Combating Water Insecurity in Saskatchewan with Real-Time Data
The prairies of Saskatchewan can be described as one of the least water-secure parts of Canada, making water quality monitoring essential for informed resource management in a region already facing water insecurity.
By Samantha Baxter / Fondriest Environmental, Inc.The following is from an article written by Samantha Baxter in the Environmental Monitor (Fondriest Environmental, Inc.). Click here to read the full article on the original website.
The prairies of Saskatchewan can be described as one of the least water-secure parts of Canada, making water quality monitoring essential for informed resource management in a region already facing water insecurity. While natural physical properties worsen some of the poor water quality conditions in the region, others are connected to land use.
Having grown up spending summers on the shores of Lake Huron, Helen Baulch, an associate professor at the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan, has always been dedicated to the protection of water resources.
Looking back fondly at her childhood playing along the shore, Baulch also recalls the invasion of quagga mussels during her teenage years and watching the lake change as a result. Baulch focused on ecological studies and limnology, where she gained experience working with lakes.
"I was really lucky to have a lot of exposure to limnology as a discipline early on,” explains Baulch. Now a professor working on water quality, she notes, “The technology we use and research we do, is immediately used and usable, which is a rare gift for a researcher."