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Calculations of annual averaged sulphur dioxide concentrations at ground level in the AOSERP study area


Author(s): Walmsley, J. L., & Bagg D. L.

Year: 1977

Abstract:
The Climatological Dispersion Model and the input data required for calculation of annual averaged values of sulphur dioxide concentrations at ground level are described. The most important meteorological input to the model is the long-term joint frequency distribution of winds in the vicinity of the sources of atmospheric pollution. These data are computed with the help of statistics of wind correlation between Fort McMurray and Mildred Lake, Alberta. Numerical experiments are performed with and without parameterized pollutant removal processes. The effect of incorporating terrain in the model is examinedq Experiments comparing concentrations due to existing sources with those due to existing and future sources are performed. Results are also compared with observational data from pollution monitors and snowpack sampling. Estimates are made of sulphur loading due to dry deposition.

Call in the lawyers; First Nations in both B.C. and Alberta file legal challenges over Site C dam


Author(s): Stodalka, W.

Year: 2014

Abstract:
Another First Nation Chief, McLeod Lake Indian Band Chief Derek Orr, noted that the two earlier Peace River dams influenced his group's decision to oppose Site C. "The W.A.C. Bennett Dam and Peace Canyon Dam were constructed without consultation with our First Nations," he said. "Our fish have been poisoned; our caribou have almost been completely extirpated (driven to localized extinction); we're rapidly running out of places to meaningfully exercise our rights. We do not consent to Site C." "When they built the Bennett Dam, no one thought about how the Delta might be affected," he said. "No one thought about how First Nations might be affected. Once the dam was built, it was too late to address our concerns. We are worried that history is repeating with Site C." "There is too much at stake in the Delta to ignore potential effects of yet another dam on the Peace River," added Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Steve Courtoreille. "Governments needed to take a cautious approach and ensure they understood effects to the Delta and on the Mikisew before they approved Site C. Unfortunately, they chose not to do so."

Canadian Aboriginal concerns with oil sands: A compilation of key issues, resolutions and legal activities


Year: 2010

Abstract:
Aboriginal communities have been raising concerns about the impacts of oil sands development on their communities and their legal rights for a number of years. Increasingly, these concerns are manifesting themselves as formal resolutions and legal challenges. This briefing note outlines their key concerns, shares their commentary and provides an overview of resolutions and legal issues.

Century-long source apportionment of PAHs in Athabasca oil sands region lakes using diagnostic ratios and compound-specific carbon isotope signatures


Year: 2013

Abstract:
Evaluating the impact that airborne contamination associated with Athabasca oil sands (AOS) mining operations has on the surrounding boreal forest ecosystem requires a rigorous approach to source discrimination. This study presents a century-long historical record of source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dated sediments from two headwater lakes located approximately 40 and 55 km east from the main area of open pit mining activities. Concentrations of the 16 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priority PAHs in addition to retene, dibenzothiophene (DBT), and six alkylated groups were measured, and both PAH molecular diagnostic ratios and carbon isotopic signatures (δ13C) of individual PAHs were used to differentiate natural from anthropogenic inputs. Although concentrations of PAHs in these lakes were low and below the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) guidelines, diagnostic ratios pointed to an increasingly larger input of petroleum-derived (i.e., petrogenic) PAHs over the past 30 years concomitant with δ13C values progressively shifting to the value of unprocessed AOS bitumen. This petrogenic source is attributed to the deposition of bitumen in dust particles associated with wind erosion from open pit mines.

Changes in the areal extents of the Athabasca River, Birch River, and Cree Creek Deltas, 1950–2014, Peace–Athabasca Delta, Canada


Author(s): Timoney, K., & Lee P.

