AAWGWG 22013013

UUraniumranium CityCity AAthabascathabasca WorkingWorking GroupGroup CanNorth EEnvironmentalnvironmental MonitoringMonitoring ProgramProgram ABOUT THE AWG PROGRAM TheThe AAthabascathabasca WorWorkingking GGrouproup (A(AWG)WG) eenvironmentalnvironmental monmonitoringitoring program bbeganegan iinn tthehe year 2000 andand pprovidesrovides rresidentsesidents wwithith oopportunitiespportunities to test tthehe enenvironmentvironment aaroundround ttheirheir comcommunitiesmunities forfor pparametersarameters ththatat ccouldould ccomeome ffromrom uuraniumranium mminingining aandnd mmillingilling operatiooperations.ns. TheThesese pparametersarameters can potentiallypotentially bbee sspreadpread by watwaterer fflowinglowing ffromrom llakesakes nnearear tthehe uraniuuraniumm ooperations,perations, anandd ssmallmall amountsamounts mmayay aalsolso bbee sspreadpread tthroughhrough tthehe aiair.r. IInn oorderrder ttoo aaddressddress llocalocal rresidents’esidents’ coconcerns,ncerns, llakes,akes, rivers,rivers, pplants,lants, wwildlife,ildlife, aandnd aairir quaqualitylity aarere ttestedested nnearear tthehe nnorthernorthern ccommunitiesommunities ooff Uranium City, BlackBlack Lake,Lake, CCamsellamsell Portage,Portage, FFond-du-Lac,ond-du-Lac, SStonytony RaRapids,pids, aandnd WWollastonollaston LaLake/Hatchetke/Hatchet LaLake.ke.

TheThe ttypesypes ooff pplantslants and anianimalsmals sselected,elected, tthehe llocationsocations chchosenosen fforor samsampling,pling, aandnd tthehe sasamplemple collectionscollections werewere carricarrieded ooutut bby,y, oorr wwithith tthehe hhelpelp oof,f, nornorthernthern ccommunityommunity mmembers.embers. The ppurposeurpose ofof thisthis brochurebrochure is to ininformform the public ooff tthehe rresultsesults ffromrom tthehe 22013013 eenvironmentalnvironmental momonitoringnitoring programprogram tthathat wwasas ccompletedompleted in tthehe UUraniumranium CCityity aarea.rea. STUDY AREA Water, sediment, and fish were sampled from a reference waterbody and a potential exposure waterbody in the Uranium City area. Fredette Lake was chosen as the reference site because it is not influenced by uranium operations. Lake Athabasca is referred to as the potential exposure site because it is located downstream of the active uranium operations in northern Saskatchewan.

Air quality is monitored at two locations near the community of Uranium City and plant and wildlife samples are collected each year near the community when available. KEY PARAMETERS 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 Saskatchewan 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. Water samples were collected in the summer and fall in Fredette Lake (reference) and Lake Athabasca (potential exposure) in 2013. The levels of WWaterater the key parameters were similar to previous years and often lower than the laboratory could measure. All results were below 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 in 2013.

2013 Uranium Levels in Water 20

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2 Uranium levels Uranium levels (micrograms per litre) 0 Fredette 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 can 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 Uranium City area.

2010-2013 Uranium Levels in Sediment

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20 Uranium (micrograms per gram)

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0 Fredette Lake (reference) Lake Athabasca (potential exposure)

The results of sediment testing near Uranium City were below the available guidelines in 2013. Since AWG monitoring began, Fredette 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 Fredette Lake is a reference lake. The graph displays the uranium levels in both waterbodies from 2010 to 2013. Lake whitefish and northern pike were captured in Fredette Lake (reference) and Lake Athabasca (potential exposure) lakes in 2013. The test results were similar to FFishish previous years of AWG monitoring in the Uranium City area. The levels of the key parameters were often lower than the laboratory could 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 captured in Fredette Lake and Lake Athabasca and northern pike captured in Lake Athabasca for AWG monitoring have remained low over time. Mercury levels in northern pike from Fredette Lake have been higher than other reference sites in the AWG monitoring program in certain years, but were low in 2013.

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.

A moose flesh sample was obtained from the Uranium City area in 2013. The testing results showed similar levels of the key parameters compared to previous years of AWG monitoring. Barren-ground caribou and lynx samples were not obtained from the Uranium City area in 2013. Barren-ground caribou samples from Black Lake, Fond-du-Lac, and Wollaston/Hatchet Lake, and a lynx sample from Fond-du-Lac were tested in 2013. The results were not of concern as they were similar to previous years in each community for each mammal type.

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

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

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

1CanNorth 1999, 2011. 2Johnson et al. 1995; NWT 2002. Air quality was monitored at two locations near Uranium City in 2013 by measuring radon AAirir levels. Radon is an odourless and tasteless gas produced by the natural 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 may occur because the ground thaws and releases radon gas into the air during the summer months. The graph shows that radon has been very low in the Uranium City area since 2003.

2000-2013 Radon Levels 1800

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rogram ma - p na ss ge e r The AWG ro F program is made possible n a thanks to the continued y involvement of northern residents. R Special thanks to Sandy Powder who continues to do a great job collecting AWG samples from the Uranium City 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 NaƟ ons environmental services company

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

AWG Industrial Partners: