The Coppermine River provides drinking water for the community of Kugluktuk, as well as critical freshwater habitat for Arctic Char and Dolly Varden Char, which are important year-round sources of nutritious country food for Inuit harvesters. Local fishers and community members from Kugluktuk have raised concerns about the impacts of climate change and upstream resource development on water quality, water temperature, water level, and health of char in the Coppermine River, as well as in other freshwater systems that are used by community members from Kugluktuk. In response to community concerns, the Kugluktuk HTO is either the proponent or the host institution for several sampling programs that are related to water quality and fish health in the area. To reduce administrative burden for the HTO and regulators, we are submitting one project for all sampling programs over the next decade where the HTO is the proponent and/or the host institution. There are three main activities to research and monitor water quality and fish health: 1. Water sampling in the Coppermine River and tributaries. Water samples will be collected and submitted for analysis of nutrients and metals. Water sampling may be expanded to other freshwater systems in the future if funds allow and if there is interest from the community. 2. Monitoring water temperature and water level. Two to three water level and temperature loggers will be installed along the lower reaches of the Coppermine River. Metal housings for the loggers (with footprints less than 0.5 m2) will be bolted into bedrock to ensure consistency in logger locations among years. Loggers may be installed in other freshwater systems in the future if funds allow and if there is interest from the community.3. Collection of biological samples from fish harvested by local, subsistence fishers. Biological samples may include tissues (to be analyzed for metals), fin clips (for DNA analysis), otoliths (fish ear bones, to determine fish ages), and physical measurements (e.g., length, weight, sex). Fish will be collected from the Coppermine River, as well as other freshwater and marine systems used by local fishers. Information will be used by the community to learn about the char species that are harvested in the local fishery and to monitor char over time.