Year: 2016

Abstract:
Deltas form where riverborne sediment accumulates at the interface of river mouths and their receiving water bodies. Their areal extent is determined by the net effect of processes that increase their extent, such as sediment accumulation, and processes that decrease their extent, such as erosion and subsidence. Through sequential mapping and construction of river discharge and sediment histories, this study examined changes in the subaerial extents of the Cree Creek and Athabasca River Deltas (both on the Athabasca River system) and the Birch River Delta in northern Canada over the period 1950-2014. The purpose of the study was to determine how, when, and why the deltas changed in areal extent. Temporal growth patterns were similar across the Athabasca and Birch River systems indicative of a climatic signal. Little or no areal growth occurred from 1950 to 1968; moderate growth occurred between 1968 and the early to mid-1980s; and rapid growth occurred between 1992 and 2012. Factors that affected delta progradation included dredging, sediment supply, isostatic drowning, delta front bathymetry, sediment capture efficiency, and storms. In relation to sediment delivered, areal growth rates were lowest in the Athabasca Delta, intermediate in the Birch Delta, and highest in the Cree Creek Delta. Annual sediment delivery is increasing in the Cree Creek Delta; there were no significant trends in annual sediment delivery in the Birch and Athabasca Deltas. There was a lag of up to several years between sediment delivery events and progradation. Periods of delta progradation were associated with low water levels of the receiving basins. Predicted climate-change driven declines in river discharge and lake levels may accelerate delta progradation in the region. In the changing ecosystems of northeastern Alberta, inadequate monitoring of vegetation, landforms, and sediment regimes hampers the elucidation of the nature, rate, and causality of ecosystem changes.

Characterization of trace gases measured over Alberta oil sands mining operations: 76 speciated C2-C10 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) CO2 CH4 CO NO NO2 NOy O3 and SO2


Year: 2010

Abstract:
Oil sands comprise 30% of the world’s oil reserves and the crude oil reserves in Canada’s oil sands deposits are second only to Saudi Arabia. The extraction and processing of oil sands is much more challenging than for light sweet crude oils because of the high viscosity of the bitumen con- tained within the oil sands and because the bitumen is mixed with sand and contains chemical impurities such as sulphur. Despite these challenges, the importance of oil sands is in- creasing in the energy market. To our best knowledge this is the first peer-reviewed study to characterize volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from Alberta’s oil sands mining sites. We present high-precision gas chromatography mea- surements of 76 speciated C2–C10 VOCs (alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, cycloalkanes, aromatics, monoterpenes, oxygenated hydrocarbons, halocarbons and sulphur compounds) in 17 boundary layer air samples collected over surface mining operations in northeast Alberta on 10 July 2008, using the NASA DC-8 airborne laboratory as a research platform. In addition to the VOCs, we present simultaneous measure- ments of CO2, CH4, CO, NO, NO2, NOy, O3 and SO2, which were measured in situ aboard the DC-8. Carbon dioxide, CH4 , CO, NO, NO2 , NOy , SO2 and 53 VOCs (e.g., non-methane hydrocarbons, halocarbons, sul- phur species) showed clear statistical enhancements (1.1– 397×) over the oil sands compared to local background val- Correspondence to: I. J. Simpson (isimpson@uci.edu) ues and, with the exception of CO, were greater over the oil sands than at any other time during the flight. Twenty halo- carbons (e.g., CFCs, HFCs, halons, brominated species) ei- ther were not enhanced or were minimally enhanced (<10%) over the oil sands. Ozone levels remained low because of titration by NO, and three VOCs (propyne, furan, MTBE) remained below their 3 pptv detection limit throughout the flight. Based on their correlations with one another, the com- pounds emitted by the oil sands industry fell into two groups: (1) evaporative emissions from the oil sands and its prod- ucts and/or from the diluent used to lower the viscosity of the extracted bitumen (i.e., C4 –C9 alkanes, C5 –C6 cycloalka- nes, C6–C8 aromatics), together with CO; and (2) emissions associated with the mining effort, such as upgraders (i.e., CO2, CO, CH4, NO, NO2, NOy, SO2, C2–C4 alkanes, C2– C4 alkenes, C9 aromatics, short-lived solvents such as C2Cl4 and C2 HCl3 , and longer-lived species such as HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b). Prominent in the second group, SO2 and NO were remarkably enhanced over the oil sands, with maxi- mum mixing ratios of 38.7 ppbv and 5.0 ppbv, or 383× and 319× the local background, respectively. These SO2 lev- els are comparable to maximum values measured in heavily polluted megacities such as Mexico City and are attributed to coke combustion. By contrast, relatively poor correla- tions between CH4, ethane and propane suggest low levels of natural gas leakage despite its heavy use at the surface mining sites. Instead the elevated CH4 levels are attributed to methanogenic tailings pond emissions.

