Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 Rivière Gatineau Commentaires sur les résultats du programme de suivi de la qualité des eaux par les Amis de la Rivière Gatineau Gatineau River Comments on the results of the water quality monitoring by the Friends of the Gatineau River Antoine Morin Université dOttawa Photo by: MARSHALL – MARUSKA AERIAL IMAGES, CHELSEA QC

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 Monitoring program Mostly based on grab samples for fecal coliforms fecal coliforms are bacteria normally found in the gut of warm blooded animals –humans, dogs, cows, deers, gulls, racoons, etc. typically not pathogenic used as a tracer of fecal contamination, indicate possibility that pathogens would be present

Sampling stations

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 Water Quality Fecal Coliforms (col/100ml) Advisory Excellent0-20All recreational uses permitted Good21-100All recreational uses permitted Mediocre All recreational uses permitted Poor200 +Swimming, direct contact with water to be avoided Very Poor1000+All recreational uses to be avoided Recreational water quality rating Le ministère du Développement durable, de lEnvironnement et des Parcs

All stations, all years

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 E. coli at Brittania, Summer 1997

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 GR_010 GR_020 GR_021 GR_022 GR_030 GR_040 GR_050 GR_060 GR_061 GR_062 GR_070 GR_071 GR_080 GR_090 GR_100 GR_110 GR_111 GR_130 GR_131 GR_140 GR_150 GR_151 GR_160 GR_170 GR_171 GR_172 GR_173 GR_174 GR_175 GR_180 GR_190 Site Fecal coliform (col/100ml) Gatineau Creeks TYPE Creeks vs River, all years Burnside La Pêche Meech Romaniuk Blackburn Hellard Le grand gulley (Cantley)

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 Temporal evolution

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 Romaniuk

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 Other measured parameters Nutrients (P and N) below levels of concern in the River. Nutrients higher in streams, approaching undesirable levels Dissolved oxygen in the river always above anoxia.

Antoine Morin Département de biologie, Université dOttawa :55 Summary Fecal contamination is low in the Gatineau River Affluents of the river are more contaminated Situation is stable Single measurements of fecal contamination are almost useless Long term monitoring is key More sophisticated methods (ribotyping) can sometimes be used to distinguish sources of fecal coliform