Belleisle Watershed Coalition

Author: Belleisle Watershed

  • Freshet Charts – May 21st

    Freshet Charts – May 21st

    Freshet Update – May 21st 2025

    Thanks to Lane Bishop, we’re continuing to keep a close watch on water levels in the Belleisle area as the 2025 freshet progresses.

    🌊 Freshet Update #4 – May 2025 🌊
    Flood season is winding down across the watershed. As of this update, RiverWatch has been discontinued for the season, and while water levels are still slightly above summer lows, they’re expected to gradually recede over the coming weeks.
    This marks the end of active flood monitoring unless something unexpected rolls through. Our next update will arrive in early July with a complete season recap for your reference.
    Stay safe and stay tuned for the full freshet summary coming soon!

    📊 Plot Explanations:

    First plot: For 2025, this is the standard plot of water levels using data at 5-minute intervals from the Oak Point hydrometric station on the Saint John River at the mouth of the Belleisle. See:
    The lines for the other years have the tidal effect removed (the Bay of Fundy tides push the water back a bit up the Saint John River).
     
    Second plot: This plot has the tidal effect removed from the 2025 data as well.
     
    Third plot: Of concern to all of us is not only how high the water levels are right now, but how fast is the water rising? So the left-side scale up the vertical axis shows how fast the water is rising, measured in meters per day (the right-side scale shows feet/day). For the old-timers, 0.3 meters/day is 1 foot/day.
     
    📉 When the line is high, the water is rising very quickly; when it is below the zero line (red horizontal dashed line), the water is receding.
     
    💬 Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to share this with your neighbours and local groups.
  • Freshet Charts – May 2nd – Update

    Freshet Charts – May 2nd – Update

    Freshet Updates for April 4th

    Thanks to Lane Bishop, we’re continuing to keep a close watch on water levels in the Belleisle area as the 2025 freshet progresses.
     
    🌊 May 2nd Freshet Update – Water Levels Nearing Their Peak? 🌊
     
    Here is the third set of freshet plots for 2025, showing a recent rise in water levels. The increase is likely due to heavy rainfall combined with melting snow to the north. According to the 5-day forecast, we may be at or near the peak, with levels expected to decline in the coming days.
     
    A big thank you to Lane for his ongoing support and dedication each spring! 🙌
     
    📊 Plot Explanations:
    First plot: For 2025, this is the standard plot of water levels using data at 5-minute intervals from the Oak Point hydrometric station on the Saint John River at the mouth of the Belleisle. See:
    The lines for the other years have the tidal effect removed (the Bay of Fundy tides push the water back a bit up the Saint John River).
     
    Second plot: This plot has the tidal effect removed from the 2025 data as well.
     
    Third plot: Of concern to all of us is not only how high the water levels are right now, but how fast is the water rising? So the left-side scale up the vertical axis shows how fast the water is rising, measured in meters per day (the right-side scale shows feet/day). For the old-timers, 0.3 meters/day is 1 foot/day.
     
    📉 When the line is high, the water is rising very quickly; when it is below the zero line (red horizontal dashed line), the water is receding.
     
    💬 Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to share this with your neighbours and local groups.
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  • Freshet Charts – April 4th Update

    Freshet Charts – April 4th Update

    Freshet Updates for April 4th

    Thanks to Lane Bishop, we’re continuing to keep a close watch on water levels in the Belleisle area as the 2025 freshet progresses.
     
    📈 Lane has provided us with a second set of plots tracking river levels at Oak Point. So far, the freshet appears to be progressing normally, and there are no current signs of flooding—but Lane will continue to monitor closely and alert us if anything changes.
     
    A big thank you to Lane for his ongoing support and dedication each spring! 🙌
     
    📊 Plot Explanations:
    First plot: For 2025, this is the standard plot of water levels using data at 5-minute intervals from the Oak Point hydrometric station on the Saint John River at the mouth of the Belleisle. See:
    The lines for the other years have the tidal effect removed (the Bay of Fundy tides push the water back a bit up the Saint John River).
     
    Second plot: This plot has the tidal effect removed from the 2025 data as well.
     
    Third plot: Of concern to all of us is not only how high the water levels are right now, but how fast is the water rising? So the left-side scale up the vertical axis shows how fast the water is rising, measured in meters per day (the right-side scale shows feet/day). For the old-timers, 0.3 meters/day is 1 foot/day.
     
    📉 When the line is high, the water is rising very quickly; when it is below the zero line (red horizontal dashed line), the water is receding.
     
    💬 Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to share this with your neighbours and local groups.
    levels22
    levels2
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  • First Freshet Plots for 2025

    First Freshet Plots for 2025

    First Freshet Plots for 2025

    Hi Folks it’s that time of year when we keep an eagle eye on the river. Again this year a big thanks to Lane Bishop who has kindly provided us with his water level plots for the 2025 freshet. As a reminder, here are the definitions for the plots:

    Explanation:
    1. First plot: For 2025, this is the standard plot of water levels using data at 5 minute intervals from the Oak Point hydrometric station on the Saint John River at the mouth of the Belleisle. See https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/report/real_time_e.html…. The lines for the other years have the tidal effect removed (the Bay of Fundy tides push the water back a bit up the Saint John River).
    2. Second plot: This plot has the tidal effect removed from the 2025 data as well.
    3. Third plot: Of concern to all of us is not only how high the water levels are right now, but how fast is the water rising? So the left-side scale up the vertical axis shows how fast the water is rising, measured in meters per day (the right-side scale shows feet/day). For the old-timers, 0.3 meters/day is 1 foot/day. When the line is high, the water is rising very quickly; when it is below the zero line (red horizontal dashed line), the water is receding.
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    Water Level Plots credit Lane Bishop – 2025 Freshet

  • Plant Your Bank

    Plant Your Bank

    Free Trees & Shrubs!!!
     
