Check Your Watershed Day - Bronte Creek
July 21st, 2007

What is "Check Your Watershed Day" ?

Check Your Watershed Day is a unique study that examines the flow of small streams in an entire watershed… all in one day! Volunteers receive the necessary equipment and training and be part of a three person team, which includes an experienced stream crew leader. Volunteers sample small streams in the Bronte Creek Watershed throughout the morning. 

Measuring stream flow is relatively easy and can provide good results with a limited amount of training. All it takes is a stopwatch, a stiff wooden ruler, a measuring tape and a pencil and paper. You will spend the morning locating small stream at road crossings (i.e. culverts and bridges), record which streams are dry or wet, and monitoring flow conditions of wet streams using several techniques.

Check Your Watershed Day is a great opportunity to get outside and experience Bronte Creek, and learn about the watershed, while helping Conservation Halton collect critical information. This information will be incorporated into Conservation Halton’s Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program.

What is Low Flow?

Low flow discharge is an important factor that helps us better understand the overall health of the watershed and is defined as the amount of water that is coming from underground storage within the watershed. During periods of warm dry weather the cool groundwater flow helps to keep streams and their inhabitants cool. Low flow can be quantified by measuring the movement and depth of water after a dry period without rain.  By collecting the information at this time of year, we can better understand how different factors, such as changes in landscape and climate, may be affecting the stream flow and watershed health.