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Forsythe has been measuring water levels at historic steamboat wharves along the St. John River. Pictured is the area near Queenstown Wharf in Hampstead Parish. (Mike Heenan\/CBC)<\/p>\nA New Brunswick environmental scientist says water levels in some parts of the province are a metre lower than they were a century ago \u2014 and this could be the new normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’s very significant,” Colin Forsythe, the executive director of the St. John River Society, told CBC\u00a0Radio’s Information Morning Fredericton. “It is truly astounding just how low the water levels are. It’s scary.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Forsythe said water levels are low in part because of the historic drought that hit\u00a0the province this summer, but he said the issue really began last winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We didn’t have a really big snow pack, so we didn’t have the usual freshet melt that would recharge groundwater aquifers [and] wetlands, and provide water to the river,” he said.<\/p>\n
Forsythe has been measuring water levels at historic steamboat wharves along the St. John River. Pictured is the area near Queenstown Wharf in Hampstead Parish. (Mike Heenan\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Forsythe said this level of drought shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone anymore.<\/p>\n
“This is exactly what the climate models that we have\u00a0have been predicting: increased amounts of warm weather, or hot and dry weather, and a lot of climate instability.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
WATCH | ‘It’s a big message that says, ‘Hey, our climate here in New Brunswick is drying out’:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1759506009_655_default.jpg\")
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The St. John River is at an all-time low. Here\u2019s why it\u2019s so worrisome:<\/p>\n
Water levels of the St. John River \u2014 also known as the Wolastoq \u2014 have experts concerned as they navigate the impact on the ecosystem. <\/p>\n
When he was taking water samples\u00a0at the heritage steamboat wharves along the lower St. John River last week, he\u00a0found that water levels were at a historic low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And when conducting the watershed’s electrofishing survey, his group found certain areas that could usually be fished but were completely dry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When you can actually see the crib work at some of the steamboat wharves that hasn’t been above the surface of the water in 100 years, that’s a really big red flag…\u2014\u00a0Colin Forsythe<\/p>\n
“When you can actually see the crib work at some of the steamboat wharves that hasn’t been above the surface of the water in 100 years, that’s a really big red flag that stuff is not in good shape,” said Forsythe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said the impacts on some species are significant. Less water and higher air temperatures force water temperatures to rise too.<\/p>\n
For coldwater fish\u00a0including salmon and trout, water temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius\u00a0can be lethal.\u00a0Warmer water has less dissolved oxygen, “so there’s literally less oxygen for aquatic life to breathe,” said Forsythe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Forsythe said low water levels can have significant impacts on aquatic species, including salmon and trout, by increasing water temperatures, lowering the amount of oxygen in the water, and reducing habitat. (Mike Heenan\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Lower water levels also mean the loss of habitat, and can eliminate spawning beds for some species.\u00a0The same group of conditions can lower the water’s acidity levels,\u00a0or pH, and lead to a concentration of\u00a0bacteria, including E. coli and other types of\u00a0fecal coliforms.<\/p>\n
Actions can make a difference<\/p>\n
Forsythe said solutions are available and start at home. New Brunswickers can reduce their groundwater use by taking shorter showers, avoiding running\u00a0washing machines several times in one day, and refraining from\u00a0watering\u00a0lawns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is also important to conserve,\u00a0restore and protect wetlands, Forsythe said: “Those act as sponges and reservoirs for water that re-release it.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riparian zones, where land meets a body of water, should stay well-vegetated to help\u00a0keep water temperatures down, he added.<\/p>\n
Information Morning – Moncton10:42Extremely low water levels in Saint John river causing problems for wildlife, boaters and scientists<\/p>\n
Colin Forsythe is the executive director of the St. John River Society.<\/p>\n
“By covering some of those brooks, they reduce evaporation on them, they help with runoff of chemical and nutrient pollutants,” he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Forsythe said the Environmental Trust Fund has been instrumental in funding important projects for habitat restoration in the province. It was de-funded by the former Progressive Conservation government, and the Holt government has promised to “modernize” it.<\/p>\n