Abstract
Land use practices have impacted water quality worldwide. In British Columbia’s lower Fraser Valley, urbanization and agricultural practices are rapidly intensifying. To study the impacts that land use has on water quality in the Fraser Valley I analyzed water quality data collected in Bertrand Creek and Pepin Creek watersheds, located in the municipalities of Langley and Abbotsford. Using the grouping analysis tool in ArcGIS 10.1, water quality indicators; dissolved oxygen, temperature and specific conductivity, were grouped into three natural clusters. This analysis identified forest areas as having good water quality with low temperatures and average dissolved oxygen levels. It also showed that agriculture, industry and urban areas had poor water quality with either high temperatures, low dissolved oxygen and/or high conductivity levels.