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Horse River Wildfire response : environmental monitoring, public health assessment and ecological screening technical summary document

Description

This report was prepared to assess whether the soil and air quality in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas met ecological and human health guidelines during the response to the Horse River... More ≫

Description

This report was prepared to assess whether the soil and air quality in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas met ecological and human health guidelines during the response to the Horse River Wildfire of 2016 and after clean-up of the debris and damage that remained. The first part of the report includes high-level summaries from literature reviews on the contaminants of potential concerns from wildfire smoke and ash and their impacts on soil and human health. The second part includes the identification of potential risks to human and ecological health from ash and soil in fire affected areas, a health risk assessment of potential ash migration into residential gardens, an overview of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo's remedial program, and a post-cleanup health risk assessment based on the post remedial soil sampling program results.

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Trends in soil acidification in Alberta based on long term soil acidification monitoring from 1981 to 2010

Description

Long term soil acidification monitoring was initiated by Alberta Environment in 1981 to track potential effects of acidic atmospheric deposition on soils in Alberta. Two sites per year were... More ≫

Description

Long term soil acidification monitoring was initiated by Alberta Environment in 1981 to track potential effects of acidic atmospheric deposition on soils in Alberta. Two sites per year were established for a total of eight sites, with baseline sampling completed in 1984. The sites were established each fall at eight locations in the province, as follows: Fort McMurray, Cold Lake, High Prairie, Bruderheim, Devon, Rocky Mountain House, Esther and Twin Butte. In 2008, a ninth site was added in the Fort Saskatchewan Industrial Heartland area in order to provide a better assessment of acidification impacts from major industrial development and oil sands bitumen upgraders proposed for a region. This report presents the data and statistical analysis of six or seven monitoring events up to 2010.

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Public assurance monitoring - snow, soil and water sampling Peace River Three Creeks area

Description

Growing public concern about the possibility of hydrocarbon deposition contaminating local and regional soils and surface waters in the Peace River Three Creeks area led Alberta Environment to... More ≫

Description

Growing public concern about the possibility of hydrocarbon deposition contaminating local and regional soils and surface waters in the Peace River Three Creeks area led Alberta Environment to undertake a preliminary sampling initiative that incorporated snow, surface water and soil sampling to determine whether there is evidence of contamination from the oil and gas industry to the surrounding environment.

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Site-specific critical loads of acid deposition on soils in the Edmonton 83H West map sheet, Alberta

Description

The Alberta Acid Deposition Management Framework stipulates that Alberta Environment is responsible for conducting an evaluation of the acid deposition monitoring data in the province, as well as... More ≫

Description

The Alberta Acid Deposition Management Framework stipulates that Alberta Environment is responsible for conducting an evaluation of the acid deposition monitoring data in the province, as well as conducting an evaluation of receptor sensitivity. The present study addresses the latter of these two requirements with respect to potentially acid sensitive soils in the Edmonton East Half map sheet. The objective of this receptor sensitivity study is to provide an estimate of the critical load for the soil types and water bodies in the Edmonton West study area. On the basis of these critical loads estimates, a recommendation regarding the sensitivity of the study area as a whole is provided.

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Site-specific critical loads of acid deposition on soils in the Edmonton 83H East map sheet, Alberta

Description

The Alberta Acid Deposition Management Framework stipulates that Alberta Environment is responsible for conducting an evaluation of the acid deposition monitoring data in the province, as well as... More ≫

Description

The Alberta Acid Deposition Management Framework stipulates that Alberta Environment is responsible for conducting an evaluation of the acid deposition monitoring data in the province, as well as conducting an evaluation of receptor sensitivity. The present study addresses the latter of these two requirements with respect to potentially acid sensitive soils in the Edmonton East Half map sheet. The objective of this receptor sensitivity study is to provide an estimate of the critical load for the soil types and water bodies in the Edmonton East study area. On the basis of these critical loads estimates, a recommendation regarding the sensitivity of the study area as a whole is provided.

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Soil quality criteria relative to disturbance and reclamation

Description

The report is meant for use as a guide to assist people involved in a professional capacity in land reclamation. It delineates three major regions in the province in an attempt to establish... More ≫

Description

The report is meant for use as a guide to assist people involved in a professional capacity in land reclamation. It delineates three major regions in the province in an attempt to establish criteria that would apply to each area in general, while recognizing that there are differences within each of the regions. It then discusses soil survey and sampling for baseline and post-disturbance activity, and looks at analytical requirements required for baseline characterization and for disturbed and orphaned areas. The remainder of the report then looks at the physical, chemical, and biological criteria for evaluating the suitability of soil materials for revegetation.

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Benchmark site documentation : 04-AB (Mundare, Alberta)

Description

The purpose of this report is to chronicle the baseline soil features of the Mundare (04-AB) Benchmark Site, thereby providing a technical reference document in support of on-going monitoring... More ≫

Description

The purpose of this report is to chronicle the baseline soil features of the Mundare (04-AB) Benchmark Site, thereby providing a technical reference document in support of on-going monitoring research and reporting. The Mundare site is one of 23 benchmark-monitoring sites established across Canada by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to collect baseline data to monitor trends in soil quality. It represents Black soils of the Aspen Parkland Ecoregion. The landscape is representative of the undulating to ridged and hummocky morainal terrain that is common in central Alberta.

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Alberta benchmark site selection and sampling protocols

Description

The development of a province-wide network of benchmark sampling was initiated in the spring and summer of 1998 by the Conservation and Development Branch of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural... More ≫

Description

The development of a province-wide network of benchmark sampling was initiated in the spring and summer of 1998 by the Conservation and Development Branch of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD). Monitoring of these benchmark sites is part of the AESA (Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture) Soil Quality Monitoring Initiative.

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Site-specific critical loads of acid deposition on soils in the Provost-Esther area, Alberta

Description

In this study, the available methods to derive critical loads are reviewed, and those judged applicable to derivation to site-specific critical loads, are applied to an area in east-central... More ≫

Description

In this study, the available methods to derive critical loads are reviewed, and those judged applicable to derivation to site-specific critical loads, are applied to an area in east-central Alberta (The Provost Esther grid cell or study area). The two specific objectives of this study are development of methodology and estimation of critical load.

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Acceptable salinity, sodicity and pH values for boreal forest reclamation

Description

This report examines plant species used in reclamation and their tolerances for soil salinity, sodicity and pH. The information for each species was obtained from a review of the literature and... More ≫

Description

This report examines plant species used in reclamation and their tolerances for soil salinity, sodicity and pH. The information for each species was obtained from a review of the literature and unpublished information conveyed through personal interviews with people conducting research in this area or working in reclamation. The objective of this report is to determine if the current values for soil salinity, sodicity and pH need to be revised to reflect plant species' tolerances for these soil parameters. The results indicate that the current values used for soil salinity, sodicity and pH should not be changed at this time.

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