What powerful things can happen when people connect with each other to share knowledge and advocate for healthy waters? This is a driving question for Atlantic Water Network (AWN), a community-based water-monitoring hub located in Kjipuktuk (what is now known as Halifax).
Listen to our full interview with AWN Project Director, Emma Wattie and Communications Specialist, Amanda Doucette.
The project, which recently joined MakeWay’s shared platform, provides equipment, training, and resources to water monitoring to communities in the region. They’re working to build a future where “Atlantic Canadians are collectively empowered to leverage local knowledge in support of healthy waters now and for generations to come.” We got the chance to speak with Director, Emma Wattie, and Communications Specialist, Amanda Doucette to hear more about the project’s story.
Atlantic Water Network was originally founded by Cathy Conrad, a geography professor at Saint Mary’s University. At the time, her studies focused on citizen science: research conducted by everyday folks who emphasize public participation and collaboration in science. “She was working with organizations around Nova Scotia who were doing different types of water monitoring, but they were all working in their own separate silos,” Emma explained, “It’s really common for groups to work on their one lake or river and not connect with one another.” Cathy also noticed that these organization often asked the same questions. What equipment should they use? How would they present data to regional governments and get people to trust their findings?
There was clearly a need for some kind of hub to facilitate knowledge and data sharing, and in 2011, Cathy was able to secure funding for a research initiative that eventually became the Atlantic Water Network. The project quickly grew in size and capacity. They currently work with over 100 partners, many of whom are volunteer-based organizations.
Communities are able to use the information they gather and share to make a real difference in improving water quality in their areas. From identifying and addressing fertilizer contamination to protecting wild salmon habitats: AWN’s support has set the stage for healthier waters in the Atlantic.
Community-based water monitoring has also empowered groups to not only collect data, but present it to local governments and more confidently stand up for water policy and funding. “They’re used to be a big misconception that community collected data wasn’t as good as government data,” said Emma, “But over time, governments started closing their research stations and monitoring sites. Community groups were really stepping in to fill those gaps.”
The team was excited to see that, more recently, governments have been putting trust in community data. This meant AWN’s community partners were able to achieve real progress in their water protection efforts. Coordinating such a vast network is no small task, especially when you’re also managing a large equipment bank where groups can borrow costly water-monitoring tools for free. Their team provides equipment training and ensures everything is calibrated and functioning.
In 2018, AWN also launched Atlantic DataStream in partnership with The Gordon Foundation. This open access platform facilitates information sharing on freshwater health, and allows users to access, visualize, and download full water quality datasets.
Another focus of the project is education. In addition to offering programs on equipment use, data management, and the science behind water monitoring, they also strive to make their work accessible. “From a communication standpoint, translating this technical jargon and putting it into everyday language is important. We want the public to understand this high-level data that people are collecting,” said Amanda.
After hearing about the support MakeWay provided other water-focused projects like Our Living Waters, FLOW, and Canadian Freshwater Alliance, AWN joined the shared platform. “We wanted some kind of platform that could house us. But at the same time allow us to lead, you know? Like an understanding that we know how to run our project, and they would support us in other ways.”
As they look to the future, the project hopes to see more hubs like theirs form throughout the Atlantic. They’ve even started doing mentorship “boot camps” with community groups in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to help make this vision a reality. We’re delighted to welcome Atlantic Water Network to the shared platform, and we’re looking forward to continuing to amplify and uplift their work.
You can find out more about Atlantic Water Network and support their work here!
