WRMD - Water Resources Management Division

The Water Resources Management Division (WRMD) established the first near real time water quality (RTWQ) monitoring station on Leary’s Brook in St. John’s on November 5, 2001. This was implemented as a pilot station to test the feasibility of acquiring water quality information in a near real time mode.

Presently, this network consists of stations across Newfoundland and Labrador. The provincial network consists of stations that are base station and used for research. The federal-provincial network consists of stations that are a joint partnership between the WRMD and Environment Canada. The industry stations are joint partnerships between the WRMD, Environment Canada and industry.

The objective of this RTWQ monitoring network is to provide near real time water quality information for selected water bodies throughout the province. The continuous collection of water quality data can be used to monitor the health of aquatic ecosystems, establish trends and determine when specific events occurred. Essentially, this information is needed by the WRMD to implement its regulatory mandate. It will also be beneficial to the general public, environmental awareness groups, other government organizations, and the private sector.