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Water Quality in the Mcleod River As an Indicator for Mining Impacts and Reclamation Success (2005 to 2016) Laura E

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Water Quality in the Mcleod River As an Indicator for Mining Impacts and Reclamation Success (2005 to 2016) Laura E Classification: Public Water quality in the McLeod River as an indicator for mining impacts and reclamation success (2005 to 2016) Laura E. Redmond, M.Sc., P.Biol. This publication can be found at: http://open.alberta.ca/ Comments, questions, or suggestions regarding the content of this document may be directed to: Government of Alberta, Ministry of Environment and Parks Email: [email protected] For media inquiries please visit: alberta.ca/news-spokesperson-contacts.aspx Recommended citation: Redmond, L.E. 2021. Water quality in the McLeod River as an indicator for mining impacts and reclamation success (2005 to 2016). Government of Alberta, Ministry of Environment and Parks. ISBN 978-1-4601-4982-9. Available at: http://open.alberta.ca/ © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Alberta Environment and Parks, 2021. This publication is issued under the Open Government Licence – Alberta open.alberta.ca/licence. Date of publication: June, 2021 ISBN 978-1-4601-4982-9 Water quality in the McLeod River as an indicator for mining impacts and reclamation success (2005 to 2016) Classification: Public EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The McLeod River headwaters originate in the Rocky Mountains in west-central Alberta and join the Athabasca River near Whitecourt. Coal mining has occurred in the McLeod watershed since the 1970s and more recently, there has been both reclamation and expansion of mine sites in the upper basin. Elevated levels of total suspended solids, nitrates, metals and other major ions are of concern to water quality in watersheds where mining is a predominant land use. Selenium is a naturally occurring element found in rocks and soil that is an essential trace element in low concentrations but can be toxic at higher levels. In regions with surface mining like the upper McLeod watershed, the mobilization of metals such as selenium can occur and have adverse effects on water quality and aquatic life. Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) surveys in the late 1990s identified that selenium in surface water was the lowest at non-impacted reference sites, and highest at exposed sites closest downstream of mining activity. In this study, water quality monitoring in the McLeod watershed has allowed for the assessment of the trends at sites downstream of current mining activity (2005-2016) and the effectiveness of reclamation efforts at sites downstream of mines that have undergone reclamation activity. Current mining activity at the Cheviot mine has impacts on the McLeod River, whereas reclamation activity at the Luscar and Gregg River mines have changed water quality conditions in tributaries of the McLeod River (Luscar Creek and Gregg River). Trends in surface water quality parameters were assessed over time to understand changes in water quality and associations with active mining and reclamation activity. Changes in the McLeod River water quality at sites downstream of active mining included increasing trends in 11 metals, including selenium. Significant increasing trends in dissolved nitrogen were also observed at sites downstream of mining activity, which may be associated with nitrogen-based explosives used in blasting at surface mines. In addition, total dissolved solids and its components also increased over time at sites downstream of active mining in the McLeod River. Downstream of closed mines and reclamation activity in Luscar Creek and Gregg River there were some improvements in water quality over time including decreasing trends in some metals, including selenium as well as dissolved nitrogen. For some metals, including selenium, concentrations downstream of reclamation were still above recommended guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. Surface water quality data from 2005 to 2016 showed most metal and dissolved solids concentrations were higher at sites downstream of past mining activity than upstream reference sites in Gregg River and Luscar Creek. Downstream of active mining in the McLeod River, water quality changes can act as indicators of mining impacts. Similarly, water quality changes downstream of reclamation activity may be indicators of reclamation success. In particular, parameters that were both increasing downstream of active mining in the McLeod River and concurrently decreasing downstream of mines undergoing reclamation in its tributaries (Gregg River and Luscar Creek) could be identified as signals of water quality changes after active mining closed and reclamation efforts are initiated. Further research is required to assess the ecological effects of water quality changes in the McLeod River and its major tributaries to understand the long-term effects of mining effluent on aquatic systems. Water quality in the McLeod River as an indicator for mining impacts and reclamation success (2005 to 2016) i Classification: Public TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... i LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................V 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The McLeod River ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Coal Mines in the McLeod Watershed ................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Water Quality Related to Coal Mines ..................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Selenium Studies in McLeod River ......................................................................................................... 2 1.5 Report Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 4 2. METHODS .................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Definitions .............................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Site Selection .......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 GIS Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 9 2.4 Sample Collection ................................................................................................................................... 9 2.5 Statistical Methods ................................................................................................................................. 9 2.6 Evaluation of Data ................................................................................................................................ 12 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................................................. 13 3.1 Trends in the McLeod River .................................................................................................................. 13 3.2 Trends in the Gregg River and Luscar Creek ......................................................................................... 27 3.3 Upstream/Downstream Comparison ................................................................................................... 40 3.4 Selenium Zone of Impact ...................................................................................................................... 46 3.5 Seasonality ............................................................................................................................................ 47 4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................ 49 5. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 51 6. APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 54 Appendix A: Line graphs for all parameters in analysis for McLeod River ................................................. 54 Appendix B: Boxplots for all parameters in analysis for McLeod River ...................................................... 61 Appendix C: Line graphs for all parameters in analysis for Gregg River and Luscar Creek ........................ 69 Appendix D: Boxplots for all parameters in analysis for Gregg River and Luscar Creek............................. 77 Appendix E: Percentage of Values Below Detection Limit (BDL) ................................................................ 85 Water quality in the McLeod River as an indicator for mining impacts and reclamation success (2005 to 2016) i Classification: Public LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Timeline for mining operations, including closures and reclamation in the
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