Project Outline
The project will complete the outstanding chemical/isotope analyses from existing samples, data analyses and reporting/publications on: (1) the assessment approach developed by Environment Canada under the JOSMP (2012-2015) and tested on the MacKay River in 2014/15 and (2) the JOSMP source attribution study on a documented OSPW groundwater plume (2014/15).
Objectives:
Develop and provide appropriate demonstrated methods and techniques to contribute and/or provide answers to key groundwater/surface-water interaction questions needed for developing long-term monitoring strategies:
- What is the nature and distribution of groundwater discharge to river systems in the oil sands region?
- What role and to what degree does groundwater affect surface water quality and how will changes in groundwater discharge affect this?
- What role and to what degree is groundwater involved in maintaining aquatic habitat and how will changes in groundwater discharge affect these areas?
- Are there groundwater discharge locations that are vital to maintaining the river’s aquatic ecosystem or locations particularly vulnerable to contamination/
- Are contaminants entering the aquatic ecosystems (e.g. river systems) from oil sands operations via the groundwater?
- Are there ecological effects in the aquatic ecosystem that are attributable (in whole or in part) to changes in groundwater quality or quantity?
Key Outcomes:
Baseline information required to inform the OSM regarding if, how, where why and when groundwater monitoring should be established to monitor groundwater surface-water interactions in the oil sand region for the MacKay River and an approach to apply on other rivers in the future. Specifically:
1) Quantifying or constraining the contribution of groundwater to river discharge for the overall river and individual reaches of the river
2) Identification of locations of groundwater discharge and determining groundwater quality at key locations
3) Context for interpreting and evaluating surface water quality and aquatic habitat (e.g. maintenance of wintering habitat and under ice flow)
Objectives:
Assessment of validation study of newly developed source attribution methods applied to a known OSPW groundwater plume. Part of the larger study to develop/evaluate chemical tools for monitoring for OSPW impacts in groundwater.
Key Outcome:
Assessment of the performance and suitability of newly developed techniques and conventional methods at characterizing and separating OSPW from natural impacts on groundwater.
Geographic Scope:
- Primarily the MacKay River from the confluence of the Dunkirk River to the Athabasca River. Some sections of other selected major tributaries of the Athabasca River also included (i.e. Ells, Steepbank, Firebag and Muskeg Rivers) in the active and proposed oil sands production areas.
- Mildred Lake area
Associated Data:
Efforts in 2015/16 will be focused on completing analyses, data synthesis and reporting/publications from 2014-2015 field work and future program design with AMERA.