The federal government has a long history with water in the north. There are quality and quantity indicators that they measure at the border and at different sites—they have different sites in Alberta—as does Alberta.
Now that we are doing aquatic ecosystem management through these bilateral agreements, all these indicators are critical, not just at the border but also what's happening farther into Alberta, in the Mackenzie basin for example, and B.C. There is a need for good information, because you can't manage what you can't count and can't see.
We are looking at biological indicators, all the quality indicators, the types of substances. What we are measuring for in the water is not just coliform counts and such, but a lot of these exotic metals and chemicals. As for the quantities, we are dealing with groundwater now, as well as air monitoring. We all have a collective responsibility, and we want to make sure that the federal government continues to play a key role in that area and doesn't vacate the field for whatever reason.