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Breathing new life into Grand River

The early morning hours are often a desperate struggle for survival (for the Grand River). To understand why, we have to look at something invisible to the naked eye. We need to talk about dissolved oxygen.

If you stand on the banks of the Grand River as the sun comes up over Brantford, the water looks incredibly peaceful. The morning mist rises off the surface, and the current moves with a quiet, steady rhythm.

But beneath the surface, the early morning hours are often a desperate struggle for survival.

Breathing new life into Grand River Back to video

To understand why, we have to look at something invisible to the naked eye. We need to talk about dissolved oxygen.

When we think about fish breathing, we often forget that they do not actually breathe water. They rely on microscopic bubbles of oxygen gas trapped between the water molecules. If those oxygen levels drop too low, the fish simply suffocate.

Most of us assume that a river has a constant supply of oxygen, but the reality is much more complicated. A river is a living, breathing entity, and its oxygen levels rise and fall........

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