Federal and Provincial Monitoring & Ontario: Onshore to Nearshore to. Paul Helm. Chris Marvin. Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Environment Canada

Transcription

1 Federal and Provincial Monitoring & Research on Toxics in Lake Ontario: Onshore to Nearshore to Offshore Paul Helm Environmental Monitoring & Reporting Branch Ontario Ministry of the Environment Chris Marvin Water Science and Technology Directorate Environment Canada

2 MOE and EC Science in Lake Ontario Historically different jurisdictions offshore vs. nearshore Collaborative work now mandated under the Canada- Ontario Agreement (COA) COA is the federal-provincial agreement that supports the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem outlines how governments of Canada and Ontario will cooperate and coordinate their efforts to restore, protect and conserve the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.

3 MOE Toronto and EC Burlington Collaboration Collaborate through COA and the Lake Ontario LaMP Joint research group Co-supervision of post-doctoral researchers, grad students Shared resources Labs, Vessels, Divers Some mandates remain different What chemicals are out there? At what levels? Are they persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative? Development of sound policies and management strategies under Federal (CEPA) and Provincial legislation

4 EC Ambient Monitoring Programs Great Lakes Surface Water Surveillance Canadian Great Lakes sampled on a rotational basis Temporal trends and spatial distributions since 198s Great Lakes Sediment Assessment Great Lakes sampled on a rotational basis (with USEPA) Temporal trends and spatial distributions ib ti since late196s Great Lakes Connecting Channels Upstream/Downstream t approach St. Clair River, Niagara River, Wolfe Island Temporal trends since 198s

5 EC Ambient Monitoring Programs Pesticide Surveillance Recent increased emphasis on CUPs Tib Tributary Screening and dsource Trackdown Monitoring of air and precipitation Trends in deposition of toxics to the Great Lakes Fish Contaminant Surveillance Temporal trends since the 197s Recent increased emphasis on new/emerging POPs

6 MOE Ambient Monitoring Programs Great Lakes Nearshore Monitoring & Assessment Canadian nearshore stations sampled on a rotational basis Water & sediment quality across the basin through time Sportfish Contaminant Monitoring PCBs, dioxins, mercury in fish in Great Lakes, rivers and inland lakes ( Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network Water quality (>4 sites), pesticides, urban waters Drinking Water Surveillance Program Network of treatment plants; surveys (pharmaceuticals)

7 Why Sediments??? A primary sink/source for contaminants in the Great Lakes Contamination of seds is reflective of compounds responsible for environmental impairment and fish consumption advisories Time-integrated Availability of historical data

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9 Lake Ontario Bathymetry

10 Comparison of Mercury in Lake Ontario in 1968 vs Legend Legend

11 Duluth THUNDER BAY Isle Royale Keweenaw Pen. LAKE SUPERIOR ST. MARY S RIVER Mercury ppm NORTH CHANNEL GEORGIAN BAY LAKE ST. CLAIR LAKE MICHIGAN GREEN BAY Legend LAKE HURON SAGINAW BAY ST. CLAIR RIVER Bruce Pen. Toronto NIAGARA RIVER ST. LAWRENCE RIVER LAKE ONTARIO DETROIT RIVER Chicago LAKE ERIE

12 Dioxins and Furans (pg/g TEQs) Legend

13 DDT HCB 87 Sediment Quality Index Lead Legend 4-59 (Marginal) 6-79 (Fair) 8-94 (Good) 95 + (Excellent) PCBs Lead 4 59 (Marginal)

14 PBDEs in Great Lakes Sediments Source: Environment Canada and Ontario Ministry of the Environment ion wt) concentrat (ng/g dry w 1 2 kilometer N

15 PBDEs in Great Lakes Tributary Sediments Source: Environment Canada and Ontario Ministry of the Environment concentration (ng/g dry wt) 1 2 kilometer N

16 PBDEs in Nearshore Sediment ng/g dw , , 27 influence of urban areas reflect use patterns

17 Tracking Inputs over Time: Lake Ontario Sediment Cores PBD E (ng/g) P PCDD (ng/g g) DL-PCB PCDD PBDE DL- -PCB (ng/g g) Sediment concentrations reflect chemical inputs over time Legacy compounds peaked in 197 s/198 s s (PCBs, Dioxins) Sharp increases in BFRs coincides with increasing use Recent slowing of increases, likely in response to regulatory pressures Prioritize; evaluate actions

18 Lake Ontario Temporal Trends (MOE/EC/DFO) PF FOS (ng/g) PFOS PFOA Sediment Core PF FOA (pg/g) Contrasts in historical vs. current-use chemicals Smaller PCDD/F reductions than PCBs PFOS (n ng/g ww) PFOS PFOA Lake Trout PFOA (ng g/g ww) Multiple observations & multiple media key as current-use chemicals differ from historical compounds interpretation

19 Passive Sampling Continuous uptake over time Integrate exposures Reduces multiple grabs Sample a broad range of chemicals: SPMD Bioaccumlative PCBs, PAH BFRs, fragrances, surfactants Soluble in Water Pharmaceuticals POCIS Hormones Current-use pesticides

20 Pharmaceuticals in Nearshore Waters ng/l Ibuprofen Acetaminophen Carbamazepine Atenolol

21 Sources to the Environment Past: Industrial Discharges Current: Built Environment and our use MWWTP AIR RUN-OFF

22 Contaminants in Urban Streams Rouge Highland Elder Mills 3 25 Don 2 15 Old Mill Mimico Etobicoke 1 ng PAH / L Albion L Rouge L.Rouge Ki King 5

23 GL Monitoring & Research Strengths Government e & agency commitment t & resources Logistical framework for addressing emerging concerns Varied monitoring activities for more interpretative power Active collaboration Federal-provincial Academic Conservation Authorities Municipalities Formal partnerships / coordinating bodies: Standards (CCME) Lakewide Management (LaMPs) / Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) Co-sponsorship (e.g, symposia, workshops)

24 Acknowledgements Information provided by: Satyendra Bhavsar, Eric Reiner, Li Shen, Sarah Gewurtz, Melanie Nielson, Sean Backus, Paul Klawuun, Debbie Burniston, Vi Richardson, Alice Dove, Hongxia Li, Chris Metcalfe, Matt Robson, Lisa Melymuk, Miriam Diamond

25 Contact Information Chris Marvin Water Science & Technology Directorate Environment Canada Paul Helm Environmental Monitoring & Reporting Branch Ontario Ministry of the Environment