By Seetal Dhalawal, PEN, Fall Edition 2018
Ottawa’s 1,272km long namesake river is enjoyed by kayakers, canoers, and makes for a fun way to spend time outdoors. It is also home to many species of plants and animals, such as the American Eagle, Great Blue Heron, beavers, river otters, frogs, many rare species like the American Eel, as well as diverse fish and insect species.
Like many other water sources around the world, the Ottawa River watershed is facing its share of pollution and threats that are damaging its biodiversity. These include dams which alter the natural flow of the river, hurting habitats and migratory species, and destruction of wetlands by humans. Pollution such as chemicals from factories, households, stormwater runnoff, agricultural runoff are also major factors, as well as
plastic debris and garbage.
https://percdraft.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/fall2018reg.pdf