Executive Summary
The Raincoast Healthy Waters program, initiated in 2023, aims to monitor water quality in British Columbia’s watersheds, focusing on the health of fish habitats. The program includes annual sampling events, with the first dry season assessment conducted on September 19, 2024, in partnership with the Tla’amin Nation and Pacific Salmon Foundation.
In this first round of sampling from the q̓ʷətəms t̓ɩšosəm (Sliammon River) watershed, water was collected from source, river, road runoff, and marine categories. A total of 69 contaminants were detected in the stream and river samples, indicating relatively good water quality despite the presence of pollutants. Notably, marine water revealed the highest contamination, while road runoff showed significant levels of PAHs and PFAS. The source water samples indicated elevated E. coli levels.
The watershed, covering 58 km² in the qathet Regional District, is within the traditional lands of the Tla’amin Nation, which encompasses over 400 km². With continued assessments planned for the next two years, the findings will help understand the impacts of forest fires, wastewater, and road runoff on water quality, promoting informed local stewardship and policy changes for preserving aquatic ecosystems.
The overarching goal of the Healthy Waters program is to empower communities with knowledge of their local water quality, ensuring sustainable practices that protect salmon, whales, and human health.
