This map displays an assessment of surface water quality risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Agricultural activities that may have an impact on surface water quality, including livestock, crop production and agrochemical use, were identified and used to produce this map. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk).This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

This Alberta Official Statistic describes how the River Water Quality Index (RWQI) for Alberta provides a general assessment of water quality at 28 Long-Term River Network (LTRN) sites on the province’s major river systems. In most cases, the sites represent conditions upstream and downstream of areas of significant human activity. The RWQI has been reported as a performance measure in the Ministry of Environment and Parks "Annual Report" since 1996.

The map shows the locations of water quality network stations operated by the federal Water Quality Branch, Department of Fisheries and the Environment, and the provincial Water Quality Branches of Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. The federal and provincial monitoring programs provide natural water quality data, data on environmental contaminants, and interpretive information to a wide field of users in support of water resources management programs, pollution control and environmental assessment studies, legislation and research, and federal-provincial, interprovincial, and international agreements. The programs are designed essentially to detect and quantify water pollution, to determine water quality trends on a national and regional basis, and to measure the effectiveness of remedial pollution control measures on surface waters. In this way a better understanding will be achieved of the behaviour and fate of pollutants in the environment and their effects on physical, chemical, and biological systems. This increased knowledge will contribute to improved water resource planning. Initially, the International Hydrological Decade network consisted of about 200 sampling stations located on major rivers and streams across Canada. Besides providing data for industrial, municipal, and other government agencies, the network was designed to explore methods for predicting water quality conditions in streams, using existing and new data, and to study correlations of water quality, stream discharge, geological formations, and meteorology.

In rural Alberta, 90 per cent of people use private well water supplies for domestic use (e.g., drinking, cooking, bathing). Domestic well water systems are not regulated by the provincial or federal governments. The Government of Alberta along with Alberta Health Services (AHS) provides water chemistry testing of private well water and information and advice on safe water for domestic purposes; however, it is the responsibility of well owners to ensure the quality and safety of their water supply. Water quality may be impacted by contamination from natural sources or human activities and cause noticeable aesthetic issues or potential health concerns. Water samples are collected and submitted by well owners through local AHS sites for analysis of routine chemistry and trace element parameters. Routine chemistry testing focuses on the suitability of the water for drinking and household use with two health-related parameters. For trace elements, testing used to be conducted only when there were health concerns or when the water was suspected to contain chemicals of concern (2001 to Sep 2018). Currently, trace element testing is completed for all samples submitted for routine analysis (if the sample volume is sufficient). The Alberta Centre for Toxicology has conducted the analyses of raw domestic well water samples since March 2004. From 2001 to Mar 2004, testing was conducted by Enviro-Test Laboratories. Limited information is available regarding the analytical methods and detection limits for this lab; therefore, users are advised to exercise caution when using the 2001 to Mar 2004 data. These datasets contain the routine chemistry results for raw well water samples collected from 2001 to 2018. Corrections may be made to the dataset over time (e.g., removal of samples deemed to be treated); users should regularly check for updates and download the most current versions. For additional information, refer to the publications on the “Related” tab of this webpage.

