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Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Indigenous Lake monitoring program evaluation report

Description

The Indigenous Lake Monitoring Program (ILMP) was developed in response to Indigenous communities’ concerns about the quality of lakes of local importance as well as the Community-Based Monitoring... More ≫

Description

The Indigenous Lake Monitoring Program (ILMP) was developed in response to Indigenous communities’ concerns about the quality of lakes of local importance as well as the Community-Based Monitoring & Knowledge teams’ mandate to explore opportunities to work together with Indigenous communities to advance environmental stewardship. The ILMP aims to support and enable stewardship and management of Alberta’s lakes based on the best available Indigenous and scientific knowledge. From 2016-21, staff from CBM&K, Watershed Sciences and Watershed Monitoring units within the Airshed & Watershed Stewardship Branch worked with community technicians from four First Nations (Bigstone Cree Nation, Cold Lake First Nations, Whitefish Lake First Nation, Dene Tha' First Nation) to collect and report on water chemistry, physical measurements, and biological samples on seven lakes in Northern Alberta. The ILMP Evaluation Report summarizes the findings of an independent evaluation of the ILMP...

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North Saskatchewan river : water quality and related studies (2007-2012) final report

Description

The purpose of this report was to provide a synoptic evaluation of the North Saskatchewan River and anthropogenic impacts on that system. The report summarizes data collected from 2007-2012 and... More ≫

Description

The purpose of this report was to provide a synoptic evaluation of the North Saskatchewan River and anthropogenic impacts on that system. The report summarizes data collected from 2007-2012 and builds on findings from technical study reports produced during this time period, including information on water quality, sediment quality and biota. This document provides a summary of the studies conducted, their purpose, methods, information gained and relevance to local and basin-wide water management. The report also evaluates the present state of the aquatic environment in the NSR and assesses effects on the in-stream water quality and aquatic ecosystem health resulting from current human activities in the watershed.

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Report on Canada Creosote site - North Bow screening level risk assessment update

Description

This follow-up investigation and screening level HHRA update was completed to address data gaps and recommendations outlined in the HHRA previously conducted by Golder in 2010 and 201.... More ≫

Description

This follow-up investigation and screening level HHRA update was completed to address data gaps and recommendations outlined in the HHRA previously conducted by Golder in 2010 and 201. Specifically, the objective of this investigation was to collect additional seasonal groundwater and soil vapour data at the site, and to update the previous HHRA based on this new data. The soil vapour sampling events carried out as part of this investigation targeted times of year when groundwater levels were expected to be at their approximate lowest and the vapour risk was assumed to be at its approximate highest.

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Evaluation of aquatic plants and controlling factors in the North Saskatchewan River : final report

Description

In the North Saskatchewan River, the abundance, distribution and the factors that control macrophytes are poorly understood. To address this data gap, Alberta ESRD contracted Golder Associates to... More ≫

Description

In the North Saskatchewan River, the abundance, distribution and the factors that control macrophytes are poorly understood. To address this data gap, Alberta ESRD contracted Golder Associates to assist with conducting a 2010 aquatic macrophyte sampling program, which consisted of three main components: 1) a visual observation survey of macrophyte density between Devon and Pakan; 2) a longitudinal sampling program that assessed macrophytes and other biotic and abiotic parameters between Rocky Mountain House and the Alberta/Saskatchewan border; and 3) a seasonal sampling program that assessed the temporal variability of macrophytes and other biotic and abiotic parameters between Fort Saskatchewan and Pakan.

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Assessment of recent changes in water quality of the Bow River downstream of the Canada Creosote site in Calgary

Description

These sampling results provide no evidence that the target compounds occur regularly in river water along the left bank (facing downstream), on the north side of the river. Contaminant movement... More ≫

Description

These sampling results provide no evidence that the target compounds occur regularly in river water along the left bank (facing downstream), on the north side of the river. Contaminant movement from the remaining pool of DNAPL in the river bed close to the right bank (facing downstream) remains the likely source of compounds detected on that side of the river downstream from the Canada Creosote site.

