AWG 2013
Stony Rapids
CanNorth
Athabasca Working Group
Environmental Monitoring Program
ABOUT THE AWG PROGRAM
The
T
he A
Athabasca
thabasca Work
Working
kin
ng G
Group
roup (AWG) environmental monitoring
g program beg
began
gan iin
n tthe
he year 2000
and p
provides
rovides rresidents
esidents wit
with
th opportunities to test the env
environment
viro
onment a
around
round
d their commu
communities
unities
for parameters thatt co
could
ould
d come from ura
uranium
aniu
um m
mining
ining a
and
nd m
milling
illing operations. These
ep
parameters
arameters
ccan
an potentia
potentially
ally b
be
e sspread
pread
d by water flowing ffrom
rom llakes
akes ne
near
ear tthe
he uraniu
uranium
um o
operations,
perations, and small
amounts
amoun
nts m
may
ay also be spread through the air. In
no
order
rder tto
o addres
address
ss lo
local
ocal residents’ concerns, lakes,
rivers,
riv
vers, p
plants,
lants, w
wildlife,
ildlife, a
and
nd air quality a
are
re ttested
ested n
near
ear th
the
he n
northern
orthern ccommunities
ommunities of Stony Rapids,
Black
B
lack Lake,
Lake, C
Camsell
amselll Portage, Fond-du
Fond-du-Lac,
u-Lac, U
Uranium
ranium City
City,
y, a
and
nd W
Wollaston
ollaston Lake/Hatchet Lake.
The
T
he ttypes
ypes o
off p
plants
lants and animals selecte
selected,
ed, tthe
he
e lo
locations
ocattio
ons cchosen
hosen for sampling, and the sample
co
olle
ections were
were carried
d out b
y, or with th
he h
elp of, northern ccommunity
ommunityy members. The purpose
collections
by,
the
help
of this brochure
brochure is to inform the public of th
the
he rresults
esults ffrom
rom tthe
he 2
2013
013 e
environmental
nvironmental monitoring
program
prog
gram
m th
that
hat w
was
as completed in the S
Stony
tony R
Rapids
apids are
area.
ea.
STUDY AREA
Water, sediment, and fish were sampled from a reference site and a potential exposure site in
the Stony Rapids area. Riou Lake was chosen as the reference site because it is not influenced
by uranium operations. Stony Lake 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 Stony Rapids 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
In 2013, water samples were collected in the spring and fall in Riou and
Stony lakes. The key parameter levels, including uranium, were similar to
previous years and often below the levels 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 Riou and
Stony lakes water samples in 2013.
2013 Uranium Levels in Water
Uranium levels (micrograms per litre)
20
18
16
Drinking Water Guideline
14
12
10
8
6
Spring
Fall
4
2
0
Riou Lake (reference)
Stony Lake (potential exposure)
Sediment is the mud on the lake bottom. Parameters from mine
sites may be carried by flowing water to lakes where they can
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 Stony
Rapids area.
Sediment
2010-2013 Uranium Levels in Sediment
Uranium levels (micrograms per gram)
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
2010
2011
2012
2013
40
30
20
10
0
Riou Lake (reference)
Stony Lake (potential exposure)
The levels of the key parameters in the Stony Rapids sediment samples were similar between
the reference and exposure waterbodies, between years, and below all available guidelines in
2013. The graph displays the uranium levels in the reference waterbody of Riou Lake and the
potential exposure waterbody of Stony Lake from 2010 to 2013.
Samples of lake whitefish and northern pike were captured in Riou (reference) and
Stony (potential exposure) lakes in 2013. The test results were similar to previous
years of AWG monitoring in the Stony Rapids area. Often the key parameter
levels were lower than the laboratory could measure.
Fish
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 Stony
Rapids 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
Wildlife
Wild game are an important source of vitamins, minerals, protein, and
nutrients such as iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, and phosphorus1,2.
Additionally, wild meat has less saturated fat than store-bought
1
meats . 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 Stony Rapids in 2013. Moose samples from
Black Lake, Fond-du-Lac, and Uranium City; barren-ground caribou samples from Black Lake,
Fond-du-Lac, and Wollaston Lake; and, a lynx sample from Fond-du-Lac were tested in 2013
and contained similar amounts of the key parameters compared to previous results in each
community for each mammal type. Efforts will be made to obtain mammal flesh samples from
the Stony Rapids area in 2014.
1
2
PHU AHA 2005.
Kuhnlein et al. 1995; Receveur et al. 1997.
NWT 2002.
3
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.
Plants
Blueberry, bog cranberry, and Labrador tea samples
were collected and analyzed from the Stony Rapids
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.
1
2
CanNorth 1999, 2011.
Johnson et al. 1995; NWT 2002.
Air quality was monitored at two locations
near Stony Rapids in 2013 by measuring radon
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 2013 Stony Rapids results showed
low levels of radon.
Air
2000-2013 Radon Levels
400
360
320
Station 1
Station 2
280
240
200
160
120
80
40
0
Jan-01
Jun-01
Nov-01
Jul-02
Jan-03
Jun-03
Jan-04
Jun-04
Jan-05
Jun-05
Jan-07
Jun-07
Jun-08
Jan-09
Jun-09
Jan-10
Jun-10
Jan-11
Jun-11
Dec-11
Jun-12
Jan-13
Jun 13
Jan-14
Radon Levels
(Becquerels per metre cubed)
440
er
e
cr
di
R ya
nF
ro
B ill y
Joe
M
Thank You
s
es
ro
-p
g ra m m a n a g
er
The AWG
program is made possible
thanks to the continued
involvement of northern residents.
Special thanks to Billy Joe Mercredi who
continues to do a great job collecting
AWG samples from the Stony Rapids 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 NaƟons 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: