GRCA building new water gauge at York

[Spiel]

GRCA building new water gauge at York

 

 

January 20, 2010 / www.grandriver.ca

 

 

The Grand River Conservation Authority has started work on a new water monitoring gauge in York to provide better information on water flows and quality in the Southern Grand.

 

The new, automated station is being built on the riverbank just downstream from the York Bridge, which is located midway between Caledonia and Cayuga. It will replace a smaller, less sophisticated station on the side of the bridge. Construction and installation of equipment is expected to be complete in about a month. Total cost of the project is about $160,000 which is divided between the GRCA, which is paying two-thirds of the cost, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

 

The station will look like a small garden shed. It will house equipment that will automatically measure water levels and water quality information around the clock, every day of the year.

 

The information will be relayed back to the GRCA head office in Cambridge every minute. Flow information will be used to monitor water levels and issue flood warnings to riverside communities stretching from Six Nations to Port Maitland.

 

The equipment in the station will also measure several elements of water quality including temperature, oxygen content, pH levels and conductivity. That information can be used to spot rapid changes in water quality, such as those that might follow a spill.

 

The data is also used to develop understanding of long-term changes in water quality in the river, which helps the GRCA, municipalities and other agencies develop programs to protect water quality and aquatic life.

 

It will also provide information on the impact of the Grand River on Lake Erie. The GRCA has seven other similar stations throughout the watershed. Data from the stations is automatically posted to the GRCA website in the River Data section.

 

The location of the old station on the bridge posed safety issues for GRCA staff who found it difficult to access it for repairs during the winter when snow was piled along the sides of the bridge deck.

 

For information on the Flood Warning system see the Flood Warning System page.

 

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Further information: Dave Schultz, GRCA Manager of Communications

Phone: (519) 621-2763, Ext. 2273

Fax: (519) 621-4844

E-mail: [email protected]