AAWGWG 22013013

CCamsellamsell PortagePortage AAthabascathabasca WorkingWorking GroupGroup CanNorth EEnvironmentalnvironmental MonitoringMonitoring ProgramProgram ABOUT THE AWG PROGRAM TheThe AAthabascathabasca WWorkingorking GGrouproup ((AWG)AWG) eenvironmentalnvironmental mmonitoringonitoring pprogramrogram bbeganegan in tthehe yyearear 22000000 andand pprovidesrovides resiresidentsdents wwithith opopportunitiesportunities to test tthehe enviroenvironmentnment araroundound ttheirheir ccommunitiesommunities forfor pparametersarameters tthathat ccouldould ccomeome ffromrom uranium mminingining aandnd mmillingilling ooperations.perations. These pparametersarameters cancan potentipotentiallyally be sspreadpread by wwaterater fflowinglowing ffromrom llakesakes nnearear tthehe uraniuuraniumm ooperations,perations, aandnd smsmallall amountsamounts maymay alsoalso bebe spreadspread tthroughhrough tthehe aair.ir. IInn oorderrder to aaddressddress llocalocal resresidents’idents’ cconcerns,oncerns, lakes,lakes, rivers,rivers, pplants,lants, wwildlife,ildlife, and aiairr qqualityuality aarere ttestedested near tthehe nnorthernorthern comcommunitiesmunities ooff CamseCamsellll Portage,Portage, BBlacklack LLake,ake, FFond-du-Lac,ond-du-Lac, SStonytony RapiRapids,ds, UrUraniumanium CCity,ity, aandnd WoWollastonllaston LaLake/Hatchetke/Hatchet Lake.Lake.

The ttypesypes ooff pplantslants and anianimalsmals seselected,lected, tthehe llocationsocations chosen fforor ssampling,ampling, aandnd the sasamplemple collectionscollections werewere carcarriedried ououtt bby,y, or wwithith ththee helhelpp oof,f, nnorthernorthern ccommunityommunity mmembers.embers. The ppurposeurpose of tthishis brochurebrochure is to iinformnform the pupublicblic ooff tthehe rresultsesults ffromrom tthehe 22013013 eenvironmentalnvironmental mmonitoringonitoring programprogram tthathat was comcompletedpleted iinn tthehe CCamsellamsell PPortageortage ararea.ea. STUDY AREA Water, sediment, and fish are sampled from reference and potential exposure sites. White Lake is the reference site because it is not influenced by uranium operations. is the potential exposure site because it is downstream of waterbodies that could carry parameters from upstream uranium operations. Air quality is monitored at two locations near the community of . Plant and wildlife samples are collected each year near the community when available. KKEYEY PPARAMETERSARAMETERS The focus of the program is to monitor certain parameters related to uranium operations that are of concern to human and environmental health. These include: copper, lead, nickel, molybdenum, zinc, radium-226, uranium, selenium, and arsenic. All of these parameters occur naturally in the environment and in parts of northern they can sometimes be found in high amounts.

In order to help establish whether the key parameters found in samples are naturally occurring, whether they are from uranium operations, and whether they pose a risk to the environment, the amounts measured are compared: 1) between reference and potential exposure sites, 2) over time, and 3) to available guidelines. The 2013 water testing results in the Camsell Portage potential exposure WWaterater site of Lake Athabasca and the reference site of White Lake were similar to previous years of the AWG environmental monitoring program. Water samples were tested for the key parameters in the spring and fall at both lakes. All of the key parameters were lower than the provincial guidelines for the protection of aquatic life and drinking water quality standards. The graph displays the amount of uranium found in the samples from both lakes, which were lower than the amount the laboratory could measure. The levels of key parameters in water from the potential exposure site of Lake Athabasca are not of concern for local residents.

2013 Uranium Levels in Water 20

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16 Drinking Water Guideline 14

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Uranium levels per litre) (micrograms Uranium levels 2

0 White Lake (reference) Lake Athabasca (potential exposure) Sediment is the mud on the lake bottom. Parameters from mine sites can be carried by flowing water to lakes where they may SSedimentediment be left in the sediment on the lake bottom. It is important to sample sediment because it is a good indicator of the general health of the aquatic ecosystem. Sediment samples were collected from the same locations used for water sampling in the Camsell Portage area. The graph displays the uranium levels in White Lake and Lake Athabasca from the last four years.

