Technical annex 2: oil sands monitoring, annual report 2012 to 2013

Technical annex II: progress on key commitments

Table 1: air quality implementation plan activities (page 17 in the original plan)

Element: ambient air quality

Implementation plan activity: ambient air monitoring
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continuation and expansion of ambient monitoring network, consistent with the Integrated Monitoring Plan.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: fixed platforms
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Installation of three ecosystem sites downwind of oil sands region.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Enhanced measurements at a site in vicinity of sources.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Additional Progress	New and archived data from existing sites posted to the Joint Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring data portal.

Implementation plan activity: monitoring pollutant transformation
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Seasonal campaign via mobile labs and/or aircraft.	Work began with the support of the Fort McKay First Nation to establish two ground-based monitoring sites in the Fort McKay region. Summer 2013 airborne campaign planned. Two portable instrument trailers for deployment to the Fort McKay sites, and a third mobile laboratory for various locations in the oil sands region have been fully equipped.

Implementation plan activity: remote sensing and modelling
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Use remote sensing to produce maps of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide; use models to produce high-resolution air pollutant maps.	2012 to 2013 commitment met. Additional work is being done with the National Center for Atmospheric Research to use satellite remote sensing and air mapping tools to improve detailed mapping for air quality in the oil sands region.

Implementation plan activity: focused studies
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continued nitrogen and oxygen isotopic fingerprinting from non-oil sands sources.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: source emissions monitoring

Implementation plan activity: emissions inventories
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Compile all existing emissions databases.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Continued emissions inventory development for modelling.	An assessment of the data was performed for application to air quality models and identifying of potential information gaps.
Initiate and validate methods to derive activity and topography data and emissions locations from satellite photos.	Satellite-based emissions estimates of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were obtained over the entire surface mining region.

Implementation plan activity: point sources (stacks and fugitive)
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Initiate process to request additional stack emissions parameters.	Initiated.
Obtain satellite-based emissions estimates of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide over the entire surface mining region.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: tailings ponds
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continuation of intensive studies of tailings ponds including LiDAR technology.	Alberta ESRD led a contract with the University of Alberta to test and validate several methods from measuring emissions of chemical substances from the tailings ponds. Planning for an intensive measurement program was initiated to characterize emissions from the ponds.

Implementation plan activity: mobile and area sources
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Study design and initial testing of on-road vehicle fleet.	Test methodology was developed for conducting emission measurements of highway coach buses under actual operational conditions. A large fleet operator was identified as project partner. The test planning is continuing.
Source characterization of dust from mines, roads, coke piles.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: deposition

Implementation plan activity: ecosystem exposure
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Measurement of pollutions in ecosystem settings to determine deposition and exposure. Link to wildlife monitoring below.	Initiated.

Implementation plan activity: forest critical loads
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continuation of critical load studies; measurements of forest soils.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: enhanced deposition
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continue measurement of polycyclic aromatic compounds and particulate metals at three sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: deposition modeling
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continuation of deposition modelling. Modelling to understand emission, transport and fate of air pollutants.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Table 2: water implementation plan activities (page 19 in the original plan)

Element: surface water quality, surface water quantity, sediment

Implementation plan activity: mainstem water quality
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continue to monitor items in FY 2011 to 2012.	Increased to 7 sites with 5 sites monitored 12/year and 2 sites monitored quarterly.
Initiate quarterly sampling at three sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met (M3, M6, M7).
Initiate detailed method comparison and quality management of field methods and data comparability studies between AEW [ESRD] and EC. Also review ongoing role for one AEW [ESRD] LTRN site.	2012 to 2013 commitment met including full sampling at site M2.
Conduct technical workshops with appropriate parties to address the technical/logistical details to operationalize the Implementation Plan.	2012 to 2013 commitment met (e.g., EC, ESRD, RAMP).
Align current RAMP program with this joint Implementation Plan, and reflecting the Integrated Monitoring Plan.	Initiated.

Implementation plan activity: tributary water quality
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Conduct monthly sampling at 26 tributary sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met. Conducted monthly sampling at 27 tributary sites.
Continue Benthos, CABIN and fish work supporting water quality.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Add three additional monitoring sites on the tributaries, including the MacKay.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Additional Progress	Modelling was initiated, utilizing snow-contaminant data to assess snow transport/deposition processes on selected tributaries of the lower Athabasca.

Implementation plan activity: expanded geographic extent (Peace-Athabasca Delta; Slave River; Lake Athabasca)
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Increase number of locations; establish sampling frequency.	Increased the number of locations from five to nine. Surface water sampling at nine locations. Sampled monthly except during river freeze-up and break-up periods. Open water passive sampling increased from one to three locations. Under Ice passive sampling increased from two to three locations. Automated continuous monitoring initiated at one location.