Athabasca River (includes sites M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7 [2011-March 2018]) Water quality chemistry data for 17 sites in the lower Athabasca River (LAR), the Peace and Slave rivers, and their tributaries, including measurements of major ions, nutrients, metals (dissolved and total) and organics (including BTEX, cyanide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). An interpretive report (Glozier et. al., 2018) was released in 2018, which included assessments of the water quality status and trends for data from 2012-2015. An excerpt from the executive summary is provided below and the full report can be found online at https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460140284 “During the three year JOSM period, over 1300 water quality samples were collected from 21 locations representing a nearly 5-fold increase in overall sampling effort in the Lower Atahbasc river (LAR), Peace River (PR), Slave River (SR) and Peace Athabasca Delta (PAD). Status and spatial patterns among sites were examined for each parameter type including major ions, nutrients, mercury, and metals. The major spatial patterns of interest included: 1. Extensive overlap in concentration of major ions, mercury, nitrogen and carbon along the LAR and main stem sites within the PAD; 2. Extensive overlap in concentration for metals along the LAR but a range of patterns among PAD mainstem sites. • The most common pattern showed consistent concentration values for all main stem sites from the LAR at M3 though to the outlet of the SR at SL2. • Similar to above, a second pattern showed similar concentrations along the length of the LAR main stem through to the interconnecting channel (i.e., M3-M10), but various patterns along the remaining main stem locations. 3. Range of concentration for parameters among the PAD tributary sites. • In general, concentrations of metals, phosphorus and mercury in the McIvor and Birch rivers were higher than the other tributaries. Given the highly variable nature of water chemistry within and between PAD tributary sites, ongoing sampling will be required to adequately characterize the status and patterns of these new sites. 4. Patterns in phosphorus concentration • Along the course of the LAR, the largest step increase for phosphorus occurred between M2 and M3, with concentrations remaining similar from M3-M9. • Dissolved phosphorus values in the PR (M12) were the lowest; with the SR (M11A-SL2) appearing to be a mixture of the differential concentrations of the two main contributors. 5. Patterns in dissolved selenium • In contrast to patterns discussed for other parameters, dissolved selenium concentrations showed statistically significant gradual increases in concentration between M3 and M6 after which concentrations stabilised at downstream sites (M7-M9). This pattern was dependent on the time year and most evident under high flow conditions during freshet. All but one parameter had consistent concentrations along the main stem of the LAR from M3 to the downstream site M9. Thus, spatial patterns (other than for dissolved selenium) that were observed were attributed to changes in non-oil sands related inputs such as municipal or other industrial inputs or differences in geological sources. The increasing dissolved selenium pattern from M3-M6 may be linked to higher tributary inputs during freshet as reported by Chambers et al., 2017. Seasonal patterns and temporal trends examined showed: 1. Typical seasonal patterns in water quality concentration included dissolved parameters exhibiting a pattern inverse to the hydrograph (with minimum concentrations occurring during high discharge periods and maximum concentrations occurring in low flow, under ice) while particulate associated parameters generally had higher concentrations during high flow spring/summer periods when suspended sediment loads were high. 2. Long-term trend analysis on data from M9 showed that, for the most recent period (2000-2014), several parameters including dissolved phosphorus and ammonia exhibited reductions in concentration while total phosphorus concentrations (which previously had been increasing) are now stable. Several changes in anthropogenic inputs are associated with these trends and include upgrades to facilities and the subsequent reductions to total loadings within the Athabasca River basin. 3. For several major ions and dissolved metals which displayed increasing trends at M9, results were similar when we examined trends at other sites in northern areas of Canada not directly downstream of the OSMA. As such, the increasing trends reported may have a broader regional pattern and are thus not likely directly related to upstream oil sands activities. Evaluation of the data against 39 water quality guidelines revealed that nineteen of the parameters showed no values above guidelines (i.e., no exceedances). Some metals (namely iron and aluminum) commonly (>75%) showed values higher than the guideline, particularly during periods of high suspended sediment concentrations. Total mercury samples showed occasional (<6%) exceedances but, similar to total metals, these values were associated with high suspended sediment values. Site specific guidelines may be more appropriate and provide a better warning of changes to water quality, particularly for parameters which are associated with the commonly occurring high suspended sediments." Supplemental Information Glozier, N.E., Pippy, K., Levesque L., Ritcey, A., Armstrong, B., Tobin, O., Cooke, C.A., Conly, M., Dirk, L., Epp, C., Gue, A., Hazewinkel, R., Keet, E., Lindeman, D., Maines, J., Syrgiannis, J., Su, M. & V. Tumber. 2018. Surface Water Quality of the Athabasca, Peace and Slave Rivers and Riverine Waterbodies within the Peace-Athabasca Delta. Oil Sands Monitoring Program Technical Report Series No. 1.4. 64 p. June 2018 https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460140284 Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) http://www.ccme.ca/ Alberta Surface Water Quality Guidelines and Objectives (ABSWQ) http://aep.alberta.ca/water/education-guidelines/surfac e-water-quality-guidelines-and-objectives.aspx Environmental Quality Guidelines for Alberta Surface Waters (2018) https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460138731

