NWT-wide Community-based Monitoring Program

The NWT Water Stewardship Strategy is a collaborative endeavour between Aboriginal, territorial, federal, and municipal governments, communities, non-government organizations and others. It guides NWT water stewardship and management. The Strategy’s vision is to ensure that NWT waters remain “clean, abundant and productive for all time” and is founded on the importance of multiple forms of knowledge informing stewardship (e.g., traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge) (ENR 2010). During development of the Strategy, community and Aboriginal government partners expressed the desire to be actively involved in community-based monitoring. The Northwest Territories (NWT)-Wide Community-based Water Quality Monitoring (CBM) program was developed and implemented in 2012. The CBM program was, and continues to be, a collaborative program that sees staff from the Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC), Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), working in partnership with communities and regional organizations across the NWT to: • Address community questions about water quality, changes over time and impacts of stressors, such as upstream development and climate change; • Provide opportunities for community members to gain experience in water quality monitoring in their local watersheds; and • Build community capacity for water quality monitoring. The CBM program includes 21 NWT communities working in partnership with government to monitor water quality at over 40 sites. Water quality data for a wide range of parameters is collected using up to four types of water quality sampling techniques/monitoring equipment. The program supports communities through training, technical support, data analysis and the provision of water quality monitoring equipment. ENR-GNWT currently plays a coordinating role in the overall program, and provides hands-on training to local monitors.