17 MDMER regulations II Flashcards
what is this lecture about?
what is EEM in canada?
-the candian mining industry operates in many different types of ore deposits, uses a variety of mining and milling processes, and discharges effluents to a variety of receiving environments
-national effluent limits alone may not ensure adequate protection of all aquatic receiving environments. Thus to evaluate the effects of mine effluent on the aquatic ecosystems, site-specific EEM studies must be conducted by all mines
-the EEM program designed to achieve national uniformity in monitoring effects in the aquatic environment, while taking into consideration site-specific factors
what is the objective of EEM?
the objective of metal and diamond mining EEM is to reevaluate the effects of mine effluent on fish, fish habitat, and the use of fisheries resources. This is for the purpose of refining the MDMER authorized effluent list and concentration limits (ADDRESSES UNCERTAINTY)
to meet this objective, the EEM program requires all mine to conduct:
1) effluent quality monitoring studies: which includes effluent characterization and sublethal toxicity testing
2) water quality studies: which includes water quality monitoring in the receiving environment, beyond the final point of discharge
3) biological monitoring studies: which include a fish survey (fish population health and fish tissue analysis) and a benthic invertebrate community survey
what is the purpose of effluent quality monitoring studies?
to collect information about effluent quality, in order to provide background supporting information for the assessment and interpretation of the results of biological monitoring (i.e. cause and effect)
what does effluent monitoring consist of?
effluent characterization
-is conducted to provide information on the concentrations of additional compounds in effluent, including other metals, nitrogen compounds, alkalinity and hardness (e.g. Al, Cd, Fe, Hg, Mo, Se, nitrate, Cl, Cr, Co, Tl, U, P, Mn)
sublethal toxicity testing of effluent
-to detect potential long-term effects
what is the sublethal toxicity testing of effluent monitoring?
-conducted to determine if the effluent has the potential to affect fish, invertebrates, algae, or plants, and to track effluent quality
-endpoints measures in the sublethal toxicity tests include survival, growth, and reproduction
-required at the mine’s final discharge point, where effluent has the greatest potential to adversely affect the receiving environment
-conducted using aliquots of the same effluent collected for chemical characterization
what is water quality monitoring studies?
is conducted to provide information on the concentrations of compounds in the exposure area as compared to the reference area (same environment but no effluent)
-water quality data or tracers are also used for plume delineation (e.g. chlorine, rhodamine which is a dye)
-samples will be collected four times per year (ideally from the same areas chosen for biological monitoring) and will be analyzed for the same parameters as required for effluent characterization (including MDMER authorization requirements), as well as temperature and dissolved oxygen
what is biological monitoring studies?
a study design must be submitted within 12 months of falling under MDMER
information required for the study design:
i. site characterization
ii. study design
iii. biological monitoring studies
what does site characterization consists of?
contain
-information about the mine operation
-a description of the study area, especially the exposure areas
-a description and delineation of the effluent mixing zone
-a description of confounding factors will also be included as part of site characterization
what are confounding factors?
refers to any anthropogenic or natural factors, that are not related to the effluent under study but may reasonably be expected to contribute to an observed effect
what is site characterization ?
mines are not required to monitor effects that are caused by confounding factors. However, where confounding factors are present, mines will:
-address potential confounding factors within the study design;
-where possible, design EEM studies to resolve the difficulties related to data interpretation caused by confounding factors
what is study design?
the objective of a study design is to outline what field work and associated laboratory work will be done to complete the biological monitoring portion of the EEM study of how it will be done
what is biological monitoring studies?
to assess biological effects, monitoring studies are conducted for three components
A. fish population (health
B. fish tissue (Hg and Se concentrations)
C. benthic invertebrate community (fish habitat)
what is the fish population survey?
is conducted to determine if there have been changes in fish health (growth, reproduction, condition and survival)
-this is done by collecting fish species found in the exposure and reference areas, and comparing measurements of age, length, weight, gonad size, liver size, fecundity, and egg size (if sexually mature)
-a mine is not required to conduct a fish study if the concentration of the effluent in the exposure area is less than 1% within 250m of each final discharge point
what is the fish tissue survey?
-a survey of fish tissue is required if, during effluent characterization, a single measured concentration of total mercury in the effluent is = or >0.10ug/L
-mercury concentrations in tissue samples from the exposure area will be compared with mercury concentrations in samples from the reference area, and with health Canada guideline (0.45ug/g wet weight) for Hg in fish tissue
-a selenium in fish tissue study is triggered if the annual average concentration in the mine effluent is =>5ug/L, or if any single grab sample or composite effluent sample has a concentration =>10ug/L
what is the benthic invertebrate community survey?
what is biomonitoring (in general)
lose sensitive ones if stressor is added, resistant ones thrive
what is a reference area?
identical to exposure area, except there is not effluent
what can mines do for benthic invertebrate community survey?
when are alternative monitoring methods used?
at some mine sites, the fish survey and a benthic invertebrate community survey may bot be appropriate (if flow is too powerful, if too deep)
what are alternative monitoring methods?
mesocosms test right before and after (with effluent) water at site of discharge
what are the biological monitoring categories?
initial monitoring
focused monitoring studies
investigation of cause monitoring studies
what is initial monitoring?
what is focused monitoring studies?
focused monitoring studies may address the following questions?
what is the investigation of cause monitoring studies?
just go back to monitoring, dont change anything
