Management of the Issue of Mercury in Hydroelectric Reservoirs Québec • Canada

Roger Schetagne, Mercury Program Manager, Hydro-Québec Production, 75 René-Lévesque Blvd. West, 10th Floor, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H2Z 1A4 Email : [email protected]

Risk Management

At the onset of the La Grande hydroelectric project, the mercury issue related to reservoirs was virtually unknown. The Native Cree Indians were informed as soon as monitoring revealed significant increases of mercury levels in fish.

Hydro-Québec’s Corporate Research Program on Mercury

Hydro-Québec established a Mercury Research and Management Program to address the issue of increasing mercury levels in fish caused by hydroelectric development. The following activities were included in this program: • monitoring of mercury levels in fish of modified environments of the La Grande complex; • development of models predicting mercury levels in fish; • assessment of risks to piscivorous fauna; • the study of the sources and fate of mercury in natural environments and hydroelectric reservoirs of Northern Québec; • research on mitigation measures; • assessment of the health risks and benefits associated with the consumption of fish.

A number of these studies were carried out in collaboration with Canadian universities and Government organizations such as the Canadian Wildlife Service and the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (which supported part of the funding of the HYDRO-QUÉBEC-NSERC-UQAM Environmental Chair).

The James Bay Mercury Agreement

bstract In addition to its Corporate research program on mercury, Hydro-Québec was part of the James Bay Mercury Agreement signed between the Government A of Québec, the Cree of Québec and Hydro-Québec. The overall objective of this Agreement was to reduce the health risks and provide for remedial measures allowing the Cree to carry on their traditional hunting and fishing activities and maintain their way of life. This 10 year Agreement (1987-1996), with a total The development of hydroelectric reservoirs causes temporary increases of mercury budget of 18 M$ (of which 12 M$ was paid by Hydro-Québec), dealt with Health, Socio-cultural and Environmental aspects of the mercury issue. levels in fish. A management program has been implemented to reduce health risks related to mercury exposure which includes: the signing of the James Bay Mercury A critical review of potential mitigation measures aimed at reducing the increases of mercury levels in fish of young reservoirs failed to reveal any realistic Agreement; the study of the source and fate of mercury in Northern Québec; the monitoring solution. Activities were oriented towards remedial measures aimed at reducing health risks by providing low mercury bush food: of mercury levels in fish and of the Cree exposure to mercury; public information campaigns and fish consumption advisories. • subsidies for family and community fishing in natural lakes; • subsidies for coastal fisheries of anadromous species; • wildlife enhancement schemes; • schemes to increase harvesting of migratory waterfowl, etc. utline of the Project Information tools, such as booklets, maps and videos, were developed and information campaigns were carried out in the Cree communities to explain O the mercury issue and the health risks and benefits related to fish consumption. Fish consumption advisories were also distributed to Cree sport and subsistence fishers, according to exposure criteria of the Cree Regional Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay. The James Bay territory, located in Northern Québec, Canada, lies between the 48th and 55th North parallels and covers 350 000 km2. The La Grande hydroelectric complex comprises eight generating stations and required the impounding of eight ay on B reservoirs with a total surface area of Huds C A 2 D C 12 953 km . A E N A B É Q U

0 400 800 km Information campaigns in Cree Communities

G r Kuujjuarapik (Inuit) a u n a d c Whapmagoostui (Cree) e pis ri Ba Bienville Lake nia ° vi la le a 55 ère de i C ° ne Laforge 2 55 reservoir James B Pointe ay territory Laforge-2 Louis XIV La Grande-1 Robert-Bourassa Laforge 1 reservoir reservoir La Grande 1 Brisay reservoir La Grande 4 La Grande 3 reservoir Radisson reservoir Laforge-1 Caniapiscau Chisasibi Robert-Bourassa Tilly reservoir La Grande-2-A La Grande-3 Chissibi La Grande-4 Radisson La Grande River Sakami Lake Lemoyne 53° Wemindji EOL diversion Ungava Bay Labrador LA GRANDE COMPLEX Hudson Sea Boyd Lake Bay WATERSHED James Opinaca Treaty land reservoir Bay aca Eastmain-1 Eastmain 1 reservoir James Opin Bay Eastmain (planned) (planned) James Bay Information tool produced in French, English and Cree, territoryterritory in the form of a table mat Eastmain Nemiscau Waskaganish Nemaska NF&L Albanel QUÉBEC t N. B. P. E. I. Ruper Montréal Br ONTARIO oadb a TES 51° N ck N. S. ot ITED STA ta UN w a Mistassini Boston 600 km y Lake

Mistissini 167 Legend Town 735-kV and 450-kV c.c. Oujé-Bougoumou Village Road Abitibi Substation Category I lands Matagami Chibougamau Fish consumption advisories Generating station Category II lands Waswanipi Chibougamau Proposed generating Category III lands 109 113 station 167 49° 0 50 100 km The La Grande hydroelectric project Results of the Risk Management Program

Hydro-Québec's Corporate Research Program permitted a comprehensive eatures of the Project Area understanding of the biogeochemical F Hg2+ processes involved in the production of The whole territory, which is part of the Canadian Shield, is divided into a coastal plain, methylmercury in reservoirs and its transfer Hg2+ with scattered peat bogs and clay deposits, and a hilly plateau covered by a large number to fish. A Monograph on the sources and of lakes. The annual average temperature is around -4°C. The region is home to some fate of mercury in natural environments Maximum water level 12 000 Cree Indians, belonging to 9 communities. and hydroelectric reservoirs of Northern Québec was published (Lucotte et al., Periphytonip 1999). It is presented in the form of 14 peer Drawdown reviewed papers addressing the issue of Minimum water level mercury in natural lakes, terrestrial MeHg environments, hydroelectric reservoirs and fish eating wildlife, with an overall synthesis. Active SPM ajor Impacts Ground Natural lake level M biological cover MeHg The compensation type mitigation transfer and humus Passive After reservoir impoundment, mercury concentrations increased temporarily in all fish measures selected and financed under MeHg release Sediment species. Peak concentrations reached levels 3 to 7 times those measured in surrounding the James Bay Mercury Agreement, 2 to 30% natural lakes. Concentrations in the non-piscivorous species, such as lake whitefish encouraged traditional hunting and fishing • No increase in mercury load • Addition of food for bateria activities. Replacement fisheries aimed at Mercury Monograph (Coregonus clupeaformis), have returned to levels typical of natural lakes 10 to 19 years Decomposition Methylation Bioaccumulation after impoundment. In the piscivorous northern pike (Esox lucius), the rate of decline non-piscivorous species were the most strongly suggests that natural concentrations are reached between 20 to 30 years after favoured by the Cree communities. These impoundment. These increases in fish mercury levels considerably reduce the recommended fisheries were monitored to prevent any Processes involved in the temporary increase of methylmercury production rate of fish consumption in order to respect the level of mercury exposure considered risk of overharvesting. The implementation and transfer in reservoirs safe by public health authorities. of the mitigation measures program has contributed to a reduction in the Cree's exposure to mercury and helped maintain traditional hunting and fishing activities (Chevalier et al., 1997).

LAKE WHITEFISH (400 mm)

0.7 Fish consumption

) advisories in the form of -1 0.6 maps distributed to kg

• Robert-Bourassa sport fishers 0.5 Opinaca 0.4 For each new project, fish consumption advisories for non- 0.3 native sport fishers were also La Grande 3 prepared in collaboration with 0.2 0.20 Québec Public Health agencies according to Canadian and 0.1 RANGE OF MEAN CONCENTRATIONS MEASURED IN NATURAL LAKES provincial exposure criteria. TOTAL MERCURY (mg MERCURY TOTAL 0.05 0.0 10 Natural 2468 12 14 16 18 20 condition AGE OF RESERVOIR (Years)

Temporary increases of mercury levels in a non piscivorous fish of the La Grande complex

Eeyou Namess Corporation NORTHERN PIKE (700 mm) The James Bay Mercury Agreement was recently renewed with an additional budget of 27 M$ (Mercury Agreement 2001). A non-profit organization, the Eeyou Namess Corporation, was established to implement the activities of the Agreement which consists of Monitoring and Research Programs as well 4.5 as Fishery Restoration and Development Programs. The affairs of the Corporation are managed by a Board of Directors comprised of 4 persons appointed )

-1 4.0 by the Cree Regional Authority and 3 persons appointed by Hydro-Québec. kg • 3.5 Robert-Bourassa La Grande 3 3.0 The risk management program demonstrated that the mercury issue can be adequately managed through appropriate monitoring, compensation measures, and information and communication campaigns informing fishers on the health risks and benefits of fish consumption. 2.5 Opinaca 2.0 1.5 Caniapiscau La Grande 4 1.0 0.92 0.93 RANGE OF MEAN CONCENTRATIONS MEASURED IN NATURAL LAKES East West easons for Success eferences TOTAL MERCURY (mg MERCURY TOTAL 0.5 R R 0.30 0.0 0.36 246810 12 14 16 18 20 Natural The management of the mercury issue at the La Grande complex was condition AGE OF RESERVOIR (Years) a true success because Hydro-Québec took immediate action, informed Chevalier, G., Dumont, C., Langlois, C., Penn, A., 1997. rapidly all those concerned and sought collaboration and partnerships Mercury in northern Québec: role of the mercury agreement and status of research and monitoring. Water, Air and to properly address the issue. Soil Pollution, vol. 97 (1977), p 53-61. Temporary increases of mercury levels in a piscivorous fish of the Lucotte, M., Schetagne, R., Thérien, N., Langlois, C., Tremblay, A., 1999. La Grande complex Mercury in the Biogeochemical Cycle: Natural Environments and Hydroelectric Reservoirs of Northern Québec. Berlin: Springer. 334 p.

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