Parameters

There are two significant groundwater monitoring programs within the Lake Simcoe watershed, only one of which has a groundwater quality component. The Regional Municipality of York monitors groundwater level in an extensive network of monitoring wells including several in the Lake Simcoe watershed, but does not sample for groundwater quality. In co-operation with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment under the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network program, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority has established a network of several monitors across the watershed that will be sampled for water quality in addition to monitoring water level.

The sampling component of the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network was initiated in the Lake Simcoe watershed in 2002. The initial samples taken were analyzed for a wider range of parameters than is envisioned for long-term monitoring to establish the parameters of concern. This initial suite of analyses includes: metals; volatile organic compounds; pesticide compounds; phenols; and a general chemistry package including analytes such as dissolved solids, major ions, conductivity, nitrite, nitrate, hardness etc.

Parameters
Sampling Methodologies
Sampling Locations and Data Download