Humphrey’s Brook is an urban tributary of the Petitcodiac River, with a sub-watershed area of 38 km2. Aero Lake is found within its area and covers 1.8 km2 of the watershed.
The headwaters of Humphrey’s Brook flow through the Greater Moncton airport complex, a golf course, and the Caledonia industrial park. Lower reaches of the brook are surrounded by residential properties, an abandoned textile factory, and a scrap yard. Humphrey’s Brook is also the receiving end of many storm and sanitary sewer pipes as water is diverted away from the developed landscape.
During the summer of 2013, efforts from the City of Moncton and Petitcodiac Riverkeeper saw the removal of a dam that was constructed in 1923 (Figure 3). The dam removal resulted in fish access to upper reaches of the brook and allowed debris and sediment that had accumulated at the dam to be flushed through the stream. Now Humphrey’s Brook is able to flow freely into Hall’s Creek.
In the lower, tidal section of Humphreys Brook, wetland destruction and snow dumping also cause threats to water quality. Nearby wetlands have been targeted by developers to be infilled and used as snow dumps during the winter months. During the summer these wetlands are infilled with all sorts of unknown fill material that could possibly be laced with toxic substances. In addition to infilling, the loss of these wetlands diminishes the environment’s capacity to filter and clean its waters (surface and ground). Where snow is not being dumped into wetlands, it is disposed of directly into the brook.
Water quality site name: Humphrey’s Brook @ Mill Rd. in Moncton
Site code: HB
Coordinates: 46.11036, -64.76589
