Posted: August 25, 2023
Water Quality Adventures in 2023!
Libby Lacroix, Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Water Quality Assistant for the summer of 2023, recounts some of the highlights of her summer of testing water quality around the Ottawa River watershed!
Having lived in Ottawa my whole life, I spent much of my summers near the Ottawa River and its tributaries. Whether swimming at my local beach Mooney’s Bay, paddling at summer camps at the Rideau Canoe Club, biking along the canal or going camping at Bon Echo, I was always connected to the Ottawa River watershed. So growing up spending time near the water and being an environmental science student at the University of Ottawa, I can’t think of a better job than being the Water Quality Assistant for Ottawa Riverkeeper!
When people ask what I do as a Water Quality Assistant, I tell them I test the water for E. coli. They often then think that the water is dirty and full of E. coli, but in reality, the Ottawa River is a body of water that is constantly flowing and a beach that is unsafe one day can be safe to swim the next day. More often than not, the river is very much safe to swim in!
It’s very easy to find new places to swim and enjoy the watershed, and water quality results can be found on a free website and app called the Swim Guide. Swim Guide is an easy all-in-one place to find information on local beaches and get the latest water quality information.
After I collect, incubate and analyze samples, I upload the results to the Swim Guide for all 11 of the beaches I test regularly. Additionally, using municipalities’ water quality results, I regularly update the Swim Guide pages for over 300 beaches across Ontario and Quebec.
While working at Ottawa Riverkeeper I also get to act as an outreach and spokesperson for the river. As I go up and down the river testing, I get the chance to meet lots of new people. From speaking to locals at Parc Moussette on St Jean Baptiste day, to meeting golfers at the Whitewater Brewing Charity Golf tournament or explaining to kids why I’m wearing waders, I get to share my love of the river and the need to protect this wonderful ecosystem. My days are constantly changing, I never know who I will meet, if I will get rained on, or how many deer I will see while driving that day!
On a personal level, being the Water Quality Assistant has given me the opportunity to explore the Ottawa River and shown me so many beautiful beaches that I didn’t even know existed. I went to the beach at Norway Bay for the first time this summer and just loved the view and feeling of Norway Bay’s community. I also discovered the beach at Lac Beauchamps in Gatineau, where we test weekly. It has a great cottage-like vibe and many SUP and canoe rentals. Another sampling spot that quickly became one of my favourites is the new swimming area at River House. There hasn’t been a time when I went out to take samples that someone didn’t ask me water quality related questions. Seeing people of all ages swimming, relaxing and enjoying a scoop of gelato never gets old!
It’s great to finish my summer job knowing that my contributions to Ottawa Riverkeeper work towards our goal of a swimmable, fishable and drinkable river today and for many years to come.
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