Characterizing baseline concentrations, proportions, and processes controlling deposition of river-transported bitumen-associated polycyclic aromatic compounds at a floodplain lake (Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada)


Year: 2016

Abstract:
Inadequate knowledge of baseline conditions challenges ability for monitoring programs to detect pollution in rivers, especially where there are natural sources of contaminants. Here, we use paleolimnological data from a flood-prone lake (“SD2”, informal name) in the Slave River Delta (SRD, Canada), ∼500 km downstream of the Alberta oil sands development and the bitumen-rich McMurray Formation to identify baseline concentrations and proportions of “river-transported bitumen-associated indicator polycyclic aromatic compounds” (indicator PACs; Hall et al. 2012) and processes responsible for their deposition. Results show that indicator PACs are deposited in SD2 by Slave River floodwaters in concentrations that are 45 % lower than those in sediments of “PAD31compounds”, a lake upstream in the Athabasca Delta that receives Athabasca River floodwaters. Lower concentrations at SD2 are likely a consequence of sediment retention upstream as well as dilution by sediment influx from the Peace River. In addition, relations with organic matter content reveal that flood events dilute concentrations of indicator PACs in SD2 because the lake receives high-energy floods and the lake sediments are predominantly inorganic. This contrasts with PAD31 where floodwaters increase indicator PAC concentrations in the lake sediments, and concentrations are diluted during low flood influence intervals due to increased deposition of lacustrine organic matter. Results also show no significant differences in concentrations and proportions of indicator PACs between pre- (1967) and post- (1980s and 1990s) oil sands development high flood influence intervals (t = 1.188, P = 0.279, d.f. = 6.136), signifying that they are delivered to the SRD by natural processes. Although we cannot assess potential changes in indicator PACs during the past decade, baseline concentrations and proportions can be used to enhance ongoing monitoring efforts.

Characterizing the organic composition of snow and surface water in the Athabasca region


Year: 2013

Abstract:
This pilot study was conducted by Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures (AITF) to characterize the composition of organics present in snow and surface waters in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) with the goal of identifying whether atmospherically-derived organics present in snow are a significant contributor to the organics detected in rivers and lakes in the region. This study is divided into two parts, each describing a different approach to characterizing the organics present in snow and surface waters. In Part 1, we interpret existing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration data, collected from various monitoring programs in 2011, to compare the composition of PAHs in snow and surface waters across the AOSR. In Part 2, we interpret new ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry analyses of snow and surface water samples collected in 2012 to compare the dissolved polar organics present in snow and surface waters in the Athabasca Oil Sands region (AOSR). The first approach applied in this study uses existing data from snow, river and lake monitoring programs conducted during 2011 which measured total (dissolved + particulate) PAH concentrations in snow and surface waters in the region. The 2011 dataset includes total (dissolved + particulate) concentrations for 34 parent and alkylated PAH species for 105 snow, 272 Athabasca River and tributary, and 3 lake samples. These data were compiled so that the composition of PAHs in the Athabasca River, its tributaries and a small number of lakes could be compared with that of snowmelt. The snow data show compositional differences between the PAHs present in snow sampled from areas closest to oil sands activities (i.e., near-field sites) and from more distant (i.e., far-field) snow sampling locations. Despite large concentration variations in snow along geographic gradients, the composition of PAHs are found to be similar among near-field sites, but change significantly at far-field sites. Both the near- and far-field snow samples have PAH compositions that are different from the PAHs present in the Athabasca River, its tributaries and lakes. Compositional differences in PAH assemblages are also evident between tributaries and the Athabasca River. PAH concentrations in rivers are found to vary seasonally, with peak concentrations observed in July 2011 when Athabasca River levels were at their highest. However, the composition of PAHs present in July 2011 do not resemble the composition of PAHs identified in snow, suggesting that direct transfer of PAHs accumulated on snow from atmospheric deposition to Athabasca River and its tributaries in the area is not a major source of PAHs present in surface waters. The timing of peak PAH concentrations in rivers, which coincides with a high flow period during freshet, does suggest that snowmelt may contribute indirectly to increases in PAH concentrations due to processes such as increased catchment runoff, erosion of stream channels, and snowmelt-induced groundwater inputs during this dynamic hydrologic period. The second approach applied in this study uses Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (ESI-FTICR MS) to characterize the dissolved polar organic composition of snow and surface water samples provided by various Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD) programs conducted in 2012. The 2012 samples analyzed by ESI-FTICR MS include 7 snow samples, 73 Athabasca River and tributary samples, and 6 lake samples. This profiling method identified thousands of dissolved polar compounds including the acidic organic components in negatively charged ESI(-) mode, and basic components in positively-charged ESI(+) mode. Although based on a limited number of samples, the organic profiles obtained for the snow samples in ESI(-) mode show compositional differences in the dissolved organics present in snow sampled from sites closest to oil sands activities (

Christina Lake Thermal Project supplemental land use report


Year: 1998

Abstract:
This land use study was a supplement to the Christina Lake Project Environmental Impact Assessment presented to AEUB in 1998 by PanCanadian Resources. The objectives were to provide baseline information that would identify resources that had been of traditional use and cultural significance to the Aboriginal communities in the area, to outline the current uses of those resources, and to provide the historic harvest records for traplines affected by the proposed development. The study consisted of a literature review of traditional land use and occupancy studies conducted by the Athabasca Native Development Corporation for Aboriginal communities north of Christina Lake, as well as several publications on traditional land use by Fort McKay First Nation. Items discussed in the study include a brief discussion of previous traditional land use studies, regional traditional land use patterns (including flora; fauna; and cabins, trails, gravesites, salt licks, and artesian wells), traplines in the area, and previously-identified issues and concerns.

Circulation of water and sediment in the Athabasca Delta area


Year: 1981

Abstract:
The objective of the study was to describe how water and sediment from the Athabasca River are distributed through the delta system and how they circulate and mix in Lake Athabasca and flow through to the Slave River, with a view to understanding the pathways ano destinations of contaminants that might reach the Athabasca River. Study components included literature reviews, remote sensing interpretations, field investigations and mathematical analyses. The project was viewed as a first stage study to sketch the essentials of the system and to outline needs and methodologies for a better definition.

Climate and water availability indicators in Canada: Challenges and a way forward. Part III – Future scenarios


Year: 2015

Abstract:
Following from Parts I and II of this series (this issue), some common approaches for developing and assessing future scenarios of water availability are reviewed, along with recent case studies of Canadian watersheds. The results of future changes in drought related to climate change are influenced by the choice of indicators. For the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), small changes in drought frequency and severity are projected over southern Canada, reflecting the influence of increases in future annual precipitation only. However, assessments using the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) reveal dramatic increases in the potential for future droughts since this indicator incorporates the combined influences of higher temperatures, soil moisture capacity and precipitation to estimate evapotranspiration. Regarding projected changes in runoff, watersheds in British Columbia tend to show increases in annual and winter runoff. Some watersheds show projected decreases in summer runoff. In the southern Prairies, most watersheds show projected decreases in annual and summer runoff. In Ontario and Quebec, results are mixed. Lake levels in the Great Lakes are projected to decline under most scenarios, but results differ between regional and global climate model-based scenarios due to differences in how lake evaporation is calculated. In New Brunswick, Labrador and northern Quebec, streamflow is projected to increase. Uncertainties in future projections emerge due to differences between climate scenario generating methods, and between hydrologic models used for the assessments. This paper concludes with some thoughts on addressing important research questions related to future scenarios of water availability in Canada. For scenario-based assessments, hydrologic model inter-comparisons might yield some useful insights into uncertainties in model structure that affect evaporation, evapotranspiration and snowmelt calculations. Scenarios developed for assessments should include both future climate and projected land use/cover changes and, where necessary, integration of potential reduction in glacier volume. Finally, as scenarios from regional climate models become more readily available, there may be more opportunity to explore how runoff projections could be applied to basin-scale routing models.

Citation:
Cohen, S., Koshida G., & Mortsch L. (2015).  Climate and water availability indicators in Canada: Challenges and a way forward. Part III – Future scenarios. Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques. 40(2), 12 pages . Abstract

Climate cycles drive aquatic ecologic changes in the Fort McMurray region of northern Alberta, Canada


Year: 2015

Abstract:
Understanding ecologic response to climate cycles will aid in defining current and future ecological changes associated with climate change and allow for a differentiation between climate-driven versus anthropogenic driven environmental stresses. The paleoecological record from a northern Canadian lake located 40 km east of the Athabasca Oil Sands operation records a benthic stress-induced ecological response to climate cycles such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Arcellacea (testate lobose amoebae) preserved in a freeze core obtained from “ALE”, an upland lake in Northeastern Alberta, Canada, were used to reconstruct climate and associated benthic response since 1875 A.D. ALE is situated in a boreal wetland environment where inorganic sediment delivery is overwhelmingly dominated by surface overland flow transport during spring melt. Arcellacea are benthic protists that are excellent indicators of aquatic ecology. Relationships between arcellacean family groupings which represent either healthy or stressed environmental conditions were compared to instrumental climate indices. Modeling using wavelet analysis identified strong ENSO cycles in all arcellacean proxies and weaker PDO cycles in only the healthy ecosystem indicator. The ENSO phenomenon in the tropical Pacific Ocean drives the largest interannual variation in climate across western Canada, and in the study region has been associated with fluctuations in winter precipitation and temperature. The healthy ecosystem indicators decreased in response to positive El Niño and PDO conditions, which are characteristic of decreased precipitation and therefore nutrient input to boreal lakes. The relationship between arcellaceans and climate anomalies shows that climate driven variations in nutrient input influence boreal aquatic ecology. The link between aquatic ecology and climate has significant implications on oil sands risk assessment and the determination of reclamation endpoints.

Comment on "Streamflow input to Lake Athabasca, Canada" by Rasouli et al. (2013)


Author(s): Peters, D. L.

Year: 2014

Abstract:
This comment paper addresses data and analysis issues in a paper entitled "Streamflow Input to Lake Athabasca, Canada" by Rasouli et al. (2013). Analyses of observed and naturalized lake level data for Lake Athabasca are redone in this comment paper with corrected hydrometric data to provide northerners and researchers with the correct information for environmental assessments. The comment paper also highlights the importance of including in the analysis not only direct inflows to Lake Athabasca, but also the hydraulic influences on lake outflow, especially when meaningful future projections of lake levels are required for water management.

Composition and activities of microbial communities in Alberta’s oil sands


Author(s): Wong, M. L.

Year: 2013

Abstract:
Fossil fuels will probably be our main source of energy in the foreseeable future. The fossil fuel that is currently receiving the most attention is oil sands. A focus of many companies with oil sands operations is to look for more environmentally friendly and still economically feasible methods to produce this resource. This thesis focuses on determining the microbial communities in Alberta’s oil sands and their activities with the intention of eventually utilizing this information for improved production strategies. The microbial communities from oil sands outcrops, mined oil sands and oil sands cores were assessed in detail. Oil sands at different depths had diverse microbial communities, while the subsamples obtained from the same environment also displayed varied populations. All oil sands microbial communities have thermophilic genera with enhanced potential in bitumen biodegradation. The combination of oxygen, high temperatures and the absence of light was shown to greatly stimulate bitumen biodegradation.

Concentrations of metallothionein in fish Peace Athabasca and Slave River basins September to December 1994


Year: 1996

Abstract:
Fish from Peace, Athabasca and Slave rivers and their tributaries are exposed to a variety of pulp mill, municipal and industrial effluents (EnviResource 1995; Brown and Vandenbyllaardt, 1996). Assessments of effects of contaminants have focussed on chlorinated organic compounds, such as dioxins and furans (Pastershank and Muir, 1995), and on alterations of parameters affecting reproduction physiology in individual fish (Brown et al., 1993; Brown et al., 1996; Lockhart et al., 1996). These studies have demonstrated that there is exposure to organic contaminants because mixed function oxidase activities are elevated (Lockhart, et al., 1996; Lockhart and Metner, 1996); and that fish collected downstream from the pulp mills may be stressed, because they exhibit a high percentage of sexually immature individuals, and they have depressed circulating concentrations of gonadal steroid hormones (Brown et al., 1993; Brown et al., 1996). The purpose of the research described in this report was to initiate studies to see if metals may be contibuting to these stresses. The objective was to evaluate whether the metal-binding protein, metallothionein, was elevated in organs of burbot, longnose sucker, northern pike or flathead chub collected downstream from pulp mills and other effluent discharge points, and whether there was evidence of cumulative impacts with progression downstream in these rivers. An increase in MT concentrations in fish represents a molecular response that generally indicates exposure and development of resistance to toxicity to metals, especially Cd, Cu, Hg and Zn (Klaverkamp et al. 1991; Roesijadi, 1992). The study was designed by the Northern River Basins Study Science Directors and the Contaminants Component Leader, and was based on selecting fish collection sites on their proximity to discharges from pulp mills. Additional information on fish collection sites and on general biological parameters of fish collected in 1994 is presented in other reports (EnviResource 1995; Brown et al. 1996). Two observations were made, both in burbot, which may indicate exposure to elevated metal concentrations and the presence of cumulative impacts. First, the greatest difference in MT concentrations between collection sites was observed in kidney of burbot collected in the Slave River Delta (SRD) of Great Slave lake. MT concentrations in kidneys from these fish ranged from approximately 7-times to 26-times higher than those concentrations found in kidneys of burbot from other collection sites. MT concentrations in gill of burbot from SRD were also the highest observed. The SRD burbot may be exposed to metals due to natural conditions of high mineralization in the Great Slave Lake Delta or other parts of the lake; or these fish may be exposed to metals discharged by mining operations, such as the decommissioned lead-zinc mine at Pine Point. The counterclockwise current in this portion of the lake could transport metals from a western source, such as Pine Point, to the Slave Delta (English, 1984). Second, a progressive increase in MT concentration in proceeding from upstream fish collection sites to downstream sites was observed in concentrations of MT in burbot liver. In the Peace River and associated tributaries (Little Smoky, Smoky, and Wapiti), there is a progressive increase of up to 3.34-fold in burbot liver [MT] moving from upstream to downstream collection sites. In the upper Athabasca River system, there is a progressive increase of up to 2.33-fold in burbot liver [MT] moving from upstream to downstream collection sites.

