..... !//9/0 Environment Environnement 1 Canada Canada I♦ DFO • Library/ MPO • llblloth6que Fisheries Peches ' 1111111 1111111111 111111111111111 111111111111111111 and Oceans et Oceans 04038073 '�· ECOLOGICAL REPORT SERIES NORTHERN FLOOD AGREEMENT MANITOBA Identification, Collation and Initial _Evaluation of Historical Water Quality Data from the Northern Flood 1 - Agreement Area, Manitoba I (· number 89 - 5 .. ,. > ,.�� NFAM-ERS / , 89-5 St� nada IDENTIFICATION, COLLATION AND INITIAL EVALUATION OF HISTORICAL WATER QUALITY DATA FROM THE NORTHERN FLOOD AGREEMENT AREA, MANITOBA Prepared by: Lee Grapentine, Peter Seidl and Val Chacko Water Quality Branch Vestern and Northern Region Environment Canada December 1, 1988 i ABSTRACT Towards accomplishing the objectives of the Federal Ecological Monitoring Program (FEMP), the Water Quality Branch has evaluated the existing water quality data for waters along the Churchill, Rat, Burntwood and Nelson Rivers in northern Manitoba. Data from various federal agencies and the International Nickel Company in Thompson are described in terms of sampling locations and dates, number of parameters measured, number of samples and sampling methods. For roughly half of the 200 stations recorded, water quality data were transferred to computer files on a VAX/VMS system at the Water Quality Branch, WNR. Printouts for most of these files are included. Procedure for locating water quality data from specific stations or regions in the NFA area is also discussed. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • i LIST OF APPENDICES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • iii INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • . • • . • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • 1 IDENTIFICATION AND COMPILATION OF DATA. • • • • • • • • • • • • • . 2 COLLATION OF DATA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • 5 INITIAL DATA EVALUATION. • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • • . • • 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9 LITERATURE CITED • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10 FIGURE CAPTIONS • • • • • • • . • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 12 APPENDICES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 iii LIST OF APPENDICES PAGE 1. Sources of water quality data for the NFA area ••.•..••..• 15 2. List of sources by stations in the Northern Flood Agreement area ••••••. 19 3. Designators of stations in the Northern Flood Agreement area ••.• 24 4. Outline of water quality data from the Northern Flood Agreement area •••••••••••• . O . 29 5. General notes on RS/1 files of NFA area data ••.•...•••.• 43 6. Summary of data collection methods •.•••••..••...... 47 - 1 - INTRODUCTION As a result of hydroelectric development of the Churchill and Nelson Rivers in northern Manitoba, the aquatic environments in these river basins have been substantially altered (Guilbault et al. 1979, Bodaly et al. 1984, Playle and Villiamson 1986). In 1977, the Northern Flood Agreement (NFA) was signed between Canada, Manitoba Hydro and the Northern Flood Committee, which represents the Indian Bands of Nelson House, Cross Lake, Split Lake, York Factory and Norway House. Under Articles 17.5 and 17.1 of this Agreement, there is a requirement to assess the adverse effect resulting from the above hydroelectric development and to implement a long-term ecological monitoring and research program to assist in the management of the affected area. Towards meeting this requirement, the Water Quality Branch, as the water quality component of the Federal Ecological Monitoring Progam (FEMP)* has undertaken an assessment of existing historical water quality data and the development and execution of a continuing monitoring program. This report deals with the evaluation of existing water quality data and was compiled for two main purposes: a) to document existing water quality data from water courses in the NFA area (ie. describe the extent of the data - what lakes and rivers have been sampled, when they were sampled, what parameters were measured and how many times) and * In February 1986, Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans received authorization to begin a five-year program of ecological monitoring directed towards satisfying federal obligations under the Northern Flood Agreement. - 2 - b) to collate into one accessible data base, data deemed as potentially useful in examining the effects of hydroelectric development on water quality in the NFA area. The sections below provide information on the procedures used in locating and identifying water quality data from the NFA area, how the data are documented in this report, which data were entered into computer files and how these files are formatted. It is hoped that investigators seeking water quality data from locations in the NFA area will be able to determine from this report whether such data exist, and if so, how to access them. A preliminary evaluation of the usefulness of the data sets is also given. IDENTIFICATION AND COMPILATION OF DATA Documentation Procedures In cooperation with the Manitoba Department of Environment Workplace Safety and Health (MEDEWSH), agencies considered as possible sources of water quality data from the NFA area were contacted. Water Quality Branch dealt primarily with federal government agencies, whereas MDEWSH dealt with provincial government agencies. This report discusses only data from the federal government agencies and from the International Nickel Company in Thompson. Initially, requests to examine and record existing data from waters in the Churchill and Nelson River watersheds were made to the federal departments of Fisheries and Ocean (DFO), Health and Welfare Canada (HWC), Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (IANAC) and Environment Canada, including Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), Environmental Protection (EP) and Inland Waters Directorate (IWD). Through MDEWSH, data were also obtained from the - 3 - International Nickel Company (INCO) in Thompson. As well, over 40 published studies and reports were reviewed and their relevant data recorded. For each source of data (agency or report) the following information was recorded: -study area (Lower Churchill; Southern Indian Lake; Diversion Route; Grass River; Lake Winnipeg Outlet Lakes; Lower Nelson) -sampling locations and dates -sample sizes -parameters measured Objectives, sampling design and methods, and analytical methods were also identified and/or summarized. Data were then sorted and arranged in a descending hierarchical manner by location (=station), parameter, data source and date. A map of the locations for which data were documented was prepared, as were keys and cross references for the location of data and for describing ranges of various data characteristics (such as dates, locations, sample sizes, sources). Extent of Data From the NFA Area As a result of examining files from various agencies and published reports, 24 distinct sources of original data were identified and obtained (Appendix 1). Included were data from more than 200 stations in the drainage basins of the Churchill, Rat, Burntwood and Nelson Rivers involving over 100 different parameters and extending back to 1953. The locations of most of these stations are shown in Figures 1-3. - 4 - In Appendix 2, the data sources are listed by station. All stations have been assigned new designator codes for cataloguing purposes and these are listed in Appendix 3. For most stations, a name and/or equivalent designator code(s) from the four main sources of data is/are given. For example, the station designated as 10.3 of this report corresponds to station 4B of Source 3, Hecky et al. (1979) and to station 40 of Cleugh (1973), source 7. To outline the extent of the database available for a given station, Appendix 4 lists the years in which the data were obtained, the approximate number of parameters measured and the average number of observations per parameter. Sampling and analytical methods for sources are summarized in Appendix 6. Detailed descriptions for most are available in the sources themselves or in the articles referenced. - 5 - COLLATION OF DATA Compilation of Data Data from about half of the stations documented were sorted and transferred to computer files using RS/1 software and the VAX/VMS system of the Water Quality Branch. Stations that were filed are listed at the beginning of Appendix 5. In general, data were not transferred to RS/1 files for any of the following reasons: 1. The NFA study area only includes waters along the Rat, Burntwood, and Nelson Rivers. Data from the lower Churchill River watershed (ie. downstream of Southern Indian Lake) were not of immediate interest. For similar reasons, most stations in Southern Indian Lake were not filed. Only data from the DFO "main stations" (see Appendix 3, Figure 1) were obtained. 2. Certain parameters were considered not useful for water quality assessment (eg. absorbance at 455 nm and 543 nm, methylation and demethylation rates of mercury). 3. Water samples from depth were usually not included. The order of preference for the depth of a sample was 0-2 m, depth integrated and >2 m. - 6 - 4. Data judged as being unreliable or ambiguous in their origin were also not filed. For source 20 (DFO), o2 from SEP 74 and MAY-OCT 75; and þÿN0 þÿNO‚, and ƒ þÿNH „from 1974-APR 76 were considered invalid by the source author and therefore not filed. Other specific notes on the data files are given in Appendix 5. Data that are in the RS/1 files should not automatically be considered