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Wood Buffalo Environmental Association

Environmental Monitoring Services

2019-2020

PROJECT PLAN

Q4 PROGRESS REPORT

JANUARY - MARCH 2020

Submitted to

WBEA Governance Committee

April 2, 2020

WBEA 2019-20 Project Plan Progress Report Q4 – January - March 2020 2

Table of Contents

1 Contract Scope and Delivery ..................................................................................................................................... 3

2 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

3. Project Plans ............................................................................................................................................................ 5

3.1. Atmospheric Pollutant Active Monitoring Network, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference A-LTM-S-1-1920 ............ 5

3.2. Strengthen Community Reporting of Odours - Ambient Air Odour Study, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference A-CM-1-1920 ............................................................................................................................................................. 22

3.3. Integrated Atmospheric Pollutant Deposition Monitoring– Athabasca Oil Sands, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference A-PD-6-1920.......................................................................................................................................... 24

3.4. Meteorological Monitoring under Oil Sands Monitoring, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference CC-7-1920 ........... 29

3.5. Integrated Terrestrial Biological Monitoring, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference B-LTM-TB-1-1920 ................... 32

3.6. New Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference WL-PD-10-1920 ................................ 37

3.7. Community-Led Berry Contamination Study, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference B-CM-3-1920 ......................... 40

4. Appendix – Supplemental Information .................................................................................................................. 43


1 Contract Scope and Delivery

This Progress Report is submitted quarterly by the WBEA on behalf of its members to Alberta Environment

and Parks (AEP) in accordance with delivery of the Environmental Monitoring Services as per Schedule A

of Government of Alberta, Environment and Parks contracts for 2019-23.

As per these contracts by the AEP, listed below, the WBEA provides environmental monitoring services

through the following 2019-20 Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) work plan and associated costs:

Contract Number Work Plan Name Work Plan Reference

1. #20AEM838 Atmospheric Pollutant Active Monitoring Network A-LTM-S-1-1920

2. #20AEM847 Strengthen Community Reporting of Odours - Ambient Air Odour

Study

A-CM-1-1920

3. #20AEM842 Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring – Athabasca Oil Sands A-PD-6-1920

4. #20AEM845 Meteorological Monitoring under Oil Sands Monitoring CC-7-1920

5. #20AEM856 Integrated Terrestrial Biological Monitoring B-LTM-TB-1-1920

6. #20AEM846 New Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring WL-PD-10-1920

7. #20AEM850 Community-Led Berry Contamination Study B-CM-3-1920


2 Introduction The WBEA is a multi-stakeholder, community-based, not-for-profit association, and operates the largest

air shed, in the largest municipality, in Canada. The WBEA monitors the air in the Regional Municipality of

Wood Buffalo (RMWB) 24 hours a day and 365 days a year through a variety of air, land, and odour

monitoring programs. The information collected from the WBEA’s air monitoring stations between

Conklin and Fort Chipewyan - most located at or near oil sands plants - is openly and continuously shared

with stakeholders and the public on the WBEA’s website (www.wbea.org) and through annual reports,

community engagement, and outreach activities.

An Air Quality Task Force was established in 1985 to address environmental concerns raised by the Fort

McKay First Nation related to oil sands development. In 1990, this Task Force became the Regional Air

Quality Coordinating Committee which was endorsed by the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) as a

regional air shed in 1996. In 1998, the WBEA assumed responsibility for air quality monitoring, and the

regional air shed was aligned with the boundaries for the RMWB. The WBEA became a working partner

of the Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA) in 2014. With the

dissolution of the organization on June 30, 2016, the WBEA began working with the EMSD of AEP to fulfill

its mandate to provide independent ambient air monitoring in the region. Following the reorganization of

AEP in 2019, the WBEA began working with the Resource Stewardship Division within AEP.

The project plans presented below come directly from the OSM project plans that were created in

partnership with AEP. Under each program title is the program description from the OSM plans; the

Milestone/Deliverables for each quarter, with the actions taken by the WBEA presented below.

http://www.wbea.org/


3. Project Plans

3.1. Atmospheric Pollutant Active Monitoring Network, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference A-LTM-S-1-1920

The Active Ambient Air Monitoring Program includes long-term continuous ambient air monitoring and time-integrated ambient air sampling. The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) operates 29 ambient air monitoring stations (AMS) in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region. The Lakeland Industrial and Community Association (LICA) operates four (4) AMSs in the Cold Lake Oil Sands Region, and the Peace River Area Monitoring Program (PRAMP) operates five (5) AMSs in the Peace River Oil Sands Region. All three airsheds collect time-integrated samples for the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program and for other parameters that cannot be collected through continuous monitoring.

The Objectives of the Atmospheric Pollutant Active Monitoring Network are:

(1) To measure impacts from Oil Sands development to ambient air quality; (2) To provide ambient air data that citizens, industry members, and regulatory bodies can use to

make informed decisions on health, facility compliance, and environmental management and policy; and

(3) To provide ambient air data for community monitoring needs, including the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), and measuring representative ambient concentrations in populated areas.

The report called Recurrent Human Health Complaints Technical Information Synthesis – Fort McKay Area (Alberta Energy Regulatory and Alberta Health, 2016) listed recommendations to address ambient air quality concerns in Fort McKay. The Fort McKay Air Quality and Odours Advisory Committee (FMAQOAC) was formed to address each recommendation and provide integrated solutions for addressing the concerns of the community. This work plan also includes operating the existing Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin AMS, which was installed to satisfy Recommendation 1 of the report, and standardizing ambient air monitoring at stations surrounding Fort McKay, as per Recommendations 14/15.

The Objectives of the Acute Odour Monitoring Study are:

(1) To satisfy the recommendations of the Recurrent Human Health Complaints Technical

Information Synthesis – Fort McKay Area (Alberta Energy Regulatory and Alberta Health, 2016) (2) To conduct comprehensive and inclusive monitoring in the community of Fort McKay by

providing the residents of Fort McKay, industry members, and regulators with ambient air monitoring data specific to the complaints of odours and poor air quality in Fort McKay

(3) To track the impact of oil sands development on odours and poor air quality in Fort McKay (4) To provide ambient air monitoring data that can be used to trigger emergency response actions

in Fort McKay (5) To inform industry, regulators, and community members about exceedances of the Alberta’s

Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAAQOs), the ambient air quality guidelines, the WBEA’s low-level thresholds, and the FMAQOAC’s triggers.

This work plan informs and is integrated with the following work plans: Strengthen Community Reporting of Odours - Ambient Air Odour Study, Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring – Athabasca Oil Sands, Meteorological Monitoring under Oil Sands Monitoring, Integrated Terrestrial Biological Monitoring, New Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring, and Community-Led Berry Contamination Study.


Q4 Milestones/Deliverables

3.1.1. Operation of Network

i. Complete monthly calibrations at all ambient air monitoring stations in the WBEA

network in compliance with Alberta’s Air Monitoring Directive (AMD). Perform

preventative maintenance and repairs, as required.

Monthly calibrations were completed in compliance with AMD criteria at 28 ambient air

monitoring stations for January, February and March 2020. There were no major issues in the

network. The table below gives the location of each portable air monitoring station for the fourth

quarter of 2019-2020.

Table 1. Location of Portable Stations in WBEA Network

Portable Station Locations – Quarter 4 (2019-2020)

AMS Number

WBEA Portable Number

January February March

23 AMS 101 Fort Hills

506 AMS 102 Leismer

505 AMS 104 Sawbones Bay

105 AMS 105 Bertha Ganter – Fort McKay

103 AMS 103 WBEA Centre Horizon Portable

Analyzer uptimes have been reviewed, and for December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020

the average operational times in the Network were 98.3%, 98.2%, 99.1% respectively. The

following table shows the number of analyzers active in the network each month (changes due to

the activity of portable stations), as well as operational uptime by percentage of the whole

network.

