Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek, and Hewitt's Creek Subwatershed Plan

The Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek and Hewitt’s Creek Subwatershed Plan
3.2.2.1.
Temperature Collection
The MNR/DFO protocol (“A Simple Method to Determine the Thermal Stability of Southern
Ontario Trout Streams” (Stoneman, C.L. and M.L. Jones 1996), Figure 5-1 in Chapter 5 -
Aquatic Natural Heritage) suggests that trout streams are considered to be coldwater if they
have an average maximum summer temperature of approximately 14°C. Cool water sites are
considered to have average maximum summer temperatures of 18°C. Warm water sites have
an average maximum daily water temperature of 23°C.
To monitor these temperatures, electronic data loggers are installed throughout the Lake
Simcoe watershed during the hot summer months. They are installed in late May/early June and
then retrieved in late September/early October each year. The loggers are used to monitor the
daily fluctuations in water temperature of the watercourse over the summer. They are set to take
a temperature reading every hour for the entire study period. Periodic checking of the loggers
throughout the summer is necessary for quality control purposes. Once the loggers are retrieved
in early fall from the various stream locations, the data is downloaded and then compared to the
air temperature data over the same period of time. Using an Excel spreadsheet, the maximum,
minimum, and mean temperatures for each day are graphed. There is some emphasis placed
on the daily high temperatures and average maximum temperatures specifically in cold water
stream conditions. The streams can then be classified as cold, cool or warm (see Chapter 5 -
Aquatic Natural Heritage, for figure displaying temperature of creeks). Daily minimum stream
temperatures are used to observe stream recovery from periods of extended warming and the
influence of groundwater/baseflow in the individual system.
The LSRCA has been collecting temperature data for approximately five years in Barrie Creeks
and seven years in Lovers and Hewitt’s Creeks (Note: data has been collected to characterize
the watercourses, so for some sites this means data has only been collected once, while others
that are being monitored for long term trends are collected every year). While this has been
sufficient for increasing our understanding of where coldwater systems are found in the
subwatershed, it is difficult at this point to see any trends or patterns in the data for most sites.
There are factors influencing water temperature in addition to upstream and surrounding land
use, including air temperature and the amount of precipitation, which make it difficult to analyze
trends in water temperature.
3.2.2.2. Beach Monitoring
Public beaches in the City of Barrie and Town of Innisfil are monitored every year, from June
until the end of August, to ensure that the water is safe for swimmers (in terms of bacteria).
Typically, a there is a minimum of five sampling sites at each beach that are spread out to be
representative of the whole beach area. Samples are normally taken once a week, but
additional samples will be taken under certain
conditions. Samples are sent to the Provincial
Laboratory and analyzed for E. coli bacteria (key
indicator of fecal pollution). Other parameters are
not tested for unless deemed necessary. Additional
data that is recorded at the time of sampling
includes weather conditions, whether there was rain
in the previous two days, wind direction, degree of
wave action, number of bathers, number of water
fowl and/or animals in the area, and clarity of the
water (Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit, 2011).
Chapter 3: Water Quality – Surface and Groundwater 80