Concurrent low flows in the Athabasca River basin


Year: 1989

Abstract:
A hydrologic parameter that has become synonymous with water. qua 1ity eva 1uati ons of ri vers is the term 117Q101l. Thi s term represents the annual minimum 7-day discharge at a particular location along a river, below which flows would be expected to occur in only 10% of the years. The complement to this definition is that there is a 90% chance in any year that the average 7-day flow would never be less than the 7Q10 value. Areal variability in climatic and physiographic parameters throughout the Athabasca River basin produces a number of possible low flow scenarios. The question is then: what is the likely flow at one 1ocation if the flow at another is known to be the 7Q10 flow? The statistical analysis that answers this question is called conditional probability. It is an approach whereby the distribution of flow at one location is mathematically related to flow at another. Scena r; os of expected concurrent flow along the Athabasca River are developed on the assumption that a 7Q10 event occurs at either Hinton, Whitecourt, Athabasca, or Fort McMurray. While expected flows represent the most probable situations, it is possible that a 7Q10 event can occur from a totally different flow pattern than expected. The likelihood of these other scenarios is outlined where appropriate. Both annual and open water scenarios are provided. A number of interesting flow patterns are evident. The premise that low flow events throughout the Athabasca Ri ver bas i n cannot be treated as independent events is confirmed. In the annual flow case, concurrent 7Q10 flows can span the reach from the Lesser Slave River to Lake Athabasca. In the open water case, there is a reasonable chance that concurrent low flows could extend from Whitecourt to Athabasca or from Athabasca to Fort All scena ri os poi nt to the value in basin-wide assessments of low flow.

Concurrent low flows in the Athabasca River Basin


Year: 1989

Abstract:
A hydrologic parameter that has become synonymous with water quality evaluations of rivers is the term “7Q10”. This term represents the annual minimum 7-day discharge at a particular location along a river, below which flows would be expected to occur in only 10% of the years. The complement to this definition is that there is a 90% chance in any year that the average 7-day flow would never be less than the 7Q10 value. Areal variability in climatic and physiographic parameters throughout the Athabasca River basin produces a number of possible low flow scenarios. The question is then: what is the likely flow at one location if the flow at another is known to be the 7Q10 flow? The statistical analysis that answers this question is called conditional probability. It is an approach whereby the distribution of flow at one location is mathematically related to flow at another. Scenarios of expected concurrent flow along the Athabasca River are developed on the assumption that a 7Q10 event occurs at either Hinton, Whitecourt, Athabasca, or Fort McMurray. While expected flows represent the most probable situations, it is possible that a 7Q10 event can occur from a totally different flow pattern than expected. The likelihood of these other scenarios is outlined where appropriate. Both annual and open water scenarios are provided. A number of interesting flow patterns are evident. The premise that low flow events throughout the Athabasca River basin cannot be treated as independent events is confirmed. In the annual flow case, concurrent 7Q10 flows can span the reach from the Lesser Slave River to Lake Athabasca. In the open water case, there is a reasonable chance that concurrent low flows could extend from Whitecourt to Athabasca or from Athabasca to Fort McMurray. All scenarios point to the value in basin-wide assessments of low flow.

