Jay S. White, M.Sc., P.Biol. Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd. September 17, 2009

Transcription

1 Jay S. White, M.Sc., P.Biol. Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd. September 17, 2009

2 Background common water quality issues in Alberta Sources of contamination Case Studies: Lac La Biche, Alberta Pigeon Lake, Alberta Lac La Nonne, Alberta Heart River, Alberta MST and caffeine testing methods Experiences with collecting bacterial data

3 Water quality is an issue in many Alberta lakes Common problems include nutrient enrichment, nuisance and/or toxic algal blooms, and fecal contamination Alberta eutrophic lakes naturally, any addition of nutrients (particularly phosphorus) can cause problems Algala bloom in Pigeon Lake, 2007

4 Toxic algae species are seen in Alberta, including Aphanizomenon, Anabaena and Mycrocystis These species produce toxins which can be harmful to wildlife, pets and humans

5 Commonly find E. coli, Cryptosporidium and Giardia in surface waters in Alberta These organisms can cause cryptosporidiosis, gastroenteritis, and giardiasis ( Beaver Fever ) Many people still think it is safe to drink water from lakes or rivers without filtration or treatment Recreational use (boating, waterskiing, swimming, etc) can result in the accidental ingestion of contaminated surface waters

6 Sources of bacteria and parasites include leaking septic tanks, outhouses, illegal dumping, agricultural operations (livestock), manure application (land spreading)

7

8 Highly used recreational lake, popular for boating, fishing and swimming 7 th largest lake in Alberta, and is an important bird area Town was putting partially treated wastewater into nearby Field Lake, thinking it would flow into a neighboring watershed Unfortunately, it flowed from the lake through the outflow (Red Deer Brook) and into Lac la Biche instead Prior to this, untreated sewage was released directly into Lac la Biche, near the town site

9

10 TP levels in Field Lake jumped from 56 µg/l in 1982 to 1,826 µg/l in 2005 Lake became anoxic and residents complained of odour problems Residents were also concerned that the Field Lake water was making the water quality in Lac la Biche deteriorate

11 Caffeine study completed by Aquality on the lake and tributaries in 2003/2004 Caffeine is a chemical compound excreted by humans in sufficiently large quantities to be detectable in sewage wastes Caffeine was detected at 10 sample locations around Lac la Biche and its inflow streams in spring, indicating a recent release of sewage

12 Current efforts within the watershed have focused on the preservation of the Red Deer Brook outflow, due to its inherent natural water treatment capabilities Economic valuation of Red Deer Brook performed by a graduate student of Dr. Nancy Olewiler (SFU) Water intake for the Town was re located one kilometer further into the lake to improve the quality of the incoming water Today, partially treated wastewater is still being dumped into Field Lake Watershed management plan currently with AENV for approval this will assist the County in protecting water quality in the lake

13

14 Very popular recreational like, high amounts of development Shallow, prone to high nutrient levels and water temperatures in summer, providing perfect conditions for algal blooms Commonly have cyanobacterial blooms Phosphorus levels have increased by 49% since the 1980 s Fecal bacteria counts peaked at 180 CFU/ 100 ml in 2006 in Ma Me O Beach, indicating there may be a sewage problem there Agricultural practices and dustfall account for the majority of the loadings to the lake Exacerbated by removal of riparian vegetation around the lake and extensive cottage development

15

16 Typical summer scene at Pigeon Lake (pictures taken in 2007)

17 Current efforts include a groundwater study in the area to examine the surface and groundwater interactions Water levels in the lake have dropped in the last year, which will concentrate the nutrients and result in warmer water temperatures Large algal blooms die off and sink to the bottom of the lake where they decompose, releasing more nutrients into the lake Residence time of lake is approximately 100 years No flushing of lake water

18

19 Water quality and algal blooms problematic in this lake as well Pets have died from ingesting algae from the lake Land use activities within the watershed are contributing excess nutrients to the lake Lake is hypereutrophic Caffeine detected in one inflow stream in 2004, indicating sewage inputs Inflow stream water quality is problematic throughout the watershed

20 Land Cover in the Lac La Nonne watershed, 1990

21 Land cover, 2000

22 Nutrients: 2004 Moderate Intensity GRANDE PRAIRIE CREEK Poor KLESKUN HILLS MAIN DRAIN Poor TOMAHAWK CREEK Poor Average Marginal 2004 BLINDMAN RIVER Poor MEADOW CREEK Fair TROUT CREEK Excellent LAC LA NONNE Poor 2004 Nutrient Sub-Index Score Fair RENWICK CREEK HAYNES CREEK (M1) STRETTON CREEK WABASH CREEK TOMAHAWK CREEK BATTERSEA DRAIN LAC LA NONNE CROWFOOT CREEK KLESKUN HILLS MAIN DRAIN GRANDE PRAIRIE CREEK THREEHILLS CREEK NEW WEST COULEE DRAIN S-6 BUFFALO CREEK HINES CREEK RAY CREEK BLINDMAN CREEK STRAWBERRY CREEK ROSE CREEK MEADOW CREEK Marginal Poor PADDLE RIVER TROUT CREEK WILLOW CREEK AAWQI - Nutrient

23 Nutrients: 2005 Moderate Intensity 2005 BLINDMAN RIVER Poor GRANDE PRAIRIE CREEK Poor KLESKUN HILLS MAIN DRAIN Poor MEADOW CREEK Fair TOMAHAWK CREEK Poor TROUT CREEK Good Average Marginal LAC LA NONNE Poor 2005 Nutrient Sub-Index Score Fair Marginal Poor HAYNES CREEK (M1) HAYNES CREEK (M6) WABASH CREEK RENWICK CREEK STRETTON CREEK THREEHILLS CREEK BATTERSEA DRAIN TOMAHAWK CREEK STRAWBERRY CREEK RAY CREEK BUFFALO CREEK KLESKUN HILLS MAIN DRAIN GRANDE PRAIRIE CREEK BLINDMAN CREEK CROWFOOT CREEK PADDLE RIVER LAC LA NONNE ROSE CREEK NEW WEST COULEE DRAIN S-6 HINES CREEK MEADOW CREEK WILLOW CREEK TROUT CREEK AAWQI - Nutrient

24 Restoration workshop held for Lac La Nonne in 2006 Workshop included representatives from AENV, Cows and Fish, FAN, AAFRD, ASRD Numerous lake restoration options brainstormed by the professionals at the workshop Included options such as dredging, amendments, hypolimnetic withdrawal, shoreline and watershed restoration projects

25 Progress: SoW report completed (2006) Riparian assessment completed on Nakamun Lake (2008) and Majeau Lake Participated in the Living By Water HomeSite Consultation Program (2007) Some BMPs have been implemented with demonstration sites Farm Water Watch Program initiation Ag Capture Land Use Inventory Pilot Project Riparian Improvement Projects Environmental Farm Planning Paleolimnology study (U of A)

26

27 While not a recreational waterbody, the Heart River is the source of drinking water for residents in Nampa, the Hamlets of St. Isidore, Marie Reine and the East Peace Water Co operative in Northern Sunrise County Water quality monitoring program initiated in 2003 Included the Heart River and tributaries Common contaminants seen include: Parasites (Cryptosporidium and Giardia) Fecal bacteria Pesticides (glyphosate has been found in spill level concentrations) Excess nutrients Poorest water quality seen from one tributary, known as Myrtle Creek

28 B D A E Heart River Watershed showing delineated watershed boundary (thick black line) and the four 2008 sampling site locations (sites A, B, D, and E)

29 A typical riparian area on the Heart River

30 3,000 Total Coliforms 2,500 Total Coliforms (CFU/100 ml) 2,000 1,500 1, Site A Site B Site D Site E Site Total coliform (CFU/100 ml) concentrations in the water column at all four sampling locations in The CCME guideline for Irrigation Water is given for comparison (red line, 1,000 CFU/100 ml).

31 Alberta Environment has not identified any pesticides as an issue in Nampa s treated water however, Alberta Environment has not tested for pesticides in treated water since 2003 High turbidity linked with high phosphorus levels, implying erosion and loading of sediments from the surrounding land Spring runoff periods seem to be problematic in this watershed Microbial source tracking was completed in 2006 using Cryptosporidium and Giardia in order to track the sources of fecal contamination

32 Cryptosporidium and Giardia results from 2006 microbial source tracking

33 Progress in watershed work has been hindered by general public apathy on the subject of water quality and wetland preservation Watershed management plan has been completed and approved by AENV Water quality study continues on an annual basis Riparian restoration work has been completed in two demo sites Offsite watering has been demonstrated and some producers have completed Environmental Farm Plans Problems are linked to land use practices and agricultural operations, along with widespread wetland drainage

34

35 Many different methods are available, including: Library dependent methods using E. coli and Enterococcus spp. method limited by the size of the library available for use Library independent methods that use host specific markers and PCR Chemical tracers not microbial but some chemical compounds can be linked to fecal contamination, such as pharmaceuticals Protozoan genotyping using Cryptosporidium and Giardia, which is based on science that suggests that different species and/or genotypes of these parasites exhibit host specificity All methods are time consuming, require specialized knowledge and equipment, and are very costly Still an emerging technology

36 Caffeine is a compound found solely in human wastes Raw sewage should contain approximately 42 µg/l of caffeine based on literature available It is possible to detect caffeine in lakes that has been diluted up to 2100 times Results can be misleading because caffeine degrades quickly in the environment, so a nondetect does not necessarily mean that there isn t any sewage present

37 Aquality has written State of the Watershed Reports, Watershed Management Plans, water quality reports and Source Water Protection Plans for many groups across the province All of these require the use of available water quality data, including bacterial samples Data is often very hard to come by, either because it doesn t exist, it is limited in scope, or there are cumbersome privacy agreements that must be signed before data can be released

38 Aquality has collaborated with Lynn Bollinger (from the former Aspen Regional Health Authority) and David Brown (from the former David Thompson Health Region) on a couple of projects in the province Provincial parks staff also perform limited water quality testing but we have not been able to obtain much data from them Bacterial data continues to be a large data gap in the province More staff is required? Data should be made readily available to the public if requested

39 Questions?