An open-source database now makes critical water data readily available for water stewardship groups and decision-makers in the Upper (Canadian side) Columbia Basin!

A new online platform will help close the gap between data and decision-making. 

Lake Winnipeg DataStream is an open-access, online portal for water-quality data. Led nationally by The Gordon Foundation, Lake Winnipeg DataStream launched in collaboration with LWF on March 20, 2019. Lake Winnipeg’s portal is the third in the national DataStream network, pioneered in the Mackenzie River watershed by The Gordon Foundation and the government of the Northwest Territories in 2016. 

Advancing LWF’s core commitment to open and accessible information, Lake Winnipeg DataStream offers a platform to support strategic collaboration and innovative approaches to water policy and management.

Data sets now accessible online include phosphorus data collected by the Lake Winnipeg Community-Based Monitoring Network, long-term ecological reference data from IISD Experimental Lakes Area, and water-monitoring data from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Manitoba Sustainable Development. Provincial data contributions represent an important step in fulfilling a commitment, made at LWF’s request in 2018, to share provincial data online annually.

In today’s rapidly changing environment, no one agency or organization has the capacity to do it all. Combining data from government, industry and citizen sources gives us a clearer understanding of our freshwater resources, to support evidence-based decision-making. 

Explore more online at lakewinnipegdatastream.ca

*posted with permission from Lake Winnipeg Foundation

The uptake of Atlantic DataStream has been tremendous with 40 environmental non profits, provincial and federal governments coming on board to share their water quality data since the open access database went live in June 2018. However this wasn’t always the case. Following the kick off event, we had just under 30 monitoring groups online and still many others who were eager to share their water quality datasets. So many that it was clear that additional support was needed to get this valuable information online. 

Atlantic Water Network works with several organizations throughout the Atlantic region, many of whom had decades worth of data, but this information was not always available in accessible formats. Even with today’s technology, we hear stories of groups who have years of valuable information that is only found in paper copies, and in some cases, stored away in filing cabinets or even shoe boxes! Atlantic DataStream now makes sharing data even easier than before, with a standardized format aligned with the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency’s WQX format and safely stored incorporating Blockchain technology.

From literal shoeboxes to digitized formats, groups like St. Croix International Waterway Commission are working towards getting their water quality dataset of 15 years in one central location. With the heavy lifting of digitizing their data complete, they can be assured that this invaluable dataset is securely stored and accessible for decision makers to use in policy-making and design.

In addition to support from OLW, uptake of Atlantic DataStream was also made possible through project funding from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund and Canadian Internet Registry Authority. The NB ETF  funded our Project, “New Brunswick Historical Water Quality Data Acquisition: Historic Data Informing Future Decision Making”, with the goal of building capacity among New Brunswick watershed groups to format and upload their data to Atlantic DataStream. AWN staff trained and supported NB watershed groups as they formatted and uploaded decades worth of water quality data. This was a unique approach in that we provided both financial support and staff time to get as much New Brunswick water quality data online as possible.

Funding from CIRA supported our Water to Web workshop series that addressed Data Management of water quality data. Data management plays a key role in organizing, sharing and communicating the results of monitoring programs, but is often left until the last minute or skipped entirely. The Water to Web workshops to highlight data management and help groups integrate it into their program planning.  

Even though the growth in water quality data has grown tremendously (there is nearly three times the amount of data on Atlantic DataStream compared to June 2019), there is still a lot more data that could be made accessible by uploading it to the online platform.  AWN is committed to working with data holders from all sectors to make their water quality data available on Atlantic DataStream.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This global agenda aims to catalyze actions necessary for humans to live sustainably with each other and the planet by focusing on a variety of thematic areas including people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. To inspire action, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been developed and specific targets and indicators have been created under each goal to measure progress.

While reaching the SDGs is going to take many organizations all across the world, for each individual organization, it means understanding the important part we play in the larger picture. 

The work of the Our Living Waters Network - and the OLW shared measurement system, which drives many of the collaborative actions we take - is well aligned with many of the SDGs. In particular SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, but also with specific targets and indicators within SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 14: Life Below Water, SDG 15: Life on Land, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

We know many organizations, from governments to non-profit organizations, funders to businesses, are actively determining how to achieve the SDGs, and as a member of the OLW Network, we invite you to explore our handy guide: Our Living Waters and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which demonstrates how the OLW shared measurement system, and much of the work that you do, helps achieve these SDGs. We hope you will find this guide useful if you are looking to demonstrate how your activities contribute to the SDGs.

Taking a step back, the guide also shows how the OLW shared measurement system provides an excellent roadmap on how to achieve many parts of the SDGs, especially SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, within the Canadian context, allowing us all to play our important part in the larger picture.

In 2018, we were excited to launch our second round of grants under the Our Living Waters 2030 Fund. In total $97,000 were distributed to Our Living Waters member groups to collaboratively advance progress on at least one of our 24 impact measures. Priorities for the fund were established directly by our members through an annual survey which helps us align member focus across our impact measures given limited funding dollars. (Not an OLW Network member yet? Sign up here).

It’s amazing what a little bit can do! With these funds, Our Living Waters Network members are now working towards the following inspiring outcomes:

• Positioning fresh water as a priority issue in the lead up to the federal election;
• Working toward renewal of the Canada Water Act with Indigenous and non-indigenous partners;
• Advancing the launch of data hubs in the Columbia, Atlantic and Lake Winnipeg regions;
• Providing tools and support for communities to address sewage problems in their watershed;
• Working with 18 communities across Canada to advance adoption of transformative green infrastructure programs;
• Supporting indigenous representation at the 2018 Living Waters Rally; and
• Helping support 75 water leaders attend a national community based monitoring round-table in Ottawa to advance federal support for citizen science initiatives.

Want to read about the fantastic accomplishments Network members have already made with 2017 grants from the OLW 2030 Fund? Check out these impact stories and be ready to be inspired!

Elevating Community Based Monitoring in Canada: a national discussion

Water Knowledge is Power: supporting community based monitoring in Kaska Dene Territory

One Trillion Reasons to Tackle Combined Sewer Overflows

Communities Advancing Action Plans for Green Infrastructure

Atlantic Canada to Get New Open-Access Data Hub

These stories all highlight that together we can make a difference. Thank you to all members of the freshwater community for doing what you do!