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Identifying the Potential Sources of Contaminants to the Welland Canal, the Major Source of Drinking Water in the Niagara Region

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Identifying the Potential Sources of Contaminants to the Welland Canal, the Major Source of Drinking Water in the Niagara Region Ryerson University Digital Commons @ Ryerson Theses and dissertations 1-1-2010 Identifying The otP ential Sources Of Contaminants To The elW land Canal, The aM jor Source Of Drinking Water In The iN agara Region Zahra Labbaf Ryerson University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/dissertations Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Labbaf, Zahra, "Identifying The otP ential Sources Of Contaminants To The eW lland Canal, The aM jor Source Of Drinking Water In The iN agara Region" (2010). Theses and dissertations. Paper 1557. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Ryerson. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ryerson. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IDENTIFYING THE POTENTIAL SOURCES OF CONTAMINANTS TO THE WELLAND CANAL, THE MAJOR SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER IN THE NIAGARA REGION by Zahra Labbaf Bachelor of Science, Shahid Chamran University, 2006 A thesis presented to Ryerson University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Applied Science in the Program of Environmental Applied Science and Management Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2010 © Zahra Labbaf, 2010 i I hereby declare that I am sole author of this thesis. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this thesis to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. Zahra Labbaf I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this thesis by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. Zahra Labbaf ii Zahra Labbaf Master of Applied Science Environmental Applied Science and Management October 2010 Ryerson University Abstract Identifying the potential sources of contaminants to the Welland Canal, the major source of drinking water in the Niagara Region The Welland Canal is the only source of raw water to the largest drinking water treatment plant in the Niagara Region in southern Ontario. The water of the Welland Canal has historically been contaminated from different sources, and identifying these potential pollutants to drinking water relies on direct chemical analysis that is time-consuming and costly to identifying the critical contaminants of concern. Therefore, the aim of this research is to assess and prioritize the chemicals of concern and the possible sources of contamination impacting the Welland Canal water. Metals and organic contaminants originating from industrial effluent, agricultural runoff, Port Colborne STP effluent, Lake Erie sediments and antifouling paints on ship vessels are identified as major contributors of pollutant loads into the Welland Canal. Specifically, atrazine, glyphosate, metolachlor, TBT, mercury, lead and zinc are identified as major contaminants that could pose a health risk to over 300,000 residents in the Niagara Region. iii Acknowledgment First and foremost, I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Dr. Lynda McCarthy for allowing me the opportunity to be part of this unique and important project. Her support and guidance is always encouraging and has greatly contributed to the completion of this project. Her enthusiasm and patience has been integral in successful completion of this challenging work. Special thanks to Dr. Vadim Bostan for proving support as my co-supervisor, and Dr. Andrew Laursen for providing guidance over the past two years in the overall project development. My gratitude is also extended to Karen Terry, who was always there to help with laboratory logistics and conscientiously answering any questions. I would also like to extend my thanks to all scientists and engineers from different industry and government levels in Niagara Region for their help in data analysis and gracious collaboration with my thesis and their responses to my endless questions. Thank you also to my fellow graduate students, especially Alisa Tchebotareva for her endless support and friendship since we met on our first day at school. Also, to my friends Isabelle Netto and Vivian Fleet, who where always there to provide input and expertise. I would like to extend my gratitude to my parents Jaleh Bahasadri and Amin Labbaf, for providing me the opportunity to pursue my studies miles away from home. Their inspiration and unending encouragement have allowed me to overcome challenges, for which there are no words to thank express my feeling. Finally, to my beloved husband, Sam Samsami for being there listening and not giving up. This acknowledgment would not be complete without his drive, determination and unconditional support over the past two years. iv Contents 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Background and Objectives .......................................................................................1 1.2 Development of the Welland Canal and Attendant Pollution Problems.................................5 2.0 Watershed Characteristics ........................................................................................................10 2.1 Lake Ontario Watershed.......................................................................................................12 2.2 Central Niagara Region Watershed ......................................................................................14 2.3 North Lake Erie Watershed ..................................................................................................20 3.0 Potential Sources of Pollution..................................................................................................21 3.1 Industrial and Municipal Activities......................................................................................21 3.1.1 Steel Fabrication and Metal Manufacturing..................................................................24 3.1.2 Concrete and Cement Manufacturing ...........................................................................25 3.1.3 Ship Repair Operations .................................................................................................25 3.1.4 Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)......................................................26 3.2 Agricultural Land Use ..........................................................................................................29 3.2.1 Agriculture Profile.........................................................................................................32 3.2.2 Soil Texture ..................................................................................................................35 3.2.3 Pesticide Application.....................................................................................................36 3.3 Atmospheric Deposition of Pesticides..................................................................................39 3.4 Lake Erie ..............................................................................................................................41 3.4.1 Lake Erie Hydrologic Setting........................................................................................41 3.4.2 Sediment Transport and Characterization .....................................................................43 3.4.3 Point Sources of Pollution.............................................................................................45 3.4.4 Non-Point Sources of Pollution.....................................................................................49 4.0 The Necessity for Early-Warning Biomonitoring System (EWBS) Implementation ..............53 4.1 Industrial Effluent.................................................................................................................53 4.2 Sewage Treatment Plants Effluent .......................................................................................56 4.3 Pesticides Input ....................................................................................................................57 4.4 Ship Related Pollution..........................................................................................................59 5.0 Conclusions and Future Applicaitons.......................................................................................61 6.0 References ................................................................................................................................63 List of Figures Figure 1. Location of the Welland Canal and the DeCew WTP.......................................................1 Figure 2. Aerial view of the Lake Erie entrance to the Welland Canal at Port Colborne.................5 Figure 3. Cross sectional views of a lock in the Welland Canal ......................................................7 Figure 4. Closer view of the ship traffic in the Welland Canal upstream of DeCew WTP..............8 Figure 5. Niagara Region watersheds ............................................................................................11 Figure 6. Lake Ontario Subwatersheds ..........................................................................................12 Figure 7. Location of the Feeder canal and drainage ditches alongside of the reservoir ...............14 Figure 8. The Central Niagara Region Subwatersheds ..................................................................15 Figure 9. Location of Singer’s Drain and
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