Groundwater Sampling is Underway with the Addition of Pesticides Sampling

October and November are very busy months for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff who are out sampling groundwater throughout the watershed. This fall, 22 of the 28 Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network (PGMN) wells are being sampled. PGMN was developed in 2001 in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). The program was designed to collect ambient groundwater quality and quantity data. PGMN monitors low water conditions and site and aquifer specific groundwater quality. All wells in the PGMN have data loggers installed in them collecting water level and temperature every hour. Long-term groundwater quality and quantity data are available to download publicly on the provincial website.    

This year, the National Water Monitoring Program for Pesticides (NWMPP) has collaborated with MECP’s PGMN to identify suitable wells to collect pesticide samples from groundwater given their proximity/interaction with surface water. Five PGMN wells from the Upper Thames watershed are being sampled for pesticides during the routine fall PGMN sampling. Samples will be analyzed for a suite of over 200 pesticides that are currently registered in Canada. This data will then be shared with PGMN and other partners.   

Links for more information:  

• Watershed Report Card 2022 
• Water monitoring pilot program – Canada.ca 
• National Water Monitoring Program for Pesticides (NWMPP) Data – Environment and Climate Change Canada Data 
• Water Monitoring for Pesticides: Dashboard – Canada.ca 
• Map of Groundwater Monitoring Sites used for Watershed Report Card 2022 
• Map of Other Groundwater Information used for Watershed Report Card 2022 

Contact: Kaela Orton, Monitoring Technician