Blog

In the southern portion of the watershed, many have noticed a remarkably short period of ice cover on the river this year. This can have consequences not only for our winter activities but also for wildlife and broader watershed health.

Ottawa Riverkeeper’s road salt monitoring initiative has uncovered alarming levels of chloride in local creeks for the past 4 years. We explore what the program is finding this year, and how we continue to evolve our monitoring to make it faster, easier, and cheaper to keep tabs on our local freshwater ecosystems.

Road Salt is toxic to freshwater ecosystems and harms our urban streams. What can you do to reduce your use of this common pollutant?

Government regulators have approved the construction of a Near Surface Disposal Facility at Chalk River. We explore the ongoing technical and procedural concerns with the project, what this decision means, and where this leaves us.

The Ottawa River watershed is predominantly the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Anishinābeg Algonquin people. Ottawa Riverkeeper supports the Anishinābeg Algonquin communities who assert they were not adequately consulted as part of the NSDF licensing process.

Ottawa Riverkeeper’s education team has been going to schools in Gatineau to teach students about the watershed and the issues it faces, thanks to our funding partners.

A new petition seeks to mandate filters on washing machines to prevent microfibres from entering our waterways. Microfibres are especially prevalent in the Ottawa River, as confirmed by research conducted by Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Riverwatcher volunteers.

We are grateful to everyone who has or will make a gift to Ottawa Riverkeeper this year and next! In order to keep you informed of taxation which may impact your donation, Paul Drouin, former member of the Ottawa Riverkeeper fundraising campaign cabinet, has prepared some information that donors of large amounts may find pertinent.

New results from our monitoring program paint a grim picture: road salt pollution continues to harm the ecosystems of urban streams and creeks long after the snow has stopped falling and salt is no longer being spread. We must work on reducing the use of this pollutant to safeguard urban waterways.

As part of the 2023 Annual Public Meeting, Ottawa Riverkeeper recognized funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to support a real-time monitoring station at River House.

Ten years ago, Ottawa Riverkeeper first launched community-based monitoring programs. Today, we look back on the incredible projects and volunteers that have helped to deepen our collective understanding of the Ottawa River watershed!

This fall, Ottawa Riverkeeper hosted a series of workshops that invited Indigenous youth to learn about traditional canoe-building from Pinock Smith, an Algonquin craftsperson, as part of our Canoeing Together project.

Urban flooding affects us all. Youth Water Leader Lyndsay sheds light on this topic with her service project, a guide that explores urban stormwater management.

On August 31st, 2023, the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council sent a letter to the CEO of Hydro-Québec to request an eel ladder be installed at the Carillon Dam. The letter echoes and supports Ottawa Riverkeeper’s own open letter, but also acts as a call for reparations to the damage done to Anishinabe Algonquin culture through the loss of this iconic species.

Local Ottawa musician Mia Kelly, who performed at the 2023 Riverkeeper Gala, walks us through the influences of her single “Kitchissippi”, what the Ottawa River means to her, and how important it is to get out and be surrounded by nature.

This summer, Ottawa Riverkeeper partnered with Petrie Island Turtle Project to incubate over 400 turtle eggs at our science lab in River House. We’re sharing the full story of these eggs, from collection to release!

Libby Lacroix, Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Water Quality Assistant for the summer of 2023, recounts some of the highlights of her summer of testing water quality around the Ottawa River watershed!

The Carillon Dam presents the first and largest obstacle to the migration of the American eel into the Ottawa River watershed. Other dams have created eel ladders to enable this vulnerable fish species to migrate upstream, and it is time for Carillon to do the same.

Come visit us! The National Capital Commission has officially opened River House to the public! We are so excited to see river lovers swimming, walking, and relaxing by the water of the beautiful Ottawa River from this unique vantage point.

Hello! I’m Niko, a grade 11 student from Ashbury College. For River Day, I presented on the issue of microplastics in collaboration with my classmate Sara.