Implementation plan activity: event-based sampling
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Initiate sampling sites and monitoring frequency.	Initiated an intensive and extensive tributary spring freshet (snowmelt) monitoring program. Increased sampling frequency to weekly during spring freshet (snowmelt) at M4 and M5.

Implementation plan activity: passive sampler program
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Increased sampling frequency at existing sites.	Deferred to 2013 to 2014; high flow conditions in the Lower Athabasca mainstem and tributaries hampered successful deployment and retrieval of passive samplers.

Implementation plan activity: groundwater quality
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continue monitoring program as per Baseline year.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: water quantity
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Mainstem : Continue core monitoring (four sites); enhance current AEW [ESRD] water level sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Undertake detailed planning and budgeting (locations, operating periods, manual measurements) for expansion of hydrometric network.	2012 to 2013 commitment met. New hydrometric monitoring station added to the Ells River in 2013.
Initiate validation of comparability of RAMP Climate and Hydrology Program methods.	Initiated.
Trib sites and Expanded Geographic Extent: evaluate as part of detailed planning and budgeting exercise.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: river ice modelling
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Establish sites and monitoring frequency.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: sediments
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Benthos, CABIN and fish work to generate supporting sediment quality data.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Collect five more sediment cores from lakes for paleo-analyses.	2012 to 2013 commitment met. Seven additional sediment cores were obtained from lakes.
Initiate sediment sampling using historical WSC methods at one site.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Initiate sediment sampling research/surveillance studies.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Process-based sediment monitoring in mainstem/tribs: initiate sampling program.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: benthic invertebrates

Implementation plan activity: mainstem
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Mainstem: implement up to 10 sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met; implemented 11 sites.

Implementation plan activity: tributaries
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Tributaries: implement up to 6 additional sites (36 sites in total).	2012 to 2013 commitment met; implemented 50 tributary sites.
Initiate detailed comparison of existing and proposed monitoring programs and integrate where appropriate for both mainstem and tributary sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: deltaic ecosystem health
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Biota/WQ/Sediments continue at Base sites; increase sample frequency.	2012 to 2013 commitment met. Increased sampling sites from 8 to 16 sites; twice/year.

Element: snow and wet precipitation (acid deposition to acid-sensitive lakes and snowpack)

Implementation plan activity: snow and atmospheric deposition
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continue to monitor items identified 2011 to 2012 year.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Expand coverage of all snow sites on mainstem, tributary and landscape locations.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Wet precipitation sites co-located with three WBEA sites: continue.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: fish health, toxicology, contaminants

Implementation plan activity: wild fish health
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Mainstem: increase to six sites.	Initiated: wild fish collections attempted at six sites, collections made at five sites, extremely high water levels prevented fish collection at one location.
Tributaries: increase to eight sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met: collections made at 10 tributary sites.

Implementation plan activity: wild fish communities - species diversity
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Continue Mainstem and Tributary monitoring as per 2011-2012.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Align RAMP fish program with the program under the Integrated Monitoring Plan.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: fish toxicology
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Tributaries: implement all sites.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Snow: maintain current sampling (8 sites; 1/yr).	2012 to 2013 commitment met. Snow was sampled at 18 sites (6 sites replicated 3x to assess consistency of atmospheric deposition).
Ponds: ponds, seeps and groundwater to be determined.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: riverine in-situ bioassays
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Establish sampling program as per the Integrated Monitoring Plan.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: lake health (fish, invertebrates)
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Establish sampling program as per the Integrated Monitoring Plan.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: acid-sensitive lakes

Implementation plan activity: acid-sensitive lakes
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Sample more than 250 lakes.	2012 to 2013 commitment met; sampled over 340 lakes in AB, NT and SK.
Continue to monitor lakes in RAMP program.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Initiate assessment of existing lake data to support long-term lake monitoring.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.
Conduct an extensive survey of lake in NE Alberta to identify additional lakes for long-term acid deposition monitoring.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: focused site-specific assessments

Implementation plan activity: representative sub-basin studies (REPS)
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Representative Sub-basin Studies (REPS) - analyses/integration of REP work in Muskeg River Basin: water hydrology, sediments, groundwater and atmospheric deposition.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: maintstem – paired buoys
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Deploy buoys with multiple WQ, sediment, hydraulic instruments at two sites, open-water season.	Deferred.

Table 3: wildlife contaminants and toxicology monitoring program implementation plan activities (page 23 in the original plan)

Element: wild bird health and contaminants

Implementation plan activity: colonial water bird health and contaminants
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Gulls and Terns: Eggs collected at Rocky Point (WBNP), Mamawai Lake (WBNP) and Egg Island (Lake Athabasca).	2012 to 2013 commitment met at Mamawi Lake (WBNP), Egg Island (Lake Athabasca) and Dalmead Reservoir (reference site near Calgary). Reconnaissance complete for other egg collection locations.

