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A team of ten experts will be making a 900-kilometre trek down the Ottawa River to document the effects and sources of pollution on one of Canada’s most significant waterways.
Having pushed off on July 4 from Fort Temiscamingue, Que., Ottawa Riverkeepers member Meredith Brown is leading a team of scientists, canoe experts and historians on the Great River Project which will study the state of the river. The study will conclude this fall in Montreal.
“Having an in-depth understanding of the current health of the river will help us take action to prevent continued degradation and enforce the protective regulations that are otherwise being overlooked,” Brown said.
Although studies have been done along the river in sections, there has never been a river-long study similar to the one being conducted by Brown’s team.
“We recognize that protecting our local waterways is a community responsibility,” she said. “We can’t rely on government agencies to do the work – if we want swimmable, drinkable and fishable water, it’s up to all of us.”
The trip has been divided into five separate trips, which will focus on different aspects including culture, recreation, Chalk River nuclear laboratories and sewage treatment plants.
Natasha Wilson, executive director of the Ottawa Riverkeepers, an organization that focuses on maintaining safe and pollution free waterways in Ottawa, said this journey is one Brown has wanted to do since she joined organization.
“This project has always been part of Meredith’s (Brown) vision of creating safe waterways,” Wilson said.
Planning for the massive project involved 18 months of planning, including the careful selection of personnel.
The core team consists of Brown, photojournalist Mike Beedell and Max Finkelstein, an author and explorer, along with a fisheries biologist and several outdoor educators.
They will be conducting their studies with state-of-the-art water quality monitoring equipment with photo and video capabilities. The team will be collecting real-time water quality samples, using this information to determine the true health of the water.
Wilson said the main goal is to gain community interest in the river and make residents who love and use the water more aware of keeping the watershed in excellent condition.
The teams for each leg of the trip will change slightly, and will include a team of 10 students who will travel with the expedition team from Des Joachims to Portage-du-Fort, Que. from Aug. 13 to the 20th. This leg of the trip hopes to inspire youth to maintain vigilant at keeping the river clean in the years to come and was organized in partnership with Canadian Canoe Foundation.
A typical day for the team involves six to eight hours of paddling or 25 km starting at around 8:00 a.m. They will be camping in parks along the way and Wilson said the team has all their equipment and food needed for the three month long trip.