Table 2. WBEA Continuous Analyzer Operation Statistics, by Month

Month Average Operational

Time (%)

# of Analyzers with Operational Uptime % Total # of Analyzers

< 90 90 to 92 93 to 94 95 to 96 96 to 98 98 to 100

December 2019

98.3 5 1 1 5 6 136 154

January 2020

98.2 4 1 0 7 6 136 154

February 2020

99.1 1 4 4 4 5 136 154

ii. Operate the acute air monitoring station (Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin station) in Fort

McKay.

a) Complete monthly calibrations at Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin AMS in compliance

with Alberta’s AMD. Perform preventative maintenance and repairs, as required.

Monthly calibrations were completed in compliance with AMD criteria at this station for January,

February and March 2020.


The table below shows the operational uptime for this quarter.

Table 3. Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin AMS Analyzer Operation Statistics, by Month Month Average

Operational Time (%)

# of Analyzers with Operational Uptime % Total # of Analyzers < 90 90 to 92 93 to 94 95 to 96 96 to 98 98 to 100

December 2019

99.33 0 0 1 0 0 3 3

January 2020

99.19 0 0 0 0 0 3 3

March 2020

99.57 0 0 0 0 0 3 3

b) Perform annual calibrations on meteorological sensors.

Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin AMS meteorological calibrations will be completed during

Spring/Summer for 2020.

c) Maintain processing, validation and reporting of all WBEA ambient air quality data. Make all

data available on the WBEA’s website.

Ambient air data was reviewed for December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020, and Level II

data is available on the WBEA’s website at https://wbea.org/historical-monitoring-data/.

d) Report exceedances of the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives & Guidelines (AAAQO/G),

and non-compliances of the Air Monitoring Directive to the Alberta Government.

In December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020 there were no exceedances of the AAAQO/G

at Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin AMS of the air quality objective reported to the Environmental and

Dangerous Goods Emergencies (EDGE) line in real time.

e) Submit Monthly Ambient Air Monitoring Report to Alberta Environment and Parks and

submit data to the AEP Air Data Warehouse by the end of the month following the month of

data collection.

The December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020 Monthly Air Monitoring Reports and

Quality Assured Data were submitted electronically via the Electronic Transfer System (ETS) to

Alberta Environment and Parks on January 31, 2020, February 28, 2020 and March 30, 2020

respectively.

f) Complete annual internal audits at Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin AMS

The internal audit for the Waskōw ohci Pimâtisiwin AMS will be completed within the first six

months of 2020.

iii. Operate and maintain the volatile organic compound (VOC) and

reduced sulphur compound (RSC) gas chromatograph (GC) analyzers.

For January to March 2020, the VOC GC was operational with work continuing to resolve all

compound peaks and calibrating over the range seen in ambient data. The method development

is mostly complete, currently waiting for the new calibration gas with the final parameter list

https://wbea.org/historical-monitoring-data/


including Naphthalene. Calibrations will be completed with the new gas and ambient data will

then be collected. Data transfer to MDS still needs to be finalized.

For January to March 2020, the RSC GC was operational. A new calibration gas was received from

a new supplier which is of much higher quality. The column was replaced in January to improve

the peak resolution issues. Since the changes, chromatograms were sent to the manufacturer who

agree the issues have now been resolved. Automated daily zero checks and weekly span runs are

currently being performed. These are reviewed by the technician weekly for consistency and any

anomalies. Data is still streaming to the test data server but will be switched to the main

accessible server in the coming weeks.

iv. Deploy and collect all required time-integrated samples, maintain sample records, and

ship all samples to appropriate laboratories for analysis.

The WBEA collected and deployed samples through the months of January to March 2020 as

described in Table 4. All samples were sent to their respective labs for analysis. Any issues with

time-integrated sampling from this period are described in Table 5.

Table 4. WBEA Time-Integrated Samples

AIR MONITORING

STATION TIME INTEGRATED SAMPLING PARAMETERS

PM2.5 Metals PM2.5 Ions

PM2.5 EC/OC PM10 Metals PM10 Ions

PAH Precipitation VOC

Fort McKay-Bertha Ganter

X X X X X X X X

Patricia McInnes X X X X X X

Athabasca Valley X X X X X X

Barge Landing X

Fort McKay South X X X

Anzac X X X X X X

Horizon X X X X X

Wapasu X X

Stony Mountain X X

Janvier X

Schedule Every 6 days Every 6 days Every 6 days Every 6 days Every 6 days Every 6 days Weekly Every 6 days

Total # Samples/ Month

25 25 15 30 30 20 8 40


Table 5. WBEA Integrated Sampling Notes

a) Add time-integrated samples at Conklin AMS and Janvier AMS.

• Add PM10, PM2.5, VOC, and PAH at Conklin AMS. A deck was installed at the Conklin site in December 2019. Power to the deck has been installed

and is ready for the new samplers. The necessary samplers for Conklin site have been ordered and

are expected to be delivered in March 2020 and they will be commissioned by the end of May

2020.

• Add PM10, PM2.5, and PAH at Janvier AMS. The deck was installed at the Janvier site in 2019. Power has been connected to the deck and is

ready for the new samplers. The necessary samplers for the Janvier site have been ordered and

are expected to be delivered in March 2020 and they will be commissioned by the end of May

2020.

v. Perform annual calibrations on meteorological sensors at air monitoring stations and

bi-annual at meteorological towers.

Annual calibrations for meteorological sensors at the air monitoring stations will be completed in

spring/summer 2020.

3.1.2. Provision of Data

i. Maintain processing, validation and reporting of all WBEA ambient air quality data.

Make all data available on the WBEA’s website.

Ambient air data was reviewed for December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020, and Level II

data is available on the WBEA’s website at https://wbea.org/historical-monitoring-data/.

The table below outlines the time-integrated measurement datasets and the timeframes for each

dataset that are available on the WBEA website. Time-integrated data can be found on the

Scheduled Sampling Date

Location Parameter Field Notes/ Description

Corrective Action

January 16, 2020 AMS 1 PM10A Low sample volume; 23.9m3

Replaced pump

January 22, 2020 AMS 7 PM2.5A Power outage; sample duration = 23:32

January 22, 2020 AMS 7 PM10A Power outage; sample duration = 22:50

January 22, 2020 AMS 7 PM10B Power outage; sample duration = 22:45

January 22, 2020 AMS 7 VOC Power outage; sample duration = 23:58

February 3, 2020 AMS 7 PM2.5A Low sample volume; 22.1m3

Replaced pump

March 16, 2020 AMS 14 PAH Did not run, timer did not trigger

Ran sample March 18



WBEA’s website at https://wbea.org/resources/reports-publications/air-monitoring-

reports/integrated-samples-lab-results/.

Up-to-date time integrated datasets are being incorporated into a centralized database system

and will be available to download through a query/downloads page on the WBEA website by June

30, 2020.

