Wendell Koning-Water Quality Monitoring July 2022

Table 1. Big Hill Springs and Bighill Creek water quality data, monthly Jan-July, 2022 (by the Bighill Creek Preservation Society)
Site # Location Sample number Date Time Temp Dissolved Oxygen pH EC, Elect Conduct1 HCO3 F Cl Br NH3-N NO3-N PO4 SO4 Na K Mg Ca TDS E. coli
From upstream to downstrean (hrs) (˚C)  (mg/L)  (µS/cm) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) mg/L (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L)  (MPN/100 mL)
BH Springs sites
1 Big Hill Springs, u/s near source 1 2022-03-31 10,30 5,1 10,13 7,68 593,5
2 2022-05-17 12,40 5,4 10,24 7,87 524,4 0,14 15,34 <0.1 <0.5 3,0 <0.1 9,17 7,31 <0.5 34,8 65,38 <1
3 2022-06-21 10,00 6,0 10,47 7,75 570,4 9,7
4 2022-07-13 11,00 6,1 10,08 7,75 565,6
2 BH Spring in BH Springs Prov. Pk, lower site 1 2022-01-29 15,45 4,4 10,92 7,94 571,4
2 2022-02-13 14,00 4,6 11,73 8,18 569,4 311,18 0,14 14,71 2,87 8,94 7,34 3,38 63,48 34,16 455,9 127,4
3 2022-03-31 9,00 4,0 12,14 8,45 567,3
4 2022-04-20 10,30 4,4 12,00 8,39 570,2
5 2022-05-17 11,40 7,1 11,36 8,52 544,0 0,13 15,1 <0.1 <0.5 2,86 <0.1 8,97 7,25 <0.5 34,1 59,81 2
6 2022-06-21 8,30 6,1 11,83 8,41 554,3 5,2
7 2022-07-13 10,00 7,2 11,38 8,35 551,4
Bh Creek sites
1 Bighill Cr, u/s Hwy 567, and d/s of NC lake 1 2022-03-31 9,30 3,3 11,12 8,12 432,1
2 2022-04-20 11,25 1,1 11,81 nd nd
3 2022-05-17 12,10 13,1 9,76 8,51 450,4
4 2022-06-21 8,50 15,5 9,58 9,11 389,4 230
5 2022-06-21 14,00 18,7 12,92 9,01 344,7
6 2022-07-13 11,30 19,6 10,48 9,70 230,8
2 Bighill Cr above culvert under Hwy 567 1 2022-03-31 9,50 2,8 10,7 7,80 440,4
2 2022-06-21 9,30 13,2 8,84 8,48 564,4
3 2022-07-13 12,00 17,1 10,24 8,48 575,1
3 Bighill Cr at upper bridge on Ranche Rd 1 2022-03-31 11,45 1,4 12,72 8,35 509,9
2 2022-06-21 11,15 12,9 9,77 8,42 595,0
3 2022-07-13 12,30 17,8 9,08 8,40 557,6
4 Bighill Cr at pedestrian bridge on Ranche Road 1 2022-01-29 16,45 0,1 12,00 8,05 601,7
2 2022-02-13 15,30 0,2 12,71 8,07 619,6 353,9 0,15 16,0 2,17 19,31 13,73 3,68 70,75 37,09 524,0 4,1
3 2022-03-31 11,30 1,7 12,67 8,49 479,5
4 2022-04-20 12,45 1,5 13,32 8,67 870,2
5 2022-05-17 14,00 11,4 10,61 8,68 576,2 0,16 17,3 <0.1 <0.5 0,92 <0.1 23,28 17,01 <0.5 36,79 57,55 11
6 2022-06-21 10,45 13,2 9,94 8,52 604,6 99
7 2022-07-13 12,45 17,9 9,68 8,56 568,6
5 Bighill Creek near confluence w Bow R 1 2022-01-29 17,15 0,1 12,17 8,12 667,4
2 2022-02-13 15,50 0,1 13,19 8,31 673,8 356,3 0,15 24,3 2,13 33,82 20,40 3,89 69,02 39,52 556,7 193,5
3 2022-03-31 12,10 2,0 12,97 8,54 547,6
4 2022-04-20 13,30 3,5 12,97 8,71 2204,0
5 2022-05-17 14,30 9,9 10,54 8,66 609,6 0,20 61,5 <0.1 <0.5 1,21 <0.1 42,36 42,40 6,05 27,49 53,86 549,3
6 2022-06-21 11,30 13,9 10,21 8,50 645,0 68
7 2022-07-13 13,00 17,7 10,49 8,55 651,0
 Millenium     Cr
1 Millennium Creek near confl. BH Creek 1 2022-01-29 17,30 4,2 10,84 nd nd
2 2022-01-30 14,45 4,6 12,59 8,15 849,0
3 2022-02-13 16,00 5,0 12,90 8,53 1061,0 392,3 0,16 85,7 5,20 112,02 69,62 5,00 69,66 54,24 811,6 4,1
4 2022-03-31 12,25 5,9 14,53 8,54 1046,0
5 2022-04-20 13,50 7,0 14,25 8,64 1136,0
6 2022-05-17 14,45 9,9 11,57 8,57 984,0 0,17 82,0 <0.1 <0.5 4,10 <0.1 106,83 62,61 5,49 52,08 57,55 <1
7 2022-06-21 11,45 10,4 11,61 8,26 913,0 15
8 2022-07-13 13,15 11,8 11,23 8,20 993,0
Bow            River
1 Bow R, 10 meters u/s of Bh Cr confluence 1 2022-05-17 15,15 9,8 11,18 8,68 329,3
2 2022-06-21 12,00 10,2 11,45 8,45 255,3
3 2022-07-13 13,30 13,6 10,52 8,48 253,1
Sites (from upstream to downstream)
BH Spr 1 Big Hill Springs u/s, near source (approx 700 m upstream of the public use area) (upper site)
BH Spr 2 Big Hill Spring in Big Hill Spring Provincial Park, at the second foot bridge, upstream of the parking lot in the Park (lower site)
Bh Cr 1 Bighill Cr, north of Hwy 567, at road bridge d/s of NCC lake (the lake owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada)
Bh Cr 2 Bighill Cr at u/s end of culvert under Hwy 567 (contains the combined flow from NCC lake and the unknamed coulee to the east and north of NCC lake)
Bh Cr 3 Bighill Cr at the most upstream vehicle bridge on Ranche Rd  (acessed from within the Town of Cochrane)
Bh Cr 4 Bighill Cr at pedestrian bridge on Ranche Road (acessed from within the Town of Cochrane)
Bh Cr 5 Bighill Creek near confluence with the Bow River (still upstream of the confluence of Bighill Creek with Millenium Creek)
Millenium Cr 1 Millennium Creek near confluence with Bighill Creek (the confluence with Bighill Cr is 10 m u/s of Bighill Cr confluence with the Bow River)
Bow R 1 Bow R, 10 meters u/s of Bh Cr confluence (for comparison to water quality in Bighill Creek)
Notes  – Millennium Cr is spring-fed, note warmer temperatures in winter and cooler in summer, compared to Bighill Cr sites.
1EC, Electrical conductivity is recorded as “Specific Conductance”; a measure of the dissolved salts in the water at a specific water temperature;  2nd: no data since not sampled;
Mill’ium Cr = Millenium Cr; temp = water temperature; NH3-N = ammonia as nitrogen; NO3-N = nitrate as nitrogen;  TDS = Total Dissolved Solids; u/s = upstream; d/s = downstream
      Other abbreviations: HCO3 = hardness; PO4 = phosphate; SO4 = sulfate; MPN/100 mL = Most Probable number per 100 mL of spring or creek water sample
 – 20 Apr 2022 – deep snow had fallen the day before, vehicle access to upper Big Hill Springs site was not possible.
 – 20 Apr 2022 – Bighill Cr near mouth – u/s urban snow melt occurring, very turbid, and much foam
 – For all field condition notes, for each sample date, refer to separate field sheets on file, available on request
 – Microbial source tracking results (Feb 13, and May 17): see results in separate file, analyses identifies whether microbial sources are mainly from humans, or ruminants (deer, cattle), dogs, geese, etc
 – Water temperatures, data loggers have been installed 2020 to present (ongoing) in 12 locations in Big Hill Springs and Bighill Creek, with measurements taken every 30 minutes, 24/7.  This data (data on file) is critical for understanding –
the critical role of temperature on the resident trout fish community in the watershed. Any remove of up to 20 m (6 stories) of overburden, gravel and sand (for gravel mining) would very likely have a negative impact –
on trout survival in the watershed. Work conducted by the Bighill Cr Preservation Society (BCPS) in association with Trout Unlimited Canada.
Submitted by Wendell Koning, for the Bighill Creek Preservation Society, July 22, 2022.

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