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Water quality conditions and long-term trends in Alberta lakes

Description

Alberta Environment and Water (AEW) monitors the surface water quality of provincial lakes to evaluate short- and long-term environmental conditions, and to inform lake management and policy. The... More ≫

Description

Alberta Environment and Water (AEW) monitors the surface water quality of provincial lakes to evaluate short- and long-term environmental conditions, and to inform lake management and policy. The objectives of the study were to: 1) review AEW provincial water quality database and select lakes with long-term data suitable for statistical trend analysis; 2) provide and overview of water quality conditions and long-term trends in lakes; and 3) investigate the influences of water management and lake level on water quality.

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Results of aquatic studies in the McLeod and Upper Smoky River systems

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Selenium is a naturally occurring element, commonly found in rocks and soil. It is a nutrient usually required in small amounts by humans and other organisms, but it can be toxic at only slightly... More ≫

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Selenium is a naturally occurring element, commonly found in rocks and soil. It is a nutrient usually required in small amounts by humans and other organisms, but it can be toxic at only slightly higher levels. Concerns related to the fate and effects of selenium in aquatic ecosystems near mountain coal mines in west-central Alberta arose in the late-1990s. Mobilisation of selenium from geologic sources into surface water due to mining has occurred at three coal mines in the upper McLeod River and upper Smoky River systems. In 2000, Alberta Environment initiated various aquatic studies to: continue and establish new ambient monitoring of selenium and other metals at reference and exposed sites in streams near the three mountain mines; determine selenium levels in surface water and food web of streams, and to evaluate the data in a conceptual food web; and conduct a pilot study to determine selenium levels at old closed coal mines in the foothills of south-western Alberta. This...

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Wabamun Lake water quality 1982 to 2001

Description

This report outlines how in the early 1980s, Alberta Environment established a formal water quality monitoring program at Wabamun Lake. The program was designed to determine long-term patterns in... More ≫

Description

This report outlines how in the early 1980s, Alberta Environment established a formal water quality monitoring program at Wabamun Lake. The program was designed to determine long-term patterns in the overall water quality of the lake. It was not designed to evaluate the effects of specific activities (e.g., point and non-point source inputs) in the watershed.

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Disinfection by-products in the Wabamun Lake water treatment plant-treated water and Wabamun Lake, July 2002 To March 2003

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Several studies were initiated in 2002 to address concerns related to a fish kill and metal levels in sediments from Wabamun Lake. This study was conducted by Alberta Environment to determine the... More ≫

Description

Several studies were initiated in 2002 to address concerns related to a fish kill and metal levels in sediments from Wabamun Lake. This study was conducted by Alberta Environment to determine the occurrence and temporal and spatial variability of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in treated water from the Wabamun Lake Water Treatment Plant (WL-WTP), at sites in the vicinity of the treated water discharge, and at other sites further away within the lake. This report provides the findings of the sampling program.

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Effects of water temperature and treated pulp mill effluent on survival and growth of Daphnia magna (Cladocera: Daphnidae) and Taenionema (Plecoptera: Taeniopterygidae)

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The objective of this report is to determine whether the ecological effects of treated bleached kraft pulp mill effluent on aquatic invertebrates vary with water temperature. To address this... More ≫

Description

The objective of this report is to determine whether the ecological effects of treated bleached kraft pulp mill effluent on aquatic invertebrates vary with water temperature. To address this objective, we initially summarized existing studies that evaluated the interactive effects of water temperature on the toxicity of a variety of compounds to aquatic invertebrates. This review indicated that there is a moderately large amount of information indicating that toxic effects of contaminants or other physicochemical stressors can vary with water temperature. These interactive effects between contaminant concentrations and water temperature raise the issue of whether toxic effects of pulp mill effluents that are typically evaluated at 15oC to 20oC, are representative of those at lower temperatures. This is relevant to rivers receiving pulp mill effluent in Alberta, which have lowest dilution capacity in winter, when water temperatures are near 0oC for five months or more. Our review of...

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