The surface water quality (WQ) program, as part of the Joint Canada/Alberta Implementation Plan, is designed to improve the ability to detect change and predict effects in relation to point and non‐point sources. A mass‐balance approach has been used for assessing the quantity, movement, and cycling of materials in the watershed. Applying this approach required a sampling program which included quantification of the sources, transport, flux, and fate of materials and contaminants. The Surface WQ monitoring sampling includes, in part, collection of; - event (freshet and rain) based WQ samples in tributaries ranging from daily to bi-weekly, - WQ samples in the Athabasca River using cross-channel transect methods at specified Phase 1 sites, - enhanced (additional parameters) WQ sampling at M9, M12, and M11A and at 5 new interconnecting channel stations within the Expanded Geographical Area (EGA), - ground water samples in specific high priority tributaries, and - auto-monitoring (near real-time) on a subset of parameters at sites in the EGA

This map displays an assessment of groundwater quality risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Agricultural activities that may have an impact on groundwater quality include livestock, crop production and agrochemical use. These activities along with the physical characteristics represented by aquifer vulnerability and available moisture were combined to produce this map. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk). This resource was created in 2005 using ArcGIS.

The data represents the relative expense of fertilizer and lime in the agricultural area of Alberta. It is an estimate of the degree to which agriculture may affect nutrient levels in surface and groundwater. The classes shown on the map are ranked between 0 (lowest) and 1 (highest).Mapping the relative values of fertilizer expenses by SLC polygon area is useful as an indication of where more fertilizer is applied in the province and as a proxy indicator for crop production.It also suggests the relative agricultural intensity in various parts of the province. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

This project generated unique numerical codes at the pixel level to provide wall-to-wall coverage of 128 unique Catchment Structural Units (CSUs) codes based on land use-land cover (LULC), surficial geology, wetlands and slope across the Province. The Provincial CSU layer represents the quantification of combined structural influences at an individual pixel scale, as expressed by a specific numeric and text code. These codes reflect the geospatial layers used to represent catchment structure. The CSU data is presented at a pixel resolution of 20 x 20 m and five initial structural layers (i.e., land cover, land use, surficial geology, wetlands and slope). This resolution was chosen to balance detail with computational efficiency. Each class within the structural layers were assigned unique numeric codes of different orders of magnitude.

Shallow groundwater and the interaction of these waters with surface water in the mineable area of the Athabasca oil sands region are being examined to assess the role and importance of groundwater in the regional river ecosystems. Groundwater quality chemistry data is available from 182 shallow groundwater samples collected below the Athabasca, Ells, Muskeg and Steepbank rivers and 2 monitoring wells near an existing tailings impoundment. Additionally 5 surface water samples were also collected for comparative purposes. All samples were collected between 2009 and 2011 and include analyses for up to 60 parameters, including electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration, major ions, trace metals, total concentrations of naphthenic acids, fluorescence intensity using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) and others. Statistical analyses indicate that shallow riparian groundwater proximate to a tailings pond and groundwater collected away from the any tailings pond were indistinguishable for nearly all parameters assessed with a few exceptions. The analyses also identified a small subset of groundwater samples that have some chemical similarities to OSPW (Oil Sands Process-Affected Water). Further investigations may be required to evaluate the nature and ecological significance of groundwater at these locations. Further context, interpretation and discussion of this data may be found in “Profiling oil sands mixtures from industrial developments and natural groundwaters for source identification,” which was published in Vol. 48 (5), pp. 2660–2670, January 2014 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology and “Assessing risks of shallow riparian groundwater quality near an oil sands tailings pond” published in 2016 in the journal Groundwater (Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 545-558). Supplemental Information Supporting Projects: Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Monitoring

The Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring (Environment Canada and Alberta Environment 2012) included the initiation of new biomonitoring sites on the Lower Athabasca River mainstem and its major tributaries following the study designs proposed in the Integrated Monitoring Plan for the Oil Sands (Phase 2) (Environment Canada and Alberta Environment 2011). This data consists of samples of benthic macroinvertebrates, comprised of insects, crustaceans, molluscs, and worms that represent a group of organisms used widely in environmental monitoring programs as indicators to assess the effects of water quality or physical habitat conditions on aquatic ecosystem health. These data are from the Mainstem Athabasca River located in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of northeastern Alberta, Canada. An interpretive report (Culp et. al., 2018) was released in 2018 that included assessments of the benthic and supporting data from 2012-2015. The full report can be found online at https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460140314. The benthic macroinvertebrate data consists of individual, 3-minute traveling kick-net samples using a 400 µm mesh net (Environment Canada 2012a) that are collected annually in the fall. Some comparative study samples were collected with a 250 µm mesh kick net. Samples were sorted according to CABIN laboratory protocols (Environment Canada 2012b) and subsampled using a Marchant box. Where possible, the sorted benthic macroinvertebrates were identified to lowest practical taxonomic level, and the total number of organisms for each taxon per 3 minutes sample is provided. Benthic macroinvertebrate data is collected from multiple sites on the mainstem of the Athabasca River focusing on near-shore cobble habitats. In addition to collecting benthic macroinvertebrate samples, supporting water and sediment chemistry samples were taken at the same sites and on the same dates annually in the fall. The data include measures of nutrients, metals (dissolved and total), polycyclic aromatic compounds, major ions, and physical measures. These water and sediment quality samples were collected as per the Phase 1 parameter lists and submitted to CALA accredited analytical laboratories. No benthic macroinvertebrate or associated water and sediment quality samples were collected in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented sampling. Taken together, this data uses an integrated approach to assess aquatic ecosystem health of the Athabasca River in response to oil sands development in northeastern Alberta, Canada. References: Environment Canada and Alberta Environment. 2012. Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring. Government of Canada. Pp. 27. Environment Canada and Alberta Environment. 2011. Integrated Monitoring Plan for the Oil Sands Expanded Geographic Extent for Water Quality and Quantity, Aquatic Biodiversity and Effects, and Acid Sensitive Lake Component. Government of Canada. Pp. 102. Environment Canada. 2012a. Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network Field Manual Wadeable Streams. 49 pp. Environment Canada. 2012b. Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network Laboratory Methods, Processing, Taxonomy, and Quality Control of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Samples. 30 pp. Supplemental Information Culp, J. C., Glozier, N. E., Baird D. J., Wrona, F. J., Brua, R. B., Ritcey A. L., Peters D. L., Casey.R., Choung, C. B., Curry, C. J., Halliwell, D., Keet, E., Kilgour, B., Kirk, J., Lento, J., Luiker, E. & C. Suzanne. 2018. Assessing ecosystem health in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of the athabasca river main stem, tributaries, and peace-athabasca delta. Oil Sands Monitoring Technical Report Series No. 1.7. 82 p. June 2018 https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460140314 Supporting Projects: Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Monitoring