Table 6. Time-integrated Measurement Datasets for Data Currently Available on the WBEA Website. Dataset Timeframe

Denuder January 2015 – December 2018

Environmental Carbon/Organic Carbon August 2012 – November 2018

Ion Exchange Resins May 2008 - May 2017

PAH January 2012 – November 2018

Passives December 1999 – December 2018

PM10 Ions January 2015 – December 2018

PM2.5 Ions January 2015 – December 2018

PM10 Metals January 2015 – December 2018

PM2.5 Metals January 2015 – December 2018

Precipitation – AITF December 2008 – December 2018

Precipitation - NADP January 2017 – December 2018

Remote Ozone Continuous Data – Beaver River, Conklin, JP213 2015 Campaign 2016 Campaign 2017 Campaign 2018 Campaign

RSC January 2009 – December 2016

VOC January 2009 – December 2018

ii. Report exceedances of the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives & Guidelines, and

non-compliances of the Air Monitoring Directive to the Alberta Government as

established by WBEA’s Immediate Reporting Protocol and the Fort McKay Acute

Response Triggers (FMART) Process.

Exceedances are routinely reported through the WBEA’s ambient air monitoring monthly data

reports. These reports can be found at https://wbea.org/resources/reports-publications/air-

monitoring-reports/ambient-monthly-reports/. Highlights for the fourth quarter include:

Non-Compliances

December 2019

In December 2019, there were five instances of a compliance monitoring instrument operating

less than 90% of the time.

1. The wind speed and wind direction sensor at Surmont 2 AMS operated less than 90% of the

time in December 2019, which is a contravention of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as

amended), Chapter 6, Clause DQ 4-C. Flat-line periods in the sensors’ output signals were

attributed to ice build-up on the sensor, and data from these periods were invalidated. The wind

direction sensor was replaced by a technician on December 18. Following the sensor replacement,

the wind speed and wind direction sensor resumed normal operations.

https://wbea.org/resources/reports-publications/air-monitoring-reports/integrated-samples-lab-results/

https://wbea.org/resources/reports-publications/air-monitoring-reports/integrated-samples-lab-results/

https://wbea.org/resources/reports-publications/air-monitoring-reports/ambient-monthly-reports/

https://wbea.org/resources/reports-publications/air-monitoring-reports/ambient-monthly-reports/


In December 2019, wind speed and direction data at Surmont 2 AMS operated for 87% of the

reporting period. This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on January 22,

2020 (reference number 362973).

2. The NMHC analyzer at Lower Camp AMS operated less than 90% of the time in December

2019, which is a contravention of Clause DQ 4-C, of Chapter 6 of the Air Monitoring Directive

(2016, as amended). The NMHC analyzer at Lower Camp AMS operated for 89% of the reporting

period. This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on January 22, 2020

(Reference Number 362974).

The NMHC analyzer is a gas chromatograph system. As such the problem with the analyzer was

the Methane peak had moved slightly resulting in 85 hours of invalid data. On December 17, the

window times were reset and the analyzer re-calibrated to resolve the issue.

3. The NO2 analyzer at Kirby North AMS operated less than 90% of the time in December 2019,

which is a contravention of Clause DQ 4-C, of Chapter 6 of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as

amended). The NO2 analyzer at Kirby North AMS operated for 62% of the December reporting

period. This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on January 29, 2020


There were two issues affecting the operational time of the NO2 analyzer in November and

December 2019. On November 11, the sample pump failed to operate, resulting in 59 hours of

invalid data. On November 13, the sample pump was replaced, and the analyzer was calibrated.

On December 11, routine calibration of the NO2 analyzer revealed that the analyzer failed the

linearity criteria for multipoint calibrations. Troubleshooting revealed the cause was a leak in the

analyzer. NO2 data was invalidated from the discovery on December 12 back to the last proof of

linearity on November 13. The analyzer was replaced with a backup unit on December 12, after

which the replacement analyzer met operational performance criteria. The original analyzer will

be investigated and repaired at the WBEA Instrument Repair Centre.

4. The H2S analyzer at Kirby North AMS operated less than 90% of the time in December 2019

and January 2020, which is a contravention of Clause DQ 4-C, of Chapter 6 of the Air Monitoring

Directive (2016, as amended). The H2S analyzer at Kirby North AMS operated for 34% of the

reporting period in December. This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on

January 29, 2020 (Reference Number 363233).

On December 30, a remote baseline adjustment was completed to address a shift in the baseline

response of the H2S analyzer. During routine data validation, it was identified that remote

baseline adjustments are not within AMD criteria. H2S data was invalidated from the calibration

on January 15 back to the last routine calibration on December 11.


5. The NO2 analyzer at Wapasu AMS operated less than 90% of the time in December 2019 and

January 2020, which is a contravention of Clause DQ 4-C, of Chapter 6 of the Air Monitoring

Directive (2016, as amended). The NO2 analyzer at Wapasu AMS operated for 54% of the

reporting period in December. This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on

January 29, 2020 (Reference Number 363235).

On January 14, routine calibration of the NO2 analyzer revealed that the analyzer failed the

converter efficiency criteria for multipoint calibrations. Troubleshooting revealed the converter

had failed and required replacement. NO2 data was invalidated from the discovery on January 14

back to the last proof of operation within criteria on December 17. The converter was replaced

with a backup unit on January 17, after which the analyzer met operational performance criteria.

In December 2019, there were no instances of a non-compliance monitoring instrument operating


January 2020

In January 2020, there were four instances of a compliance monitoring instrument operating less

than 90% of the time.

1. The H2S analyzer at Kirby North AMS operated less than 90% of the time in January 2020,

which is a contravention of Clause DQ 4-C, of Chapter 6 of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as

amended). The H2S analyzer at Kirby North AMS operated for 43% of the reporting period in

December. This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on January 29, 2020


On December 30, a remote baseline adjustment was completed to address a shift in the baseline

response of the H2S analyzer. During routine data validation, it was identified that remote

baseline adjustments are not within AMD criteria. H2S data was invalidated from the calibration

on January 15 back to the last routine calibration on December 11.

2. The NO2 analyzer at Wapasu AMS operated less than 90% of the time in January 2020, which

is a contravention of Clause DQ 4-C, of Chapter 6 of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as

amended). The NO2 analyzer at Wapasu AMS operated for 52% of the reporting period in January.

This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on January 29, 2020 (Reference

Number 363236).

On January 14, routine calibration of the NO2 analyzer revealed that the analyzer failed the

converter efficiency criteria for multipoint calibrations. Troubleshooting revealed the converter

had failed and required replacement. NO2 data was invalidated from the discovery on January 14

back to the last proof of operation within criteria on December 17. The converter was replaced

with a backup unit on January 17, after which the analyzer met operational performance criteria.

3. The CO2 analyzer at Fort Chipewyan AMS will operate less than 90% of the time in January

2020, which is a contravention of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as amended), Chapter 6,

Clause DQ 4-C. In January 2020, the CO2 analyzer at Fort Chipewyan will operate for ≤56% of the


reporting period. This incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on January 22,

2020 (reference number 362975).

The CO2 analyzer exhibited excessive noise throughout the month, resulting in 404 hours of

invalid data. Through technical support with the manufacturer, it has been determined that the

problem is a failing detector. The parts to correct this problem are being shipped out and will be

replaced as soon as they are received.

4. The wind speed and wind direction sensor at Fort Chipewyan AMS operated less than 90% of

the time in January 2020, which is a contravention of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as

amended), Chapter 6, Clause DQ 4-C. The wind speed and wind direction sensor at Fort

Chipewyan AMS operated for 78% of the reporting period in January 2020. This incident was

reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on February 5, 2020 (reference number 363440).

Two issues contributed to 163 hours of invalid data in January 2020:

a. Flat-line periods in the sensors’ output signals were attributed to a failing potentiometer

in the wind direction sensor, and data from these periods were invalidated resulting in

139 hours of invalid data.

b. During a site visit on January 24, technicians attempted to conduct maintenance to

resolve the flat-lines in the output signal of the wind direction sensor. However, lowering

of the meteorological tower caused the vane of the wind direction to snap off. A

replacement vane was installed on January 25, resulting in 24 hours of invalid data.

