P.E.I.'s water levels in a better place than other Maritime provinces, says watershed alliance

Water levels in rivers and streams on Prince Edward Island are looking healthy so far this year, despite some dry conditions, says the P.E.I. Watershed Alliance.

Heather Laiskonis, the alliance's executive director, said there are still some concerns due to low flow rates in the Island's watersheds and the lack of rain so far this summer. 

"When we have low flow in our streams, which is what we're seeing now, is we have a concern about biotic diversity," she said. "You've lost your pathway to connectivity as streams get smaller and dry up a bit."

Laiskonis said some species that are dependent on connections between streams or rivers can be affected by the lower flow rates.

"So when you're looking at biodiversity, some of our macro invertebrates and the creatures that depend on them rely on the streams to get them around," she said.

"You need to have a strong stream or a strong flow and a cool flow to get everything to where it's supposed to go and ultimately out to sea."

Keeping an eye on the streams

Laiskonis said the alliance recently installed a camera on the West River to count fish numbers in the area, something that should give them usable data in a few years. 

Watershed groups have traditionally used a variety of methods to collect such data, she said, but this device is different.

"It's very hard to count every fish in a stream — I should say it's impossible — and for years we've been making certain assumptions on some of our data that our watersheds do collect," Laiskonis said. 

"We do our best to get an accurate picture of what's going on in our streams, but this time we've actually put [in] a camera so we can see what's going on."

Laiskonis said P.E.I.'s watersheds are in a better position than other Maritime provinces because rivers and streams on the Island are fed by ground water. 

Rain will come again, she said, and it will eventually make its way into the province's waterways.

"Am I overly concerned? No," she said. "I wouldn't sound the alarm and say that the sky is falling, or that the streams are going to dry up and that it's going to be that way forever."