    The BWC with support from the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund and the World Wildlife Fund Canada is excited to announce our 2023 Plant Your Bank Too project.The ‘Belleisle Plant Your Bank Too’ project is focused on engaging with local landowners and community members to assist you with planting native trees and shrubs. You provide the site and we provide the trees and shrubs, people-power and permits. Planting your bank can help to create buffers to reduce impacts of flooding, create habitat for wildlife like birds, butterflies and turtles and protect water quality by reducing runoff, erosion and water temperatures. Let’s all work together to keep Belleisle and the St. John River Healthy!
     
    For more information or to request a site visit please contact us at belleislewatershed@gmail.com.
  • Winter Salt Use

    Winter Salt Use

    Winter Salt Use

    Travelling safely on winter roads is important to all of us – and we can keep our roads and sidewalks ice-free while not degrading water quality, aquatic habitats, and infrastructure in the process. Community members and government departments need to work together to reduce salt use, find alternatives, and stop the pollution of our Province’s aquatic ecosystems.
     
    Here is some useful information about how to use Salt more effectively. 
    Here are a few tips on how to make the most of your household salt application:
     

    1. Shovel first, and shovel well: get all snow out of the way before salting. Salt that is applied on top of snow melts into storm drains, then creeks and rivers much more quickly.

    2. A coffee cup at a time: apply salt with a smaller container, like a coffee cup so you can control how much goes onto the ground more easily. A coffee cup of salt is enough to melt a 20 foot driveway.
     
    3. Pick an alternative, like coffee grinds or traction sand: be mindful of the temperature, salt isn’t effective when it’s below -10C, so there is little benefit to applying it, use an alternative instead. Both traction sand and coffee grinds work at lower temperatures.
     
    For more information about road salts, please contact us at belleislewatershed@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.
    saltplant
  • Nature Afterschool Program

    Nature Afterschool Program

    Nature Afterschool Program

    The BWC recently wrapped up our Nature Afterschool program that was joint venture of the Belleisle Watershed Coalition and the Saint John Boys and Girls Club. Over the past four weeks kids in the afterschool program have been engaged in discovering local wildlife and ecosystems building an understanding of wildlife biology and ecology in the Belleisle Watershed. The kids had barrels of fun building a beaver dam, dissecting a log to learn about microhabitats and insects, and dissect an owl pellet to learn about predator and prey relationships. The kids also got to learn about how our wildlife survives the winter!
     
    The program has been presented by Paul Martin who does a remarkable job engaging the kids in natural science. Anyone who has joined us for one of our owl prowls or bird walks knows that the breadth and depth of Paul knowledge about wildlife and natural science is truly amazing and the kids had a great time throughout the program.
     
    The BWC would like to extend a special thanks to Paul for all his efforts and to the Boys and Girls Club for giving us the opportunity to engage with the afterschool kids. We would also like to thank our funders who’s generous support make these programs possible.
  • Road Salt Sampling

    Road Salt Sampling

    Salt Water Testing

    Did you know… After some winter storms salt levels in New Brunswick’s watercourses can reach 35 parts per thousand that’s the same amount of salt that’s in the ocean! Increased salt levels in streams can contaminate aquatic habitats, harm aquatic life, and make it tough for wildlife to find clean, safe drinking water. Many of us depend on local groundwater to feed our wells for drinking water. Well, systems are not equipped to filter out excess salt, so road salt can end up in our tap water, where it can cause health concerns for people with high blood pressure and even harm our pets and live stock.

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  • Belleisle Marsh Road Salt Sampling

    Belleisle Marsh Road Salt Sampling

    Belleisle Marsh Road Salt Sampling

    The BWC has teamed up again with Miss. Giddens Grade 9 Science Class from BRHS to continue to learn about how road salt affects Belleisle Marsh. The students were out in the marsh the other day and will be collecting and testing water samples throughout the winter and learning about water quality in a local context.

    Last year we found lower than expected salt level and hope that’s a trend that continues in 2023. Results for this year will be available in the spring and we can’t wait to see what they discover!

    colin
  • Cyanobacteria Results for 2022

    Cyanobacteria Results for 2022

    E.Coli Results for Oct 2022

    Water quality monitoring results for E.coli amounts from our October 2022 sampling are in. I am please to report that the results show a distinct decline in E.coli amounts for most of the sites tested. Results determined an average of 59.6 E.coli/100ml this is a significant decrease from September (257 E.coli/100ml) but still well above August (0.7 E.coli/100ml). 
     
    The highest amount was at Hatfield Point Wharf (248.1 E.coli/100ml) this site has continued to see an increase in E.coli amounts and exceeds the Health Canada acceptable guidelines for the use of recreational surface water, and we advise residents’ to stay out of the water in this area. Anderson Point also saw an increase in E.coli amounts to 12.4 E.coli/100ml in October from 4.1 E.coli/100ml in September.  
     
    Above Chart Compares September to October 2022
    Although, the rest of the sites still had elevated amounts from what we normally expect they have significantly declined from the extremely high amounts seen in September.
    The elevated levels we continue to observe in October are likely the result of the significant rainfall and warm autumn temperatures we’ve seen this autumn. 
     
    These results continue to demonstrate the importance of maintaining well-vegetated stream banks and shorelines, the importance of having well-maintained and modern septic systems, and the affects of surface runoff on water quality. We will continue to monitor E.coli amounts in the Bay through to the end of November due to the elevated amounts.
     
    For more information contact us at: belleislewatershed@gmail.com