In January 2020, there was one instance of a non-compliance monitoring instrument operating less

than 90% of the time.

1. The wind speed, wind direction, and vertical wind speed sensor at Lower Camp

Meteorological Tower operated less than 90% of the time in January 2020, which is a

contravention of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as amended), Chapter 6, Clause DQ 4-C. The

wind speed, wind direction, and vertical wind speed sensor at Lower Camp Meteorological Tower

operated for 89% of the reporting period in January 2020. This incident was reported to Alberta

Environment and Parks on February 10, 2020 (reference number 363565).

Two issues contributed to 82 hours of invalid data in January 2020:

a. Meteorological conditions including ice fog or heavy snow interrupted the sonic signal of

the sensor and data from these periods were invalidated resulting in 44 hours of invalid

data.

b. WBEA’s data acquisition system failed to record data for 38 hours throughout the

reporting period.

February 2020

In February 2020, there was one instance of a non-compliance monitoring instrument operating



1. The NO2 analyzer at Janvier AMS operated less than 90% of the time in February 2020, which

is a contravention of the Air Monitoring Directive (2016, as amended), Chapter 6, Clause DQ 4-C.

In February 2020, the NO2 analyzer at Janvier AMS operated for 72% of the reporting period. This

incident was reported to Alberta Environment and Parks on March 20, 2020 (reference number

364700).

The routine February calibration met AMD criteria; however it was noted during the calibration

that the efficiency of the NOx converter was declining. It was determined at that time that the

converter did not warrant immediate repair and a plan was made to replace the NOx converter

during the following March calibrations. However, the as found points of the March calibration

revealed the efficiency of the NOx converter did not meet operational criteria. As there was no

way to identify when the NOx converter failed, data was invalidated back to the last calibration,

on February 21, 2020. On March 12 the NOx converter was replaced, and subsequent calibration

of the analyzer was completed. Normal operation of the analyzer resumed on March 12 at 16:00

MST.

Exceedances of the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives and Guidelines

December There were no ambient concentrations in excess of the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives or Guidelines (AAAQO/AAAQG) as indicated in the Air Monitoring Directive Section RC 5-F for CO, H2S, NH3, NO2, O3, PM2.5 and SO2 this reporting period. January 2020 There were no ambient concentrations in excess of the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives or Guidelines (AAAQO/AAAQG) as indicated in the Air Monitoring Directive Section RC 5-F for CO, NH3, NO2, O3, and SO2. There were no exceedances of the ambient air quality objective for PM2.5. There was one ambient ground level concentration in excess of the 1-hour TRS objective reported to the Alberta Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies (EDGE) line. After data processing to account for analyzer drift with baseline correction, there was one concentration in excess of the 1-hour air quality objective. There was one ambient ground level concentration in excess of the 1-hour PM2.5 guideline reported to the Alberta Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies (EDGE) line. After data processing to account for analyzer drift with baseline correction, there was one concentration in excess of the 1-hour air quality guideline. February 2020 There were no ambient concentrations in excess of the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives or Guidelines (AAAQO/AAAQG) as indicated in the Air Monitoring Directive Section RC 5-F for CO, NH3, NO2, O3 and SO2 this reporting period.

There were 14 ambient ground level concentrations in excess of the 1-hour H2S/TRS air quality objective reported to the Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies (EDGE) line in real time. After data processing to account for analyzer drift with baseline correction, one exceedance


was classified as not an exceedance (NAE). This resulted in a total of 13 concentrations in excess of the 1-hour H2S/TRS air quality objective.

There were three ambient ground level concentrations in excess of the 24-hour H2S/TRS air quality objective reported to the Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies (EDGE) line in real time. After data processing to account for analyzer drift with baseline correction, there were three concentrations in excess of the 24-hour air quality objective.

There were 12 ambient ground level concentrations in excess of the 1-hour PM2.5 guideline reported to the EDGE line. After data processing to account for analyzer drift with baseline correction, there were 12 concentrations in excess of the 1-hour air quality guideline. An Air Quality Event (AQE) App is in development. The WBEA is currently testing the app to ensure adequate integration with the WBEA’s exceedance database.

Figure 1: Air Quality Events at Air Monitoring Stations (January - December 2020).


Figure 2: Air Quality Events by month (January - December 2020).

Figure 3: Air Quality Events by parameter (January - December 2020).


iii. Provide real-time air quality data from continuous air monitoring stations to AEP real-

time website in the required format.

Real-time air quality data is provided on a continual basis to AEP via a secure file upload from the

WBEA Data Management System.

iv. Submit Monthly Ambient Air Monitoring Report to the Alberta Government and

submit data to the AEP Air Data Warehouse.

The December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020 Monthly Air Monitoring Reports and

Quality Assured Data were submitted electronically via the Electronic Transfer System (ETS) to

Alberta Environment and Parks on January 31, 2020, February 28, 2020 and March 30, 2020

respectively.

v. Submit time-integrated data to the Alberta Data Warehouse.

Monthly and Annual Time-integrated data reports and lab files for 2019 were delivered to the

Alberta Data Warehouse on March 31, 2020 with the WBEA 2019 Annual Report. The WBEA is in

the process of centralizing a time-integrated database with the ability to upload time-integrated

data in the prescribed XML format on ETS.

vi. Provide WBEA data to citizens, industry members, regulatory bodies, and

governments so that it can be used to make informed decisions on health, facility

compliance, and environmental management and policy. All data management and

accessibility outcomes will be in alignment with the OSM Program direction.

The WBEA provides data to stakeholders using the WBEA website, and through various reporting

structures, including the Alberta Data Warehouse, community outreach activities, and through

WBEA committee meetings. The WBEA engages with 40 member organizations representing

Indigenous communities, industry, three levels of government, and non-government

organizations. The WBEA works with AEP, specifically OSM Program staff, to ensure data

management and accessibility outcomes are aligned.

vii. Any data not submitted to the Alberta Data Warehouse or not on the WBEA website

will be provided directly to AEP in an agreed upon format within three months of

data collection.

In the event that WBEA data is not submitted to the Alberta Data Warehouse or not posted on the

WBEA website, the WBEA will provide the data to AEP in an agreed upon format within three

months of data collection.

3.1.3. QA/QC Program

i. Maintain the WBEA’s Reference Centre, monthly calibrations on the reference

analyzers, perform CGAs, maintain primary reference materials.

The Reference Centre operations were normal from January to March 2020.


There were no cylinder gas audits or measurement device certifications completed in the

reference centre from January to March 2020.

ii. Complete quarterly calibrations and audits on all time-integrated sampling

equipment.

All calibrations and audits for the fourth quarter were completed during the month of February

2020.

iii. Complete annual internal audits at all WBEA ambient air monitoring stations and

additional ones, as required.

The list of completed audits for Air Monitoring Stations from January to March 2020 are described

in Table 7 below.

Table 7. List of Internal WBEA Audits Performed in Fourth Quarter 2019-2020

Air Monitoring Station

Audit Date Parameters Audited Audit Result Follow-up

Fort Chipewyan January 29-30, 2020

SO2, O3, NOX, CO No issues observed with audit.

None required.

Fort Hills February 6, 2020

TRS, NOx TRS audit involved 4 points, one high point above the range to determine accuracy of readings measured recently above the range. No issues identified with either audit.

None required.

Horizon February 11, 2020

SO2, TRS, THC, NOx No issues observed with the audit

None required.

Anzac March 11, 2020

SO2, TRS, NMHC, NOX, O3

No issues observed with the audit

None required

3.1.4. Changes to Atmospheric Pollutant Active Monitoring Network

i. Participate in Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) Program committees, activities,

workshops, and webinars related to optimizing and improving the active air

monitoring network in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region.

