The Swift Current Creek Watershed Stewards Executive Director Kevin Steinley spoke to City Council last night, and things appear to be going swimmingly on the water and fish side of things.

The 2017 Swift Current Creek Water Monitoring Project, which the City paid $22,870 for between in-kind and cash contributions, was a one-year look at the water quality of the Swift Current Creek and its watershed.

According to Steinley, things were overall pretty similar to how they were when the last study was done in 2007, except that this time the water quality was a little lower because of more salts and minerals in the water.

Steinley said that can be attributed to runoff entering the creek followed by hot, dry weather, causing water to evaporate, thus increasing the concentration of total dissolved solids.

"Just some observations on water quality, and the one thing to remember about this study is that it was basically a one-year snapshot of water quality," Steinley said. "But it still provides some very useful information. So the results did not raise any red flags about severe water quality issues."

Things are looking good for the water's inhabitants too, according to Steinley.

"Fish populations are healthy with the majority of fish being in good condition. So the creek contains a significant diversity of fish species, including those important to recreational fishing in the watershed, and it indicates that the creek maintains a healthy ecosystem for aquatic life."