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North Saskatchewan integrated water quality model enhancement for scenarios analysis : final report

Description

The North Saskatchewan River (NSR) watershed in Alberta drains 57,000 square kilometers. The sparsely populated NSR headwaters are at the Saskatchewan Glacier in Banff National Park and are mostly... More ≫

Description

The North Saskatchewan River (NSR) watershed in Alberta drains 57,000 square kilometers. The sparsely populated NSR headwaters are at the Saskatchewan Glacier in Banff National Park and are mostly pristine. The river flows more than 1,000 kilometers from its headwaters to the Alberta– Saskatchewan border with an annual outflow of 7.2 billion cubic meters. The NSR joins the South Saskatchewan River and eventually flows into Lake Winnipeg. Water use along the NSR and its tributaries includes human consumption, waste assimilation, hydroelectric power generation, oil and gas extraction, mining, and agriculture. Major dams in the watershed are two hydropower peaking facilities: the Bighorn on the mainstem of the NSR, which forms Abraham Lake and the Brazeau Reservoir on the Brazeau River. Land uses in the watershed include agriculture, resource exploration and extraction, forestry, recreation, urban centers and country residential development. The largest urban area is the Capital...

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Synthesis of recent knowledge on water quality, sediment quality and non-fish biota in the North Saskatchewan River with special emphasis on the Industrial Heartland-Capital Region Water Management Framework reach

Description

The main objective of this report is to provide a succinct overview of the technical studies conducted in support of the Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland-Capital Region... More ≫

Description

The main objective of this report is to provide a succinct overview of the technical studies conducted in support of the Water Management Framework for the Industrial Heartland-Capital Region (IH-CR). The IH-CR supports a population of over one million people and a large segment of Alberta’s resource processing heavy industry, and the region is expected to continue to experience industrial and population growth. Unless this growth is managed carefully, cumulative impacts on the river from point and non-point source loading of contaminants could lead to the deterioration of water quality and aquatic ecosystem health. The Water Management Framework for the IH-CR focuses on the management of current and future municipal and industrial impacts.

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Baseline water well testing data assessment

Description

Alberta Innovates Technology Futures was contracted by Alberta Environment to review and evaluate the data held in the Baseline Water Well Testing database to determine trends in baseline... More ≫

Description

Alberta Innovates Technology Futures was contracted by Alberta Environment to review and evaluate the data held in the Baseline Water Well Testing database to determine trends in baseline conditions and any observable changes in water quality of wells that were tested more than once. Includes several recommendations for future data capture and entry.

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South Saskatchewan regional plan surface water quality management framework : statistical methods, final report

Description

A re-occurring problem of water quality monitoring programs is the determination of whether or not a given parameter is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant over time. This is... More ≫

Description

A re-occurring problem of water quality monitoring programs is the determination of whether or not a given parameter is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant over time. This is particularly critical when regulations stipulate that parameter concentrations or loads may not increase or decrease relative to some previously defined baseline period or standard. This document recommends the most viable statistical methods for addressing this situation.

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Hydrodynamic and water quality model of the North Saskatchewan River

Description

The North Saskatchewan River (NSR) in Alberta, Canada, begins at the Saskatchewan Glacier in Banff National Park and continues to the Alberta–Saskatchewan border. The NSR subsequently joins the... More ≫

Description

The North Saskatchewan River (NSR) in Alberta, Canada, begins at the Saskatchewan Glacier in Banff National Park and continues to the Alberta–Saskatchewan border. The NSR subsequently joins the South Saskatchewan River and eventually flows into Lake Winnipeg. This report documents the configuration, calibration, and validation of an in-stream hydrodynamic and water quality model for a portion of the NSR between Devon and the Saskatchewan border. Flow, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, organic carbon, nutrients, and algae interactions were modeled under the influence of tributaries, municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), industrial facilities, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and stormwater. The specific area included in this study is the 400 kilometers of the NSR from Devon to 38 kilometers downstream of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border

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