Digital Waters is a Toronto-based non-profit developing affordable, made-in-Canada water monitoring technology to better understand and protect our local waterways. Since early fall of 2024, we’ve been monitoring Yellow Creek using a series of three devices spaced roughly 500 meters apart along the creek, beginning just south of Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Each device captures high-frequency data, photographs and temperature readings are taken every few minutes and published in near real-time on our website. Our goal is to provide continuous, publicly accessible insight into the conditions of urban waterways across the GTA.
In Yellow Creek, we’ve observed notable differences in water quality over short distances. At the northernmost monitoring point, where the creek first emerges from Toronto’s stormwater infrastructure, the water is consistently murky, often carrying sediment and a greyish tone even on clear days. Yet just 500 meters downstream, the water appears significantly clearer.
This natural self-filtering process is striking. However, clearer water is not always cleaner water. Yellow Creek receives runoff from several stormwater outlets, and because much of the creek flows through buried infrastructure, it is exposed to road residue, construction discharge, and occasionally sewage overflow. Especially after heavy rain.
Some of the patterns we’ve recorded, including persistent cloudiness upstream and abrupt changes in water chemistry, suggest that poor water quality in Yellow Creek may not be limited to storm events but may also reflect ongoing, systemic issues.
These findings are not definitive, but they raise important questions. What is the source of these consistent pollutants? How resilient is this urban creek system over time? What does “normal” even mean for a waterway surrounded by dense infrastructure?
Digital Waters is currently expanding its monitoring network and seeking local collaborators, both individuals and organizations, who are interested in data-driven approaches to watershed stewardship. If you’re curious to explore our findings, contribute time or expertise, or support the work we’re doing, we’d love to hear from you.
Visit the dashboard at Digital Waters to view the data or reach out to Digital Waters directly.