The relationship between water quality and riparian zone land-use variables and macrophyte removal permits issued in between 2013-2020 in the Rideau Canal Waterway

Abstract

In the Rideau Canal Waterway, eastern Ontario, residents are required to obtain permits from Parks Canada for macrophyte removal in front of their property for recreational purposes. The goal of this thesis is to determine the strongest environmental predictors of permit number and density in the Rideau Waterway to promote sustainable management of this system. Multiple linear regression models indicated that the best predictors of permit number were percent crop and pasture in the catchment, Secchi depth, algal blooms, catchment area, and total phosphorus (adjusted R 2 value of 0.94 and p-value of 1.952e-05). The strongest predictors of permit density are percent crop and pasture, deviation from circle, status of lakes, chloride, catchment area, and catchment to lake volume (adjusted R 2 value of 0.779 and p-value of 0.006). The results of this thesis research indicate that macrophyte removal permits are issued most often in nutrient rich lakes with greater crop and pasture in their catchments.Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisors Dr. Jesse Vermaire and John Milton for their advice, guidance, and support through this process despite all of the challenges and limitations from the pandemic. I am grateful for the opportunities I was given by Dr.Jesse Vermaire to participate in field work for the Aquatic Ecosystems & Environmental Change (AEEC) Laboratory. I would also like to thank Dr. Chantal Vis and her colleagues from Parks Canada for their advice and feedback for the study undertaken.Thank you to all of the faculty, staff, and graduate students in my program and in my lab that provided academic and emotional support throughout my Master's. I would especially like to thank the other students at the AEEC lab and within the department, specifically Stephanie Lonz, Jessica Sperry, and Eric Guitard, for their continuous support and guidance throughout my degree.