The World of Environmental Management

Open Access

Abstract

As the City of Red Deer continues to grow, it is necessary that the urban development do not disturb Hazlett Lake and the plant and animal species in the area. For the prevention of wildlife/habitat disturbance, water pollution and weed evasion, a monitoring program was implemented. In any environmental management project, there are three stages of steps that must be completed. Firstly, before any of the field work begins, safety protocols, geographic information system (GIS), and environmental policies must be considered. The GIS is a very helpful tool in this project because it is a monitoring program and the changes to the wetland can be seen over time. Next, the field work begins. With Hazlett Lake, water sampling, sediment sampling, vegetation and wildlife assessments and noting the water level are all crucial tests that have to be completed each year the program is in place to maintain the wetland's overall health and track any observed changes. Once the results from the lab arrive, they are compared to government guidelines to determine if the wetland's health is being maintained and if any preventive measures need to be taken. The results are also compared to previous years to determine if any changes occurred. It was found that fluorene in the sediments and pH in the water were higher than guidelines. These areas will be especially monitored with care to ensure the wetland is conserved.