To assess the toxicity of winter-time atmospheric deposition in the oil sands mining area of Northern Alberta, embryo-larval fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to snowmelt samples. Snow was collected in 2011–2014 near (< 7 km) oil sands open pit mining operations in the Athabasca River watershed and at sites far from (> 25 km) oil sands mining. Snow was shipped frozen back to the laboratory, melted, and amended with essential ions prior to testing. Fertilized fathead minnow eggs were exposed (< 24 h post-fertilization to 7–16 days post-hatch) to a range of 25%–100% snowmelt. Snow samples far from (25–277 km away) surface mining operations and upgrading facilities did not affect larval fathead minnow survival at 100%. Snow samples from sites near surface mining and refining activities (< 7 km) showed reduced larval minnow survival. There was some variability in the potencies of snow year-to-year from 2011 to 2014, and there were increases in deformities in minnows exposed to snow from 1 site on the Steepbank River. Although exposure to snowmelt from sites near oil sands surface mining operations caused effects in larval fish, spring melt water from these same sites in late March–May of 2010, 2013 and 2014 showed no effects on larval survival when tested at 100%. Snow was analyzed for metals, total naphthenic acid concentrations, parent PAHs and alkylated PAHs. Naphthenic acid concentrations in snow were below those known to affect fish larvae. Concentrations of metals in ion-amended snow were below published water quality guideline concentrations. Compared to other sites, the snowmelt samples collected close to mining and upgrading activities had higher concentrations of PAHs and alkylated PAHs associated with airborne deposition of fugitive dusts from mining and coke piles, and in aerosols and particles from stack emissions. Supplemental Information 5. Joint Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring (JOSM) The Governments of Canada and Alberta have committed to implementing scientifically rigorous, comprehensive, integrated and transparent environmental monitoring of the oil sands region to ensure this important national resource is developed in a responsible way. Working together, the implementation of monitoring enhancements will ensure installation of necessary infrastructure and appropriate integration with existing monitoring activities in the region. The efforts contribute to an improved understanding of the long-term cumulative effects of oil sands development. Since 2012, the governments of Alberta and Canada have worked to implement an environmental monitoring program for the oil sands, which integrates air, water, land, and biodiversity. The intent is to improve the characterization of the state of the environment and enhance understanding of the cumulative effects of oil sands development activities in the oil sands area. To date, the Joint Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring Program has significantly improved the ability to track low-level contaminants by increasing the geographic coverage of monitoring efforts—nearly doubling the number of sites monitored, increasing the frequency of sampling, sampling for more compounds and with more sensitive detection methods, and integrating results (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2017/12/canada-alberta_oilsandsenvironmentalmonitoring.html). For more information on the JOSM, please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/oil-sands-monitoring.html

The data represents the relative expense of farm chemicals (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) in the agricultural area of Alberta. It is an estimate of the degree to which crop production agriculture may contribute to surface or groundwater contamination.Agriculture production that makes greater use of herbicides, insecticides and pesticides in generally considered more intensive. Presenting the relative farm chemical expenses by SLC polygons reveals where the most intensive agricultural production in the province occurs. Chemical use is part of an equation to determine a measure of surface water quality risk. If an area is known to have certain risk factors that would affect not only surface, but groundwater quality as well, a higher chemical expense index ranking in that same area may be of concern. Where risks of surface or groundwater contamination exist, environmental farm planning can help to minimize them.

Acid-Sensitive Lakes Nine hundred and thirty-three lakes located in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories were sampled to establish current acidification status. Of the 933 lakes, 244 (or 26%) are considered acid sensitive, almost always because of naturally low calcium and magnesium (or "base cation") concentrations. The most acid-sensitive lakes (i.e., those with extremely low base cation concentrations) are located on the Canadian Shield in both Alberta and Saskatchewan and east of the oils sands development area. Fifty-one of the 244 acid-sensitive lakes were sampled twice annually (spring and fall) to identify chemical changes through trend analyses. Results revealed that 55% of these lakes had concentrations of some metals in excess of Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guidelines. Of the 291 samples taken in the 51 lakes, iron concentrations were greater than guidelines in 36% (105 samples), aluminum in 33% (97 samples), lead in 0.3% (1 sample) and copper in 0.3% (1 sample). The metals in these lakes occur naturally and are expected to be found in a wide range of concentrations given the geology and physiography of the Canadian Shield. It remains to establish the relationship between acid sensitivity, geology and high metal concentrations.