The WBEA participated in the following committees, activities, workshops, and webinars:

• Oil Sands Monitoring Work Plan Preparation meeting, January 9, 2020

• Air and Deposition Work Planning – Review of Current Project Work Plans, January

10, 2020

• Recommendation 14/15 Follow-up Meeting – Meeting #10, January 16, 2020

• Meteorological Monitoring & Precipitation Sample Collection meetings, January 30,

2020

• Air and Deposition Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting, February 14, 2020

• Meteorological Network Rationalization Meeting with AEP, February 24, 2020


ii. Implement any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA active air

monitoring network consistent with approved OSM Program workplan(s).

No changes to the network during the months of January and February 2020.

The portable, AMS 103 was installed at a new location proposed for the Horizon monitoring

station. It is located approximately seven kilometers south of the existing station and will collect

comparison data for the next three months.

iii. Document any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA continuous or

time-integrated air monitoring network not indicated previously. Identify and

describe any deviations from the approved OSM Program.

Refer to Section 3.1.4. ii.

iv. Fulfill monitoring recommendations from the Fort McKay Air Quality

and Odours Advisory Committee in accordance with the schedule outlined in

the approved OSM Program workplan. Document all activities completed.

The Recommendations 14/15 Committee provided guidance on the monitoring additions or

changes in the WBEA network. These recommendations were approved by the OSM Program to

proceed. The monitoring additions or changes are included below:

January update:

NMHC analyzers have now been installed at the Buffalo Viewpoint, Mannix, and Lower Camp

sites. The Mildred Lake NMHC analyzer was installed on November 26, 2019. The THC analyzer

previously located at Mannix is still operational at this site to observe the differences between the

two different methods of capturing THC data. This study will run for at least five (5) quarters.

The second round of THC upgrades are the four sites listed below. The new NMHC analyzers have

been ordered and are expected to be received by the end of January 2020. Once received, they

will be bench tested and installed at these locations:

• Barge Landing AMS – upgrade the continuous THC analyzer with a Methane/Non-

Methane analyzer

• Fort McKay South AMS – upgrade the continuous THC analyzer with a Methane/Non-

Methane analyzer

• Horizon AMS – upgrade the continuous THC analyzer with a Methane/Non-Methane

analyzer

• Fort Hills AMS – upgrade the continuous THC analyzer with a Methane/Non-Methane

analyzer

A TRS analyzer has been ordered and is expected to be received by the end of January 2020. Once

received, it will be bench tested and installed at the Mannix AMS.

For the implementation of a portable station at Mildred Lake Settling Basin, the work tasks for this

fiscal year include acquiring a sub-lease from Syncrude for the monitoring site. Once acquired, site


preparation of the compound will be contracted out, a fence built, and power brought to the site

in preparation for the monitoring station.

For the implementation of the pilot for triggered sampling of VOCs and sulphur compounds, due

to failures of sampling equipment purchased for the previous evaluation of tube sampling for

sulphur compounds, it was decided to design and build a custom sampling system. The prototype

system is almost complete, and testing will begin in the new year. In conjunction with this project,

a custom triggered sampling system is being built at the same time. The trigger mechanisms for

these two systems will be very similar.

February update:

The new NMHC analyzers are now expected be received by the end of February 2020. Once

received, they will be bench tested and installed at these locations:


Methane analyzer


Methane analyzer


analyzer


analyzer

The TRS analyzer that was ordered is now expected to be received by the end of February 2020.

Once received, it will be bench tested and installed at the Mannix AMS.

For a Commercial/Industrial Miscellaneous Lease (DML) in order to situate a monitoring station at

the proposed Poplar Creek monitoring site, information is being gathered for the application

submission to the province. This submission will be completed by WBEA’s contractor Lorrnel.

March update:

NMHC analyzers have now been installed at the Buffalo Viewpoint, Mannix, Lower Camp and

Mildred Lake sites. The THC analyzer previously located at Mannix is still operational at this site to

observe the differences between the 2 different methods of capturing THC data. This study will

run for at least five (5) quarters.

The second round of THC upgrades are the four sites listed below. The new NMHC analyzers were

received in March and are scheduled to be bench tested prior to being installed at these

locations:


Methane analyzer


Methane analyzer


analyzer



analyzer

A TRS analyzer was received in March. It will be bench tested and installed at a site location

decided by the Rec 14/15 committee.

For a Commercial/Industrial Miscellaneous Lease (DML) in order to situate a monitoring station at

the proposed Poplar Creek monitoring site, information is being gathered for the application

submission to the province. This submission will be completed by WBEA’s contractor Lorrnel.

For the implementation of the pilot for triggered sampling of VOCs and sulphur compounds, the

tube sampling prototype encountered some design issues with respect to the plumbing

configuration This is being resolved. The prototype VOC canister sampling devices are still in

development.

v. Fulfill monitoring recommendations associated with operationalizing the Oski-Otin

monitoring station in Fort McKay in accordance with the schedule outlined in

the approved OSM Program workplan. Document all activities completed.

Meetings regarding the direction for the transfer of data collection from ECCC to the WBEA have

begun. Clear direction has not yet been achieved, but further meetings will establish the direction

for the transition, pending approval from the OSM Program.

3.1.5. Reporting

i. Provide WBEA Ambient Annual Report 2019 -- Volume 1 Continuous Data; Volume 2

Integrated Data; Volume 3 Site Documentation (Q2 deliverable).

All three volumes of the 2019 WBEA Annual Report will be submitted through the ETS system by

March 31, 2020.


3.2. Strengthen Community Reporting of Odours - Ambient Air Odour Study, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference A-CM-1-1920

The WBEA created an odour monitoring app that allows community members to provide information on

the odours they experience. The app collects information such as odour type, intensity, duration, and

location. That information will be compared to data collected at WBEA ambient air monitoring stations

to determine if there are ambient air trends related to odours.

Additionally, the WBEA has acquired two Gas Chromatographs (GC) to allow for the speciation of volatile

organic compounds (VOC) and reduced sulphur compounds (RSC). This technology will provide near-real-

time speciated VOC and RSC concentrations, which can be used for determining odour effects and

comparing against the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives.

The Objectives of the Community Odour Monitoring Program (COMP) are:

• To understand the impacts of Oil Sands development on the odours experienced in the

communities in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (ASOR)

• To understand the relationship between the odours experienced by community members and the

ambient air data collected as part of the Atmospheric Pollutant Active Monitoring Network

workplan

• To understand what specific species make up the categories of total hydrocarbon (THC) and total

reduced sulphur (TRS) compounds that are present in the ambient air, and how they contribute

to odours

• To ensure that monitoring carried out in the region is relevant to the concerns of community

members

• If desired by OSM, the WBEA could work with PRAMP and LICA to expand the COMP program

into those airsheds

This workplan is dependent on and integrated with the ambient air data collected in the Atmospheric

Pollutant Active Monitoring Network work plan.


3.2.1. Operate the Community Odour Monitoring Program (COMP) for communities in the RMWB.

The Community Odour Monitoring Program is ongoing. The number of odour observations that

were submitted through the COMP app in January, February and March 2020 are listed in the

following table.

Table 8. Number of Observations Submitted in 2020.

Month Number of Observations

January 8

February 11

March 1

The 2018 COMP Annual Report was released in May 2019. The new COMP website was launched


in September 2019. The website shows odour observations that have been submitted through the

app, explanations on odours, and ambient data from the WBEA community stations. The website

can be viewed at comp.wbea.org.

