Contribution Of Industrial Municipal Agricultural And Groundwater Sources To Nutrient Export Athabasca Wapiti And Smoky Rivers 1980 1993

The aim of this report is to assess the sources of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Athabasca and Wapiti/Smoky rivers and evaluate the need to consider groundwater contributions when undertaking simulation modelling of chemical parameters of the Athabasca River during winter. To address the first objective, longitudinal trends in nitrogen and phosphorus were examined for each river system in relation to point source inputs and the contributions of anthropogenic point sources and agricultural activity in the rivers' nutrient loads were quantified. The importance of groundwater during winter was assessed by examining hydrologic mass balances and changes in dominant ion proportions. Results are presented of analyses of long-term values of nutrients from ten sites on the Athabasca and three sites on the Wapiti/Smoky rivers.

Lists Northern River Basins Study technical reports by issue number, subject, and geographic area studied. Subject areas used to classify the reports are: hydrology/hydraulics, nutrients/dissolved oxygen, contaminants, food chain, drinking water, other uses, traditional knowledge, and synthesis and modelling. Ten geographic divisions are used: three each for the Athabasca and Peace Rivers, and one each of the Wapiti/Smoky rivers, Peace-Athabasca Delta, Lake Athabasca, and Rivière des Rochers/Slave River.

This document presents a guidance framework for the management of phosphorus in freshwater systems. The introduction reviews the development & validation of this framework. Chapter 2 presents a review of the scientific literature on phosphorus in the aquatic environment, including properties, sources, fate, sediment interactions, parameters affecting phosphorus availability, trophic status, & effects on organisms. Chapter 3 examines a number of approaches used by other jurisdictions for setting phosphorus guidelines. Chapter 4 outlines the proposed framework-based approach for phosphorus management in which water bodies are marked for further assessment by comparing their trophic status to predefined ranges of phosphorus concentration. Chapter 5 summarizes some of the recommended assessment options currently use in Canada & other jurisdictions. Chapter 6 reviews management options that can be considered once the phosphorus concentrations have been assessed & compared to original goals for the water body. The final two chapters present case studies of implementation of this framework at Lake Simcoe in Ontario and at Kodiak Lake, Northwest Territories.

Vol. 25, no. 1 contains the society's Lincoln Chapter's Resource conservation glossary.

The objective of this report is to compile and synthesise existing information from government and industry sources on the nature of liquid effluents from municipalities and non-pulp mill industries in northern Alberta river basins. Information was obtained from 16 continuously discharging municipal sewage treatment plants, 77 periodically discharging sewage plants, and 62 licensed industrial discharges such as oil sands plants, coal mines, cement plants, and wood products operations. Information presented includes: description of wastewater treatment methods used; releases of treated sanitary wastewater; quantity and quantity of sewage treatment plant data; characteristics (chemical, nutrient, microbial, toxicological) of sanitary wastewater discharges; industrial effluent characteristics; and impacts on the aquatic environment. Gaps in the data are also identified.

Using a variety of research findings and case studies, this publication provides a broad picture of water quality and quantity in Canada as they are affected by agriculture and as they affect agriculture itself. The first part contains background on the water cycle, water supplies in Canada, agriculture & other rural uses of water, and issues related to water quality. The second part describes what is currently known about the health of Canada's rural surface water and groundwater, and the implications for natural ecosystems. The third part describes responses to the various issues of water quality & quantity, citing farming practices and regulatory tools, among other measures. The final part discusses how the growth of agriculture may be limited by issues related to water and how the future might proceed. Includes glossary.