Contaminants in environmental samples: Mercury in the Peace Athabasca and Slave River basins


Year: 1996

Abstract:
This report summarizes and describes environmental levels of mercury in water, sediment, invertebrates, and fish from the Athabasca, Peace, and Slave river basins. Data were obtained from existing provincial and federal databases, the Northern Rivers Basins Study, and from government and private sector reports and publications. Mercury has been measured in several hundred water samples from the Basins. Mercury was detected in only a few of these samples. However, appropriate field and laboratory protocols to sample mercury in water were not used in the past; thus most detections of this element in water may not be reliable. It is noteworthy however, that because of high detection limits (0.05 to 0.1 pg/kg) mercury was not detected in most municipal effluents, and only occasionally in industrial effluents. Mercury is ubiquitous to all soils and sediments of the earth, and it is not surprising that it was found in sediment samples from the Basins at levels that range from 27 to 123 pg/kg (dry weight). Levels of mercury found in sediments were well below the current draft interim sediment guideline for mercury that was developed to protect aquatic life. The guideline is 170 pg/kg mercury (dry weight). There was no obvious increase in mercury in sediments downstream of industrial effluents compared with sediment at upstream sites. Sediment cores from Lake Athabasca indicate that mercury levels have not increased over at the past 50 years or more, and they also suggest that the Athabasca River basin is the principal source of mercury to Lake Athabasca. Mercury was not detected (< 20 pg/kg) in nine invertebrate samples collected from the Athabasca River in the Hinton to Whitecourt reach (km 1244 to 1067). However, in 1983 in the reach from km 270 to 258 that spans the Suncor operation, mercury increased in aquatic invertebrates in the downstream direction, from 70 to 1400 pg/kg. This significant increase, and the unusually high level in aquatic invertebrates, suggests that the Suncor operation in the early 1980s was a significant source of mercury to the lower Athabasca River. However, mercury levels in a single sample of invertebrates from 1994 for this same reach suggests that the Suncor operation is no longer a major source of mercury. Mercury was detected in all fish of every species taken from all lakes and rivers. In general, mercury levels in the Basins were highest in predatory fish species such as pike, walleye, burbot, and bull trout and the maximum levels were found in large specimens of these species. For the Athabasca River basin, the decreasing order for concentration of mercury in fish was walleye > goldeye > northern pike > longnose sucker > mountain whitefish. Because of high levels of mercury, consumption guidelines have been established for walleye and pike from two lakes in the Athabasca River basin, and for walleye caught from the Athabasca River. Consumption guidelines are reported by Alberta Environmental Protection in their "Annual Guide To Sport Fishing". In the reach of the Athabasca River from the town of Athabasca(km700)to the southern boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park(km 127),25%of all walleye had mercury concentrations that exceeded the Health Canada limit of 500 pg/kg. Detailed studies are required to determine the relative contribution ofnatural and industrial sources to the mercury It is recommended that: 1. Mercury concentration in walleye from Lake Athabasca and at sites along the lower Athabasca River downstream from the town of Athabasca be measured at regular intervals, perhaps every two years. 2. A detailed study be conducted in the lower Athabasca River to evaluate and to identify mechanisms and pathways o f mercury uptake by aquatic biota. The tarsands, an organic rich substrate, forms a significant part of the banks of the Athabasca River and its tributaries in this reach. Tarsands may enhance mercury uptake into the food web. An evaluation of the contribution ofthe waste-water effluent from town ofFort McMurry and the contribution of the Suncor operation to mercury loading in the lower Athabasca River should be part of this study

Contributions of Cree knowledge: naketehtamasoyahk ote nekan nitaskenan (caring for the land for the future)


Author(s): Geertsema, K. A.

Year: 2008

Abstract:
Aboriginal peoples in many parts of the world have developed ways of monitoring, amassing information, understanding and making associations about the local ecosystems they depend upon for subsistence resources. Appropriately, using their Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and ecosystem monitoring expertise may facilitate sustainable ecological systems. Systematic ecosystem monitoring is incidental to the sustainability of local ecosystem integrity and health. In areas disturbed by significant industrial, land and resource development, the capacity to "monitor" changing ecosystem conditions is crucial. This research demonstrates how five Aboriginal (Cree) communities in northern Alberta, Canada incorporate "systematic" ecosystem monitoring elements to assess local ecosystem condition and changes. The systematic ecosystem monitoring elements are described, including the use of "cultural keystone species" as condition indicators, the diagnostic measures used, the temporal and spatial elements, and how Cree Land Based Experts interpret and make associations about the health of fish, wildlife, plants, landscape habitat, water and air. This research reports on the observations of populations and condition of a number of cultural keystone species, hydrological yield and quality, and critical wildlife habitat affected by the cumulative effects of forestry, oil and gas, and a contaminant treatment facility development in the study area. The work also discusses the implications and ramifications to local Cree people to these changing ecological conditions. Finally, this research suggests how local Aboriginal peoples, their Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and their ecosystem monitoring expertise, can be of applied use within ecosystem management, and cumulative effects frameworks.