3.2.2. Maintain collection, processing, validation, and reporting of COMP data and meta-data into WBEA data management system.

COMP data is collected monthly and processed into a records file. App submissions are screened

for geographic location to ensure they are within the WBEA airshed boundary. COMP App

submissions are compared with continuous and time-integrated data sets regularly to record any

trends and observations. Reporting of the COMP program is compiled for the COMP annual

report, which is expected to be completed by March 2020.

3.2.3. Participate in OSM Program Committees, activities, workshops, and webinars related to optimizing and improving the COMP.

Refer to Section 3.1.4.i regarding the WBEA’s participation with the OSM Air and Deposition

Technical Advisory Committee.

3.2.4. Implement any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA COMP consistent with approved OSM Program workplan(s).

There have been no recommended additions, deletions, or changes at this time.

3.2.5. Document any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA COMP not indicated previously. Identify and describe any deviations from approved OSM Program workplan(s).

Refer to Section 3.2.4 above.

3.2.6. Provide WBEA data to citizens, industry members, regulatory bodies, and governments so that it can be used to make informed decisions on health, facility compliance, and environmental management and policy. All data management and accessibility outcomes will be in alignment with the OSM Program direction.

As mentioned in Section 3.2.1, the COMP website was released in September 2019 and allows

users to view all the submitted odour observations.

3.2.7. Submit an annual report on COMP results to AEP and post on WBEA website.

The 2018 COMP Annual report was released in May 2019. The 2019 COMP Annual Report will be

submitted to OSM by the end of March 2020 and posted for the public on comp.wbea.org.

3.2.8. Develop Janvier Community Odour Study.

Due to late contracts, the Janvier Community Odour Study will be included in the 2020-2021

Workplan.

3.2.9. Any data not available on the WBEA website will be provided directly to AEP in an agreed upon format within three months of data collection.

Any data not available on the WBEA website will be provided directly to AEP in an agreed upon

format within three months of data collection.


3.3. Integrated Atmospheric Pollutant Deposition Monitoring– Athabasca Oil Sands, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference A-PD-6-1920

The deposition of sulfur, nitrogen, and acidifying species, and ozone can change the state or condition of environmental indicators, specifically, forests, wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. This project provides the long-term dry and bulk deposition data that is necessary to evaluate the effects of atmospheric deposition on forest ecosystems in the oil sands region. This project is integrated with the WBEA's atmospheric pollutant active monitoring network workplan, the forest health monitoring program workplan, and the meteorological network workplan and together they aim to determine if changes observed are due to oil sands development.

The primary monitoring objectives for the long-term atmospheric pollutant deposition monitoring network - to forest ecosystems program is to detect change in the state or condition of the environment through:

(1) Monitoring of levels and trends of atmospheric dry deposition for specific atmospheric pollutants (O3, SO2, NH3, HNO3, NO2, PM2.5) that pose a potential risk for ecosystem health (forests, wetlands and lakes); and

(2) Monitoring of levels and trends of atmospheric bulk deposition to measure the transfer of substances derived from both natural and industrial sources from air to soil including inorganic nitrogen (NO3

- and NH4+), sulphate (SO4

2-) and base cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, and Na+). (3) Integration with the atmospheric pollutant active monitoring network program, the forest

health monitoring program, and the meteorological network program.

This workplan fits into the deposition conceptual model by measuring the transport and transformation of oil sands related stressors prior to uptake by receptors.



i. Conduct passive air sampling at monitoring sites on a monthly schedule.

January update: Collection and deployment of passive air sampling media was completed at 32 monitoring sites

from January 3 through 10, 2020, concurrent with denuder media changeouts. All sampling issues

are summarized in the table below. Additional passive air sampling was conducted by the WBEA

at six bog sites as a part of the OSM Integrated Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring program (WL-PD-

10-1920) and is discussed in Section 3.6, New Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring.

Analytical results were received on January 28, 2020.

Table 9. Passive air sampling issues for January 2020.

Site ID Sample ID Sample Type

Issue Cause Result

1995 1995-19-DEC-NH3-1 NH3 Sampler found in the snow at the time of retrieval

Wildlife interference

Possible contamination

3016 3016-19-DEC-HNO3-1 3016-19-DEC-NH3-1 3016-19-DEC-NO2-1 3016-19-DEC-O3-1 3016-19-DEC-SO2-1 3016-19-DEC-HNO3-2 3016-19-DEC-NH3-2

HNO3 NH3 NO2 O3 SO2 HNO3 NH3

Sampler ejected from housing when tower trolley system malfunctioned.

Equipment Malfunction

Loss



Issue Cause Result

3016-19-DEC-NO2-FB 3016-19-DEC-O3-FB 3016-19-DEC-SO2-FB

NO2 O3 SO2

Samplers found in the snow at the time of retrieval

February update: Collection and deployment of passive air sampling media was completed at 32 monitoring sites

from January 31 through February 6, 2020, concurrent with denuder media changeouts. All

sampling issues are summarized in the table below. Additional passive air sampling was

conducted by the WBEA at six bog sites as a part of the OSM Integrated Wetland Ecosystem

Monitoring program (WL-PD-10-1920) and is discussed in Section 3.6, New Wetland Ecosystem

Monitoring.

Analytical results were received on February 25, 2020.

Table 10. Passive air sampling issues for February 2020.


Issue Cause Result

2010 2010-20-JAN-HNO3-1 HNO3 Sampler dropped in snow during retrieval

Human error Possible contamination

March update: Collection and deployment of passive air sampling media was completed at 32 monitoring sites

from February 28 through March 6, 2020, concurrent with denuder media changeouts. All

sampling issues are summarized in the table below. Additional passive air sampling was

conducted by WBEA at six bog sites as a part of the OSM Integrated Wetland Ecosystem

Monitoring program (WL-PD-10-1920) and is discussed in Section 3.6, New Wetland Ecosystem

Monitoring.

Analytical results were received from Bureau Veritas on March 24.

Table 11. Passive air sampling issues for March 2020.


Issue Cause Result

1997 All samples All Unable to retrieve samples due to weather conditions

Multiple days with low ceiling and poor visibility

Sample will be exposed for two months

ii. Conduct active air sampling via denuder system at WBEA monitoring sites.

January update: Collection and deployment of the annular denuders and filter packs was completed at four monitoring sites on January 3 through 8, 2020, concurrent with passive air sampling activities. No sample losses occurred during the December 2019 sampling period. Analytical results were received on January 31, 2020.


February update: Collection and deployment of the annular denuders and filter packs was completed at four monitoring sites on January 31 through February 5, 2020, concurrent with passive air sampling activities. No sample losses occurred during the January 2020 sampling period. March update: Collection and deployment of the annular denuders and filter packs was completed at four monitoring sites on February 28 through March 4, 2020, concurrent with passive air sampling activities. No sample losses occurred during the February 2020 sampling period. Analytical results will be delayed due to shutdowns in Nevada (location of the Desert Research Institute [DRI] labs) and isolation of key lab personnel resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

iii. Maintain air and deposition sampling equipment and site infrastructure.

January update: The clamp for the trolley system at the tower at site 3016 was replaced. February update: No maintenance activities to report. March update: Boardwalks (or “bog bridges”) were installed at sites 3086, 3088, and 3096 to improve access from adjacent forest health monitoring (FHM) sites. These site improvements will minimize disturbance to sensitive wetland vegetation and increase safety by eliminating the need for helicopter landings in wet terrain (helicopters can use existing FHM helipads situated in adjacent upland areas) and by mitigating the hazards associated with hiking through muskeg.

iv. Complete required site-specific and/or program-specific documentation as per the

WBEA or AMD requirements.

AMD requirements for site documentation for passive air sampling is complete.

Development of site-specific documentation to satisfy WBEA requirements is ongoing. When

completed, site documents will be available on the WBEA website

(https://wbea.org/resources/site-documentation/).

v. Conduct deposition monitoring via ion exchange resin (IER) sampling at WBEA

monitoring sites on a seasonal schedule (column changeout in spring and fall).

January update Ion exchange collector installations were inspected during site visits. No maintenance was required.

https://wbea.org/resources/site-documentation/


February update Ion exchange collector installations were inspected during site visits. No maintenance was required. March update: Ion exchange collector installations were inspected during site visits. No maintenance was required. Planning for spring changeout is underway (scheduled for early May 2020).

vi. Conduct seasonal ozone monitoring at monitoring sites (April-October).

January update: No activities to report.

February update:

No activities to report.

March update:

Monitoring tripod for site 3513 was rebuilt and partially installed on site. Remaining items will be

installed in April 2020.

Maintenance and pre-deployment calibrations were completed for the ozone analyzers

(2BTechnologies Model 205) and calibration sources (2BTechnologies Model 306) for each of the

three monitoring stations. Units are scheduled for field deployment in early April 2002.


i. Maintain the processing and validation of passive, ion exchange resin, dry deposition,

and ozone data, and meta-data into WBEA's data management system.

Refer to Table 6, section 3.1.2.i.

ii. Provide support for ongoing analysis and interpretation of deposition monitoring and

modelling data.

Support for analysis and interpretation of WBEA data provided upon request.

iii. Provide WBEA data to citizens, industry members, regulatory bodies, and

governments, so that it can be used to make informed decisions on health, facility




iv. Any data not submitted to the Alberta Air Data Warehouse or not on the WBEA

website will be provided directly to AEP in an agreed upon format within three



In the event that WBEA data is not submitted to the Alberta Data Warehouse or not posted on the

WBEA website, the WBEA will provide the data to AEP in an agreed upon format within three


3.3.3. Reporting

i. Provide public access to program data via the WBEA website.


ii. Peer-review publication – the three remaining manuscripts (of nine submitted by

WBEA) will be published in a Virtual Special Issue in Science of the Total Environment.

All nine manuscripts are in publication in the Virtual Special Issue in Science of the Total

Environment titled “Relationships Between Air Pollutants and Forest Ecosystem Health in the Oil

Sands Region, Alberta, Canada. Available online here: STOTEN Virtual Special Issue - WBEA

Publications

3.3.4. Changes to the Monitoring Network


workshops, and webinars related to optimizing and improving the atmospheric

deposition monitoring network in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region.

Refer to Section 3.1.4.i.

ii. Implement any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA atmospheric

deposition monitoring network consistent with approved OSM Program workplan(s).

No changes to the existing WBEA deposition monitoring network have been approved.

Numerous recommendations for future network improvements came out of the 2017-2018

Program Design Review (B-MD-12-1718) and the analysis of 2016-2018 data and resulting site-

specific deposition estimates (used to inform 2018 Forest Health Monitoring data; link to

Terrestrial Biological Monitoring Program workplan B-LTM-TB-1-1920, refer to Section 3.5.2 ).

These recommendations will be reviewed by applicable OSM and WBEA technical committees as

part of the 2020-2021 work plans.

iii. Document any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA atmospheric

deposition monitoring network not indicated previously. Identify and describe any

deviations from the approved OSM Program.

No changes to report.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/science-of-the-total-environment/special-issue/10LW6CG6CPT

https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/science-of-the-total-environment/special-issue/10LW6CG6CPT


3.4. Meteorological Monitoring under Oil Sands Monitoring, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference CC-7-1920

The WBEA network of instrumented meteorological stations is comprised of six 30 m tall instrumented

towers (“met towers”) and six 3 m tall instrumented tripods (“met tripods”) that provide continuous, hourly

measurements of meteorological conditions throughout the Wood Buffalo region. Each met tower is

located at a Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) interior stand site and monitors air temperature, relative

humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and solar radiation at four levels within and above the jack pine

canopy, precipitation and barometric pressure at ground level, and temperature and volumetric water

content within the forest soil. Each met tripod is located on the open wetland adjacent to a FHM edge site

and monitors air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation, and

barometric pressure. Data from these stations is manually downloaded during bi-monthly site visits.

The primary monitoring objectives for the meteorological monitoring network is to detect change in the

state or condition of the environment through:

(1) Providing meteorological data at 6 paired forest health monitoring sites to improve

meteorology fields in air dispersion models; and

(2) Calculating NO2, SO2, O3, HNO3 and NH3 dry deposition at each site using data collected by co-

located samplers. For passive gas sampler sites that are not co-located with a meteorological

tower, the nearest tower will be used to calculate dry deposition.

(3) Integration with the atmospheric pollutant active monitoring network program, the forest

health monitoring program, and the atmospheric pollution deposition network - to forest

ecosystems.

This workplan fits into the deposition conceptual model by providing meteorological data needed to

understand the transport and transformation of oil sands related stressors.



i. Operate and maintain meteorological monitoring stations and supporting

infrastructure at WBEA monitoring sites.

January update: To eliminate data overages encountered in November and December 2019, a datalogger-

controlled relay (switch) was installed at site 3016 site during site visits in early January 2020

allowing the satellite modems to be powered off during periods where WBEA data systems are

not actively retrieving data.

February update: The telemetry connection at three of six tripod-based stations has been intermittent due to

winter conditions (cold temperatures, low cloud cover). Stations continue to operate and

collect data; however, data retrieval has been limited to manual collection during site

visits for Deposition Monitoring field activities (A-PD-6-1920; Section 3.3).


March update:

Issues with intermittent telemetry connections are ongoing during the late-winter

period. Thorough investigation and resolution will take place in the spring season. Stations

continue to operate and collect data; however, data retrieval has been limited to manual

collection during site visits for Deposition Monitoring field activities (A-PD-6-1920; Section 3.3).

Boardwalks (or “bog bridges”) were installed at sites 3086, 3088, and 3096 to improve access

from adjacent forest health monitoring (FHM) sites. These site improvements will minimize

disturbance to sensitive wetland vegetation and increase safety by eliminating the need for

helicopter landings in wet terrain (helicopters can use existing FHM helipads situated in adjacent

upland areas) and by mitigating the hazards associated with hiking through muskeg.

ii. Complete site-specific and/or program-specific documentation as per the WBEA or

AMD requirements.





i. Maintain the processing and validation of meteorological data and meta-data into

the WBEA's data management system.

Validation of meteorological data was completed up to January 1, 2020.

ii. Provide public access to meteorological data via the WBEA website.

Meteorological data from WBEA’s six remote instrumented towers and six remote instrumented

tripods are available for download under each tower listed at: http://wbea.org/historical-

monitoring-data/ up to January 1, 2020.

iii. Provide WBEA data to citizens, industry members, regulatory bodies, and




Real-time continuous monitoring data is available for viewing and download at

https://wbea.org/network-and-data/monitoring-stations/.

Data that has been reviewed, flagged, and validated through the data QA/QC process is available

for download at the following location: https://wbea.org/historical-monitoring-data/



http://wbea.org/historical-monitoring-data/

http://wbea.org/historical-monitoring-data/

https://wbea.org/network-and-data/monitoring-stations/



iv. Any data not submitted to the Alberta Air Data Warehouse or not on the WBEA website will

be provided directly to AEP in an agreed upon format within three months of data

collection.

If WBEA data is not submitted to the Alberta Data Warehouse or not posted on the WEBA

website, the WBEA will provide the data to AEP in an agreed upon format within three months of

data collection.



workshops, and webinars related to optimizing and improving the atmospheric

deposition monitoring network in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region.

