water monitoring hub
"My favorite part of the trip was learning how to test for e.coli in the water and playing games in the rec room like pool, volleyball and card games."
- anonymous camper
"I learned how to take water samples, and learned how it is tested."
- anonymous camper
We take young people into the field and teach them to take water samples and scientifically analyze them in the lab, so they understand healthy water is essential for a healthy ecosystem. We want to give youth the confidence to interpret the data they collect and determine whether the water meets the province’s water quality standards for recreational use. We want to encourage them to be lifelong water stewards, long after they leave the camp.
There are three components to the Onakawana Water Monitoring Hub:
1. It is a place where people swim, boat and fish, but is not currently monitored for water quality.
2. It is a place important to and used by the community.
3. It may be vulnerable to pollution.
The Onakawana Education Fund is a swim guide affiliate, together with more than 8,000 beaches across four continents, providing sampling and analysis, and in our case, from a uniquely Indigenous point of view.
HERE'S HOW TO HELP! FEED GASSY WITH YOUR PHOTOS:
1. Take a photo.
2. Submit a photo online.
3. Become a citizen scientist.
You are the eyes and ears of your local waterways. That’s why we created a new photo submission tool for you. We call her Gassy. She digests all the photos you feed her.
Together, we can track what’s in your waters.
Photos capture important water health data. Submitting your photos helps build a database of images. Gassy uses AI to track patterns in those photos. For example, the presence of trash or sewage pollution. Do you see something else on the water? Taking photos of wildlife, people, and anything else you see is important too. Submit one photo. Or submit many. You are now a citizen scientist.
Include your email address with your photo submission, and we will reach out with more information about how you can help your local waterways. Thank you for joining the Swim Drink Fish movement.
