Water Quality Monitoring
Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network
The Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network (PGMN) is a partnership program between the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and conservation authorities. This network was started in 2001 following some serious drought conditions and now includes under 500 monitoring locations across the province. The wells are used to monitor water quantity and quality data from key aquifers. The data and information collected will help to understand and predict long-term trends in groundwater conditions. Collecting this information will also help us monitor trends related to climate change. Conservation Sudbury maintains six PGMN wells across our watersheds.
Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network
The Provincial (Stream) Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN) collects information about the quality of stream/river water from over 400 locations across Ontario.
Most of the 36 Conservation Authorities across Ontario participate in this program in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Monitoring surface water quality trends helps to identify the impacts of land-use activities on water quality and enables decision-making agencies to effectively manage and protect our water resources. This type of monitoring helps measure the effectiveness of programs and policies that are designed to preserve and restore the health of our water. Conservation Sudbury currently monitors ten locations throughout our jurisdiction. Water samples taken from each monitoring location are tested for a consistent set of water quality parameters including chloride, phosphorus, nitrogen, metals, and many others.