Dam. Aside from a downward tendency in water temperature at both sampling locations and an upward trend in nitrate and nitrite nitrogen at the Highway 3 site, none of the other analysed variables demonstrated significant long-term trends.
Updated
July 1, 2007
Tags
Title and publication information
Type
Extent
178 pages
Frequency
Once
Publisher / Creator Information
Creator
Publisher
Environment (1971-1992, 1999-2011)
Contributor
Place of Publication
Subject Information
Topic
Spatial Coverage
Subject (LCSH)
Subject (LCSH)
Subject (LCSH)
Resource Dates
Date Created
2007-07-01
Date Added
2015-08-24T17:04:51.995431
Date Modified
2007-07-01
Date Issued
2007-07-01
Audience information
Language
Identifiers
ISBN (pdf)
9780778554691
ISBN (print)
9780778554684
NEOS catalogue key
3977477
Local Identifier
W0701
Usage / Licence
Contact
Contact Name
Environment and Parks