Implementation plan activity: insectivorous bird health and contaminants
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Swallows: Eggs collected N and S of Fort MacKay, S of Fort McMurray	2012 to 2013 commitment met at Fort Chipewyan. Reconnaissance complete for other egg collection locations.

Element: amphibian health, toxicology, contaminants

Implementation plan activity: wild amphibian health contaminants
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Amphibian samples collected from ponds in the Fort McMurray area and from ponds over an expanded geographical area at increasing distances from Fort McMurray.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: amphibian laboratory exposures and effects
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Assessing impacts of water quality on amphibians using pond water.	Deferred to 2013 amphibian breeding season.

Element: bird health and toxicology

Implementation plan activity: laboratory exposure and effects - air emissions
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Exposures of laboratory birds to VOCs and SO₂.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: field exposure and effects – air emissions / PAHs
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Nest boxes installed radially around three processing plant and in reference location.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: wild bird and hunter/trapper harvested wildlife toxicology and contaminants

Implementation plan activity: dead and moribund bird contaminants and toxicology
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Birds collected from tailings ponds near Fort McMurray (event-based).	Deferred. Collaboration is being established to retrieve these birds in the future.

Implementation plan activity: hunter/trapper harvested wildlife contaminants and toxicology
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Animals harvested/trapped at various locations processed for contaminants and toxicology.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: plant health and contaminants

Implementation plan activity: laboratory phytotoxity and contaminants
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Greenhouse exposures to NA₂SO₄, and naphthenic acids.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Implementation plan activity: field vegetation assessment and contaminants
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Vegetation assessments undertaken at various locations along the Athabasca River.	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Table 4: biodiversity and land disturbance monitoring implementation plan activities (page 25 in the original plan)

Element: core terrestrial biodiversity monitoring
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Enhancement of monitoring effort into other oil sands areas and all areas within the Lower Athabasca regional planning area (70 to 80 sites).	2012 to 2013 commitment met: ABMI terrestrial spring, terrestrial summer and wetland surveys at 99 sites.
Periodic population or trend assessments of key provincial species (e.g., moose, deer, wolf).	2012 to 2013 commitment met: aerial moose and deer surveys conducted over southern and western portions of the oil sands region.

Element: cause-effects monitoring
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Cause-effects monitoring of key migratory songbirds. Design of cause-effects monitoring program for wetland-associated birds.	Initiated: Statistical evaluation of the precision of major bird trend monitoring programs operating within the oil sands region.

Element: measurement harmonization
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Development of an approach to integrate biodiversity monitoring effects in the oil sand areas by industry and other stakeholders (biodiversity monitoring data by oil sands developers, universities, etc.)	Initiated: Monitoring protocols and techniques for rare plants, wetland birds, owls and bats investigated. Industry partners beginning to implement autonomous recording units using a methodology that is harmonized with the core biodiversity monitoring system.

Element: Species at risk (SAR) and rare/difficult species monitoring
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Annual caribou tracking and assessment of recruitment.	2012 to 2013 commitment met: aerial surveys. Assessment of recruitment initiated: Caribou fecal pellet samples were obtained from 150 sites for DNA analysis to estimate herd size.
Monitoring of Whooping Crane.	2012 to 2013 commitment met; monitoring migration over oil sands region.
Design of augmented biodiversity core program to address gaps in status and trend and cause-effects monitoring of species at risk and rare/difficult species (e.g., increase detection probability of key species).	2012 to 2013 commitment met.

Element: human disturbance footprint monitoring
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Mapping of human disturbance footprint at 3 x 7 km survey panels and coarse scale wall-to-wall mapping.	Initiated.
Augmented fine-scale wall-to-wall footprint mapping for oil sands regions and other reference areas, with participation of cooperating agencies.	Initiated.

Element: habitat monitoring
Commitments made in the implementation plan for fiscal year 2012 to 2013	Progress against commitments for fiscal year 2012 to 2013
Collection of vegetation and other ground-based habitat data.	Initiated programs to: Develop and test methods to monitor vegetation recovery on seismic lines, well sites and in cut blocks. Develop and test methods to create a predictive ecosite map for the oil sands region. Fill gaps in oil sands enhanced wetland layer and enhanced upland vegetation cover.
Expand core land cover monitoring, with participation of cooperating agencies and initiatives to collect remote-sensed and high-resolution photo data.	Initiated.
Continue work to assess potential of remote-sensed and high-resolution photo data for biodiversity prediction. Assess ability to interpret and classify data sources to provide key habitat features relevant to key species that are the focus of cause-effects monitoring.	Initiated.

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2017-08-18