Water Quality Monitoring Project

Name of Project:
Water Quality Monitoring Project

Team Members:
Leader: Dr. Akira Konaka (TRIUMF).
Investigators: scholars from TRIUMF and Canadian universities, including Dr. Arzu Sardarli (FNUniv), Jody Bellegarde (FNUniv) and Jana Sasakamoose (University of Regina)

Partners:
TRIUMF and numerous Canadian universities, Cowessess First Nation and Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation

Funding Institution/Grant:
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), $1,500,000. Proposal is under review.

Summary of the Project:
Within the project we will develop sensors for monitoring the water quality and deploy the water monitoring systems in Cowessess First Nation and Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation. We will interview Elders and Knowledge Keepers and develop the Water Quality Monitoring Protocol. Band Offices of the Cowessess First Nation and Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation will appoint individuals to represent the communities in our project. We also will train individuals from communities to maintain the deployed monitoring systems. Some undergraduate students of FNUniv will be trained to participate in the project as Research Assistants. The selected high school students (upon the recommendations of school teachers) will be trained to participate in the monitoring of the water quality. The school teachers will be recommended to use the monitoring materials in their extracurricular activities.
Two community members (one from each community) will be trained to maintain the deployed monitoring systems.