Controls on the spatial distribution of soil moisture and solute transport in a sloping reclamation cover


Year: 2008

Abstract:
A detailed field study was conducted to map the spatial distribution of soil moisture and salt transport within a sloping clay-rich reclamation cover overlying a saline-sodic shale overburden landform. The soil moisture data suggest that: lower-slope positions are wetter in spring due to the down-slope movement of surface run-off; infiltration occurs via preferential flow paths while the ground is frozen; and, interflow occurs along the cover–shale surface when the ground thaws. Soil moisture conditions also remain wetter in lower-slope positions throughout the summer and fall. Salt transport from the shale into the overlying cover is affected predominantly by soil moisture conditions and lateral groundwater flux. Quasi one-dimensional modelling of in situ profiles of pore-water Na+ concentration demonstrate that: (i) increased soil moisture conditions in lower-slope positions accelerate salt transport into the cover through diffusion; (ii) snow melt infiltration water bypasses the soil matrix higher in the cover profile; (iii) drier conditions in the mid- and upper-slope positions limit salt transport through diffusion; (iv) advection accelerates upward salt transport in lower-slope positions; and, (v) interflow and (or) deep percolation are key mechanisms mitigating vertical salt movement in lower- and upper-slope positions.

Cooperative transboundary water governance in Canada’s Mackenzie River Basin: Status and prospects


Author(s): de Loë, R., & Morris M.

Year: 2014

Abstract:
Canada is a party to one of the world’s better-known institutions for transboundary water management, the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 and the organisation it created, the International Joint Commission (e.g. Fischhendler and Feitelson 2005). Less well known internationally are institutions for transboundary water management within Canada. Internal transboundary experiences are pertinent in the context of this book because, we argue, the challenges of governing water across jurisdictional boundaries within countries organised as federations can be as profound as those facing sovereign countries. For instance, conflicts such as the ‘Tri-State Water Wars’ among Georgia, Florida and Alabama (Jordan and Wolf 2006) point to the need for effective transboundary water management in the United States. Australian experiences with transboundary water governance in the Murray–Darling Basin also offer numerous insights relevant for federal states (e.g. Bhat 2009; see also Ross and Connell, Chapter 13, this volume). Like Australia and the United States, Canada is a federation where responsibility for water is divided among jurisdictions at multiple levels. Under Canada’s constitution, the federal government and the ten provincial governments share responsibility for water. The division of responsibility in Canada is complex because water is not mentioned specifically in the Canadian constitution

Citation:
de Loë, R., & Morris M. (2014).  Cooperative transboundary water governance in Canada’s Mackenzie River Basin: Status and prospects. The Politics of River Basin Organisations: Coalitions, Institutional Design Choices and Consequences. 8 pages . Abstract

Cree can 'taste' rich settlement


Author(s): Fisher, M.

Year: 1985

Abstract:
Many other bands in this prime fur-trading region reached agreement with the Government in the late nineteenth century when Treaties 6 and 7 were signed. But this Cree band did not surrender its claim to the land "because the elders had heard Indians were being herded on to reserves and they didn't want this," Mr. [Archie Waquan] said. "I'm glad they waited." The wait has not always been pleasant.

Cumulative impacts to FMFN#468 traditional lands & life ways: Shell Jackpine Mine Expansion and Pierre River Mine Report for regulatory hearings


Author(s): Labour, S., & Dickson B.

Year: 2012

Abstract:
This report was prepared in support of Fort McMurray First Nation #468’s (FMFN#468’s) participation at the regulatory hearings for Shell Canada Energy’s (Shell’s) Jackpine Mine Expansion and Pierre River Mine projects. As can be seen in Figure 1, both of the proposed projects are within the northern reaches of FMFN #468’s traditional lands.1 This report provides a description of existing effects and disturbance in FMFN #468’s territory, and of how Shell’s two proposed developments – the Jackpine Mine Expansion (JPMX) and Pierre River Mine (PRM) – are situated within FMFN #468’s known and recorded traditional land use (TLU).

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