Fort Erie Creeks Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula Conservation ...

A review of the NPCA water quality grab samples was conduced and several observations can be
made regarding the data:
Black Creek
• Consistently high E. coli readings in the Black Creek at Station BL001, peaking with the
January 2006 reading of 2908 CFU/100 ml, higher than the Provincial Water Quality
Objective of 100 CFU/100 ml (MOE 1999).
• High E. coli readings (100-200 CFU/100 ml) at Station BL003, over the PWQO of 100
CFU/100 ml in four samples out of 20 (20%).
• Consistently elevated Total Phosphorous (TP) levels (over 10 x the Provincial Water
Quality Objective, or PWQO of 0.03 mg/l) at Station BL001 and BL003.
• Zinc concentrations meeting or exceeding the PWQO of 0.020 mg/l were taken at BL001
four times over the sampling duration (2003-2007), and four times at BL003.
• Stations BL001 and BL003 routinely recorded Iron concentrations above the PQO of
0.3 mg/l.
Frenchmans Creek
• Extremely high E. coli readings (>1000) at Frenchman’s Creek in summer 2006 (June,
July, August) at Station FR001 and FR003, over the PWQO of 100 CFU/100 ml.
• Consistently elevated Total Phosphorous (TP) levels (over 10 x the Provincial Water
Quality Objective, or PWQO of 0.03 mg/l) at Station FR001 and FR003.
• In addition to the routine exceedences of the PWQO for Total Phosphorus, there were
notably high readings at Station FR003 in June, July, and September 2003 (0.42, 0.23,
and 0.31 mg/l respectively). This magnitude of concentration was not subsequently
recorded in the 2004-2007 readings.
• Zinc concentrations meeting or exceeding the PWQO of 0.020 mg/l were taken at FR001
seventeen times over the sampling duration (2003-2007).
• The highest zinc concentrations were recorded in July and August 2006 at FR003,
reaching 0.061 mg/l or 3 times the PWQO of 0.020 mg/l.
• Stations FR001 and FR003 routinely recorded Iron concentrations above the PWQO of
0.3 mg/l
• Station FR001 recorded Boron concentrations exceeding the PWQO level of 0.2 mg/l
June to September 2003, and again from June to August 2006.
March 2008 86 Fort Erie Creeks Watershed Plan
General Report (105116)