St. Lawrence River: monitoring water quality  

There are currently ten water quality sampling sites being operated in Quebec. They serve to assess the level of water contamination by registering seasonal and interannual fluctuations as well as long-term trends in contaminant concentrations. This program of freshwater quality monitoning contributes new data for water indicators of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators report wich is published annually by the federal government.

Sites information

Carillon

• Starting date: 2004
• Water sampling at the mouth of the Ottawa River, monthly (twice monthly from mid-April to mid-May)
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chrorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, metals, mercury

Lavaltrie

• Starting date: 2006
• Water sampling of the brown waters of the Ottawa River, downstream from the urban centres of Montréal and Laval, monthly
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, metals, mercury, PBDEs

Richelieu

• Starting date: 2006
• Water sampling at the mouth of Richelieu River, monthly
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, metals, mercury

Yamaska

• Starting date: 2004
• Water sampling of the mouth of the Yamaska River, monthly/week from late May to late August
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, organophosphorus and aryloxyacid pesticides

Saint-François

• Starting date: 2004
• Water sampling of the mouth of Saint-François River, once a week from late May to late August
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, organophosphorus and aryloxyacid pesticides

Nicolet

• Starting date: 2004
• Water sampling of the mouth of Nicolet River,  weekly from late May to late August
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, organophosphorus and aryloxyacid pesticides

Saint-Maurice

• Starting date: 2006
• Water sampling of the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River, monthly
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, metals, mercury

Bécancour

• Starting date: 2006
• Water sampling of the water masses from south shore tributaries and the Great Lakes, monthly
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, carbon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, metals, mercury

Lévis

• Starting date: 1995
• Water sampling of the mixing of various water masses, twice monthly; monthly in fall and winter
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, temperature, chlorophyll, cargon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, metals mercury, PBDEs, organophosphorus pesticides

La Mauricie National Park

• Starting date: 2008
• Water sampling of the La Pêche River, monthly
• Parameters analyzed: suspended particulate matter, turbidity, conductivity, temperature, chlorophyll, cargon-nitrogen-sulphur group, nutrients, metals, mercury

For more information

• Water quality of the fluvial section : contamination by toxic substances
• Water quality of the Richelieu and Yamaska rivers
• Phosphorus at the Mouths of Lake Saint-Pierre Tributaries
• Drug cocktail in the St. Lawrence River offers no relief to aquatic organisms
• Pesticides are Entering the St. Lawrence River through Its Tributaries
• Tracking Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE): New Chemical Contaminants in the Environment