The Dartmouth, Sawmill River 4000 acre watershed forms part of North America’s only urban core boreal watershed within a population base in excess of 400,000 people (Halifax Regional Municipality) where the inner city lakes have not eutrophied and retain oxic lake bottoms for an average of 10 months/year up to temperatures ranging from 21-23 degrees Celsius. BARA sees this native capacity of our glacial till clay bottomed lakes to adsorb phosphorous as worth preserving within an urban core densified mixed residential, commercial and industrial landscape. The baseline monitoring forming this Dataset is intended to create graphic imaging of the correlation of the seasonal anoxia and specific/conductance to infer rate of internal loading levels as the iron and manganese flush phosphates from the glacial till lake bottom soils into the water column, and estimate a predictive index of water temperatures correlated to seasonal anoxia levels for lakes monitored. Recent history over the past four decades is 8 to 15 mg/L total phosphorous. BARA hopes the scientific talents of the local Marine Biologists from federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO), local universities and Community College combine with the recreational and professional sport history of our lakes as the birthplace of Hockey, Starr Skates, and an active world class canoe, kayak and paddling race course, for the basis of modeling to all other North American boreal urban watersheds that seek to restore pre-industrial sustainable phosphate load modelling to their water courses. Of the 9 lakes monitored, BARA has partnered with and thanks Crombie REIT, HRM District #5, Gloria McCluskey, and Nova Scotia Sport Fisheries for funding to install a self-contained solar powered Aerator to improve fish habitat by reducing seasonal anoxia in the 4 hectare Lake Penhorn, by lowering the hypolimnion to near lake bottom, and supporting decomposition of lake bottom organics.
10.25976/8sx1-np85