Victoria Monitoring
The Victoria Community-Based Water Monitoring Hub (“Victoria Hub”) is Swim Drink Fish’s newest hub, established in 2023.
Operating out of Prospect Lake, The Victoria Hub is a partnership between Swim Drink Fish and Power To Be. It engages the community in water quality monitoring and data-sharing, as well as stewardship of local waters.
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Victoria is a coastal community defined by its proximity to the oceans, lakes, and forests with the Salish sea to the south and the Haro Strait to the east.
Swim Drink Fish Victoria and Power To Be are honoured to operate on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded homelands and waters of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, represented by the Songhees, Esquimalt, Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tsawout, Tseycum and Malahat Nations.
Since time immemorial, First Nations have been stewards of this land and water.
We pay respect to the elders and ancestors past, present and emerging whose histories, knowledge and cultural traditions have shaped the land and water of the Greater Victoria area and enrich practices around its stewardship.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we affirm our commitment to practice ongoing good relations with the land and water and with sovereign Indigenous nations that caretake them. Our work endeavors to support Indigenous rights and free access to swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waters.
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Power To Be is a non-profit organization that creates access to nature for youth, families, and adults living with cognitive, physical, financial, and social barriers. By designing, adapting, and delivering a variety of programs, Power To Be empowers people to engage and connect with nature.
Aligning with these values, Swim Drink Fish believes that accessible water is clean water.
The Victoria Monitoring Hub will conduct bi-weekly water quality testing with samples collected from Coles Bay and transported to the Power To Be basecamp for analysis. Additionally, by participating in programs created and led by Power To Be, Swim Drink Fish will help educate the community in the form of water literacy and water sampling workshops. People will have the opportunity to volunteer and contribute to the community science movement while taking action to protect and restore their local waterways.
Together, Swim Drink Fish and Power To Be work towards connecting people to land and water.
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If you’re interested in working with us weekly in the field to collect water samples, record environmental observations, and collect baseline water quality information, reach out to kyra@swimdrinkfish.ca
Water Monitoring Locations
The Victoria Hub is exploring testing in different freshwater locations around Victoria. Currently we are trying to get a better understanding of water quality in the Todd Creek Watershed.
Victoria Hub Results
Monitoring of Prospect Lake in 2023 showed that E.coli is not a threat for recreational water users. While it’s a good feeling to know that people’s health is being protected, we learned from the community the lake needs more attention. Working alongside other community groups on Prospect Lake such as Prospect Lake Preservation Society and Friends of Tod Creek Watershed, helped identify that phosphorus levels are a threat to the lake. Because of these collaborations, our next steps in Prospect Lake will be to expand our monitoring to focus on nutrient loading..
