The NWT Community-Based Water Quality Monitoring (CBM) program, launched in 2012 as part of the Northern Voices, Northern Waters Water Stewardship Strategy, aims to involve communities in water monitoring and ensure results are meaningful to them. It promotes water stewardship and informed decision-making.
For over a decade, community members have partnered with the GNWT’s Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) to monitor water quality across the NWT. Long-term monitoring helps track water quality trends and detect changes over time.
Communities choose monitoring sites and carry out sampling with support and training from ECC. Currently, 36 sites are monitored, including river, tributary, and lake locations. Sampling varies yearly based on priorities and conditions.
The CBM program monitors over 90 parameters such as metals, nutrients, bacteria, and temperature using various methods. Results are compared to national water quality guidelines, although only 28 parameters have such benchmarks. Naturally occurring metals like aluminum and mercury often exceed these guidelines but are typically bound to particles and not bioavailable.
The 10-year review (2012–2021) compared to a previous 5-year review highlighted the importance of long-term data. Trends such as rising aluminum and lithium seen earlier were no longer present, while increases in sulphate, chloride, and dissolved lithium were noted in the Slave River—likely due to natural geology and low water levels. Decreases in dissolved organic carbon were observed in major rivers, possibly linked to environmental and seasonal changes.
No evidence was found that human activity is affecting water quality in the NWT section of the Mackenzie River basin. Natural factors like geography, permafrost thaw, and watershed geology were the main influences.
For localized issues like spills or landfills, targeted studies are more appropriate than broad monitoring. Overall, the CBM program has proven effective, producing reliable data through the collaboration of GNWT staff and community members.