A University of Manitoba research grant awarded to G. Ali will allow the identification of an optimal sampling frequency to monitor water quality in Prairie watersheds. Indeed, while water quality monitoring programs are generally based on low frequency sampling regimes, with grab samples of stream water collected on a weekly, fortnightly, monthly or seasonal basis and then analyzed in a laboratory, recent pioneering work has challenged the adequacy of low frequency water quality surveillance programs. The group will therefore investigate when, and how frequently surface waters should be sampled in the specific agricultural and snowmelt-dominated Manitoba context over the next two field seasons.