2000-2013 Uranium Levels in Sediment 110

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10 Uranium levels (micrograms Uranium levels per gram) 0 White Lake (reference) Lake Athabasca (potential exposure)

The levels of the key parameters were below available guidelines in White Lake and Lake Athabasca in 2013. Since AWG monitoring began in 2000, White Lake has had higher levels of certain key parameters when compared to Lake Athabasca. This means that parameters may occur at higher levels naturally in the area, given that White Lake is a reference lake. Northern pike were captured in the reference waterbody of White Lake and the potential exposure waterbody of Lake Athabasca in the Camsell Portage FFishish study area in 2013. Lake whitefish were captured in Lake Athabasca but not in White Lake. Lake whitefish have not been captured in White Lake during AWG environmental monitoring since 2005. The test results showed similar levels of key parameters to previous years in each lake. In many cases, the key parameter levels were lower than the level the laboratory can measure.

Mercury is the only parameter in fish for which there are consumption guidelines. Mercury is widespread in the environment globally and can be found in soil, water, plants, and animals. It is not related to uranium mining and milling in northern Saskatchewan. Mercury levels in lake whitefish and northern pike captured for AWG monitoring in the Camsell Portage area have remained low over time.

For mercury consumption guidelines specific to particular lakes see “Mercury in Saskatchewan Fish: Guidelines for Consumption” on the Saskatchewan Environment website: http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/. Fis h

Wild game are an important source of vitamins, minerals, protein, and nutrients such as iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, and phosphorus1,2. WWildlifeildlife Additionally, wild meat has less saturated fat than store-bought meats1. For example, the fat content of barren-ground caribou meat is about 1% compared to 12% to 40% for beef, pork, or poultry3.

Samples of mammal flesh were not obtained near Camsell Portage in 2013. Moose samples were obtained from Black Lake, Fond-du-Lac, and . Barren-ground caribou samples were obtained from Black Lake, Fond-du-Lac, and Wollaston Lake, and a lynx sample was obtained from Fond-du-Lac. The testing results were not of concern as they showed similar amounts of the key parameters compared to previous years in each community for each mammal type. Efforts will be made to obtain mammal flesh samples from the Camsell Portage area in 2014.

1PHU AHA 2005. 3NWT 2002. 2Kuhnlein et al. 1995; Receveur et al. 1997. Fis h

PPlantslants Plants such as blueberries, cranberries, and Labrador tea have traditionally been used for both food and medicine1. Wild plants are very good sources of Vitamin C, fibre, and carbohydrates2.

Samples of blueberries, bog cranberry, and Labrador tea were collected and analyzed in 2013 from the Camsell Portage area. The levels of the key parameters were considered low because they were similar to previous years in Camsell Portage and to the 2013 results from other AWG communities.

1CanNorth 1999, 2011. 2Johnson et al. 1995; NWT 2002. Air quality was monitored at two locations near Camsell Portage in 2013 by measuring radon levels. Radon is an odourless and tasteless gas produced by the natural AAirir breakdown of uranium and radium-226 in the soil and water. As a result, radon levels are naturally higher in areas where uranium is found in the ground. Seasonal differences are sometimes seen when radon levels are higher in the summer because the ground thaws and releases radon gas into the air. Camsell Portage has had a record of low radon levels since AWG monitoring began. This trend of low levels continued in 2013 (see graph). Note there is no datum from Station 1 in February 2014.

2000-2013 Radon Levels

250 225 200 175 Station 1 Station 2 150 125 100

Radon Levels 75 50

(Becquerels per metre cubed) 25 0 Jul-02 Jul-03 Jul-04 Oct-00 Jun-01 Jan-03 Jan-04 Jan-05 Jun-05 Jun-06 Jan-07 Jun-07 Jun-08 Jan-09 Jun-09 Jan-10 Jun-10 Jun-11 Jun-12 Jan-13 Jun-13 Feb-11 Feb-14 Dec-01 Dec-11 TThankhank YouYou ue Ry ocq an ar F L ro s e i s n s n - e P D r

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o The AWG program im is made possible thanks h to the continued involvement of C northern residents. Special thanks to Dennis Larocque who continues to do a great job collecting AWG samples from the Camsell Portage area. Thank you to the AWG members, including representatives from the seven northern communities and industrial partners, Cameco Corporation and AREVA Resources Canada Inc. Thank you to Alija Bos, Doug Chisholm, and Lori Parker for photo permissions.

If you have any questions or comments about the AWG Environmental Monitoring Program, or for a list of full citations, please contact CanNorth at 306-652-4432 or [email protected]. This project was managed by CanNorth, a First Nations environmental services company

211 Wheeler Street, , Saskatchewan, Canada S4P 0A4 Telephone: 306-652-4432 Facsimile: 306-652-4431 www.cannorth.com [email protected]

AWG Industrial Partners: