Ottawa Riverkeeper ensures healthy local beaches
Deborah Powell
A couple days a week Gabrielle Camp-Lageuex, Water Quality Assistant for Ottawa Riverkeeper (OR), leaves the city to collect samples as part of OR’s recreational water quality monitoring program; it monitors E. Coli levels in water at local beaches to promote public safety and issue swimming advisories when necessary.
“My favourite part about this job is spending my days evenly balanced between field and lab work in a way that makes a difference to the public. Providing information necessary for public health is what makes this position so meaningful,” said Gabrielle Camp-Lagueux.
Every Thursday during the summer, Camp-Lagueux gathers samples in Burnstown before crossing the river to repeat the process in Sand Bay in Clarendon and Norway Bay in Bristol. Five evenly-spaced, 1 m deep samples of about 100 mL are taken at each location and then transported in a cooler back to the OR lab at River House where the E. Coli analysis is done.
E. coli is a type of coliform bacteria; certain strains are a direct health risk to humans and the presence of E. coli may suggest the presence of other harmful pathogens.
The results of the water quality testing are compared to pre-established safety standards following Health Canada guidelines and beaches are given a pass or fail, available on The Swim Guide app.
“I love exploring new beaches and visiting areas I’ve never been. It’s wonderful to be able to deepen my appreciation of the Ottawa River watershed. It’s really helped me understand my passion for the water and know that continuing to work with freshwater is what I want to do with my future,” said Camp-Lageux, who’s in her final year in Environmental Science at Ottawa University in the fall.
More details on OR’s recreational water quality monitoring program can be found at
Behind the Scenes: Water Quality Monitoring at Ottawa Riverkeeper!
Both Sand Bay and Norway Bay received passing marks for water quality this year despite heavy rainfall events when storm water runoff may lead to contamination.
Photo – Gabrielle Camp-Lageuex collects a water sample from the Ottawa River at Norway Bay. (DP)
