Water Monitoring

(this site is at a very preliminary stage)

Property owners become water monitors

The shoreline littoral zone

The quiet zone by the river we all enjoy is the richest natural environment that most of us will ever come into contact with. This waterfront area is crucial to the river's health, providing oxygen, food, cover and a barrier to contaminants, as well as a living retaining wall for the shoreline. The natural shoreline has four components:

1. The littoral zone is the area from the water’s edge to roughly where sunlight no longer penetrates to the lake bottom;

2. the shoreline is the place where land and water meet;

3. the riparian zone is the section of land closest to the shoreline; and

4. the upland zone is the higher, drier ground found beyond the riparian area.

Altering any portion of this region affects the whole, diminishing its ability to support life on the river.

As much as 90 percent of the species in the river either pass through or live in the littoral zone. The water in front of the shoreline provides spawning areas, cover, nursery habitat and food for a range of species, offering foraging areas and hiding spots and a shallow, relatively protected area for young fish and amphibians to grow. Aquatic plants and downed trees are a crucial part of the system, with the plants acting as the lungs of the lake, converting sunlight into food and releasing oxygen in the process, and providing food and shelter for other creatures. Once submerged, wood becomes a major source of food for aquatic insects, crayfish, and small fish, its surface covered with tiny plants and invertebrates. Downed trees and woody debris also act as hiding spots for small fish and their predators, and are good spawning zones for some fish species.

Instead of working against nature, why not declare a truce and weave your property needs into the natural shoreline? By maintaining all four components of your shoreline in as natural a state as possible, you will be protecting your quiet spot by the river for enjoyment into the future.

Reference

Shoreline primer, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada