May 19, 2021
11
whatsupyukon.com
RACING THE CLOCK
with
Kelsey Kabanak
Kelsey Kabanak is a Resource Management Officer for Parks Canada in Kluane National Park and Reserve.
Packrafts are used to reduce impact and to access remote locations in the wetlands
PHOTO: Parks Canada KKabanak
Water quality sampling in the Dezadeash Wetlands
T
he sound of inflation bags wheeze in the morning as the packrafts slowly take form. The pile of monitoring gear is prepared to be loaded into the rafts. Today, Parks Canada staff will be collecting water quality samples of the Shadhäla Chù/Dezadeash River and wetland complex in Kluane National Park and Reserve. Once the first sample is taken, the clock starts. Water sampling in the North can be
tricky; to get accurate results, our samples have to make their way to a lab in Vancouver to be analyzed within three days. But even before we start sampling, our day is already interwoven with the story of water’s passage. Mornings are different for everyone, but likely, teeth are brushed, the shower runs, the toilet flushes, the kettle or coffee pot is filled, dishes are washed. According to 2017 data from Statistics Canada, the average daily residential use of water in the Yukon was 383 litres per person per day. Few of us think about where that water goes after using it. In the Village of Haines Junc-
tion, the water makes the journey from the pipes of homes to the wastewater treatment facility located south of the village. After undergoing treatment, the water is discharged periodically to free up volume in the facility, returning to the natural system that crosses invisible boundaries of village land, settlement land and national park. Water quality is an important component of the ecological integrity of freshwater ecosystems. Kluane National Park and Reserve is 22,000 square kilometres of mostly vast icefields and tall mountains, but also of boreal forest, alpine tundra, wide river valleys and wetlands. The Dezadeash
River, which meanders across the traditional territory of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, flows into the park, ultimately joining the Kaskawulsh River to form the Alsek, a designated Canadian Heritage River. Wetlands are biologically diverse systems that enhance water quality and provide habitat and sanctuary for species such as wood frogs and migratory birds. The Dezadeash wetlands span across an estimated 30 square kilometres of channels large and small, with water seeping across waves of grass. Swans and other migratory birds can be typically found using this landscape as a rest stop or refuge before pushing
further north, while others call it home for the summer. Parks Canada collects water samples of this river system at six sites, twice per season, once prior to discharge from the water treatment facility to gain a baseline of that year, and a second time after discharge to see the possible influences of the treated effluent. Monitoring yields information including temperature, pH, total and dissolved metals, and nutrient levels. To determine the best spots to sample, we turned to an unexpected helper. Artificial sweeteners can be found in many prodcont’d on page 13 ...
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