The Agri-Environmental Indicator of Risk of Water Contamination by Phosphorus dataset estimates the relative risk of phosphorus loss from Soil Landscapes of Canada agricultural areas to surface water. The data series for this indicator consists of four (4) datasets: Annual P-Balance, Soil-P-Source, Edge of Field and IROWC-P. Products in this data series present results for predefined areas as defined by the Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC v.3.2) data series, uniquely identified by SOIL_LANDSCAPE_ID values.

The Agri-Environmental Indicator Risk of Water Contamination by Coliforms provides two variables including the Soil Coliform Load and the Coliform Risk to Water. The Soil Coliform Load indicator is the estimated accumulation of coliforms on the soil and the Coliform Risk to Water indicator is the relative risk of coliforms getting into the waterways. Products in this data series present results for predefined areas as defined by the Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC v.3.2) data series, uniquely identified by SOIL_LANDSCAPE_ID values.

The Indicator of Risk of Water Contamination by nitrogen (IROWC-N) estimates the risk of water contamination by nitrogen leaching on agricultural lands in Canada from 1981 to 2021. High nitrate level ( > 10 mg N/L) in drinking water may lead to various health impacts including methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. High nitrate levels in surface waters can also contribute to algal growth and eutrophication.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP) provides an understanding of water-quality conditions; whether conditions are getting better or worse over time; and how natural features and human activities affect those conditions. The Surface Water Trends (SWT) project of NWQP evaluates the directions, periods, and statistical significance of trends in water quality in streams and rivers. This data release was generated for SWT and provides annual agricultural pesticide use (1992-2014) for selected watersheds where long-term water quality is measured and where subsequent trend analysis will be conducted. County-level pesticide use estimates for 33 compounds were allocated to agricultural land for 70 SWT watersheds.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP) provides an understanding of water-quality conditions; whether conditions are getting better or worse over time; and how natural features and human activities affect those conditions. The Surface Water Trends (SWT) project of NWQP evaluates the directions, periods, and statistical significance of trends in water quality in streams and rivers. This data release was generated for SWT and provides annual agricultural pesticide use (1992-2014) for selected watersheds where long-term water quality is measured and where subsequent trend analysis will be conducted. County-level pesticide use estimates for 33 compounds were allocated to agricultural land for 70 SWT watersheds.

Long-term freshwater quality data from federal and federal-provincial sampling sites throughout Canada's aquatic ecosystems are included in this dataset. Measurements regularly include physical-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, alkalinity, major ions, nutrients and metals. Collection includes data from active sites, as well as historical sites that have a period of record suitable for trend analysis. Sampling frequencies vary according to monitoring objectives. The number of sites in the network varies slightly from year-to-year, as sites are adjusted according to a risk-based adaptive management framework. The Great Lakes are sampled on a rotation basis and not all sites are sampled every year. Data are collected to meet federal commitments related to transboundary watersheds (rivers and lakes crossing international, inter-provincial and territorial borders) or under authorities such as the Department of the Environment Act, the Canada Water Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, or to meet Canada's commitments under the 1969 Master Agreement on Apportionment.

The Agri-Environmental Indicator Soil Erosion Risk dataset provides the estimated risk of soil loss from the combined effects of wind, water, and tillage for Soil Landscapes of Canada agricultural areas for each year since 1981 to 2021.

This dataset includes a subset of previously released pesticide data (Morace and others, 2020) from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) project and the corresponding hazard index results calculated using the R package toxEval, which are relevant to Mahler and others, 2020. Pesticide and transformation products were analyzed at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado. Files are grouped as pesticides (parent compounds), transformation products (degradate compounds), compounds with no Acute Invertebrate (AI) benchmarks, compounds with no Acute Non-Vascular Plant (ANVP) benchmarks, and compounds not evaluated through the toxEval R program. See Morace and others, 2020 for corresponding quality assurance or quality control data.