Refer to Section 3.1.4.i.

ii. Implement any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA atmospheric

deposition monitoring network consistent with approved OSM Program

workplan(s).

No changes to the existing WBEA deposition monitoring network have been approved for the

fourth quarter.

iii. Document any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA atmospheric

deposition monitoring network not indicated previously. Identify and describe any

deviations from the approved OSM Program.

No changes to report for the fourth quarter.


3.5. Terrestrial Biological Monitoring Program, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference B-LTM-TB-1-1920

The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association operates a long-term forest health monitoring (FHM) network to detect changes to the forest ecosystem due to air contaminants from oil sands related and non-related stressors. WBEA monitors jack pine forest sites, which are ecosystems that are sensitive to acid deposition, and assesses whether there are changes to soils, vegetation, or the trees. This monitoring can inform stakeholders on broader effects of oil sands development, which may inform environmental management decisions and other monitoring programs, including water, wildlife and wetland monitoring.

The primary objectives of the long-term forest health monitoring program is to determine a cause-effect relationship between air pollutants, including oil sands emissions, and forest ecosystem health in the oil sands region through:

(1) Characterizing effects on jack pine stands with an intensive sampling campaign, every six years,

to collect soil, foliar, and tree morphology data.

(2) Integration of biophysical sampling with aerial deposition data collected as part of the

atmospheric pollutant active monitoring network program, the atmospheric pollutant

deposition monitoring - to forest ecosystem program, and the meteorological network

program.

This workplan fits into the deposition conceptual model by monitoring the effects of oil sands related stressors on the terrestrial environment.


3.5.1. Conceptual Model Development

i. Collaborate with OSM and partners to support the development of a

comprehensive and useful terrestrial biological conceptual model for the oil sands

region, which identifies stressor-pathway-response linkages.

The WBEA collaborated with OSM and partners to support development of a conceptual

model through participation in OSM Terrestrial Biological Monitoring meetings and workshops on

September 11, 2019, November 18, 2019, and December 5 and 6, 2019, on-going bi-weekly

phone-calls that commenced on September 23, 2019, and work plan development throughout

January and early February 2020.

ii. Contribute to review and selection of priority valued components and indicators for

sue in the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring Integrated Monitoring Design. This

includes, through development and revision, indicators of relevance to western

science and those of relevance to Indigenous communities, as outlined in the OSM

Program Operational Framework Agreement (2018) and Memorandum of

Understanding (2017).

The WBEA contributed to the review and selection of priority valued components and indicators

through participation in OSM Terrestrial Biological Monitoring meetings and workshops on

September 11, 2019, November 18, 2019, and December 5 and 6, 2019, on-going bi-weekly


phone-calls that commenced on September 23, 2019, and work plan development throughout

January and early February 2020.

iii. Collaborate with OSM and partners to provide annual updates of the terrestrial

biological conceptual model in the context of the OSM program-level conceptual

model and process.

The terrestrial biological conceptual model and program design is under development. An annual

update will be provided as required and determined by OSM and the Terrestrial Biological

Monitoring working group.

3.5.2. Integrated Interpretation and Analysis of Existing Data & Knowledge

i. Maintain the processing and validation of forest health monitoring data, and meta-

data into WBEA’s data management system.

The WBEA time-integrated database is undergoing maintenance to standardize and prepare all

historical data sets for entry into the primary database. Once complete, all time integrated data

will be available to download from www.wbea.org. Expected completion is July 2020.

ii. Provide WBEA terrestrial biological monitoring data to citizens, industry members,

regulatory bodies, and governments, so that it can be used to make informed

decisions on health, facility compliance, and environmental management and

policy. All data management and accessibility outcomes will be in alignment with

the OSM Program direction.

The WBEA’s terrestrial biological monitoring information is included in the open-access virtual

special issue. The WBEA is developing a public interface for access to the time-integrated

database, to be ready by mid-2020.

iii. Create an on-going and accessible inventory of WBEA Forest Health data and meta-

data details (based on OSM Program standards as required).

Refer to section 3.5.2.i.

iv. Collaborate with other OSM terrestrial biological team members to produce an

integrated data analysis workplan.

The OSM Terrestrial Biological Monitoring team has not initiated detailed discussion on an

integrated data analysis workplan at this time, the focus is on the integrated monitoring

workplan. The WBEA is participating on the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring team and will

collaborate on an integrated data analysis workplan once the team is ready for those discussions.

v. Synthesize current state of knowledge for WBEA Forest Health monitoring data with

respect to the three core OSM Program outcomes for inclusion in yearly Integrated

Synthesis reports.

http://www.wbea.org/


January update: The vegetation group continues to incorporate feedback into a final draft, expected by early

February 2020.

The soils group issued their first complete draft of their report for review. Feedback will be

incorporated into a final draft, expected in late-March 2020.

February update: The final deposition and vegetation report was distributed to the TEEM Technical

Committee on February 14, 2020.

March update:

The change over time and framework assessment group issued the first complete draft of their

report on March 9. Feedback is being incorporated into a final draft.

The final drafts of the soils report and framework assessment report will be distributed to the

TEEM committee in early May.

vi. Collaborate with other OSM contractors to prepare a model validation report that

assesses the validity and statistical precision of the most current predictive models

possible (i.e. observed vs. Expected metrics) to determine model accuracy and

identify uncertainties.

The WBEA has collaborated with other OSM contractors to prepare a model validation report

through participation in the OSM model validation workshops on December 18, 2019 and

February 5, 2020, and associated conversations and meetings.

3.5.3. Assess Response of Priority Biological Endpoints to Oil Sands Activity (Core Monitoring)

i. Conduct regional forest health monitoring to assess changes in biodiversity as aligned

with the Integrated Terrestrial Biological Monitoring annual OSM approved

workplan.

The WBEA Forest Health Monitoring Program operates on a six-year sampling cycle with sample

collection occurring in 2018. Dataset collected during the 2018 sampling campaign are currently

being analyzed and interpreted. Several technical reports on these datasets are in preparation

(see section 3.5.2.v).

ii. Maintain existing forest health monitoring sites.

Maintenance is ongoing and occurs in conjunction with site visits for deposition monitoring

activities (OSM Work Plan A-PD-6-1920; refer to Section 3.3, Integrated Atmospheric Deposition

Monitoring).





iii. Collect forest health data (Leaf Area Index) at existing forest monitoring sites.

January update: Analysis of the hemispherical photographs taken in Fall 2019 began and will be ongoing through

to March 2020. Final Leaf Area Index (LAI) values are expected by March 31, 2020.

February update: Analysis of the hemispherical photographs taken in Fall 2019 is ongoing. Final LAI values are

expected by March 31, 2020.

March update:

Analysis of the hemispherical photographs taken in Fall 2019 is complete.

iv. Process and analyze samples from field collections.

No samples from previous field collections are required.

v. Contribute to the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring Integrated Data Collection

Strategy.

The WBEA has provided OSM with details on all forest health monitoring data as the first step in

the integrated strategy. The OSM Terrestrial Biological Monitoring team has not initiated detailed

discussion on an integrated data collection strategy at this time; the focus is on the integrated

monitoring workplan. The WBEA is participating on the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring team and

will collaborate on an integrated data analysis workplan once the team is ready for those

discussions.

3.5.4. Integrated Program Design and Refinement

i. Contribute as a key partner of the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring workplan to

develop the first fully-integrated Terrestrial Biological Monitoring Design.

The WBEA has contributed on the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring workplan through

participation in OSM Terrestrial Biological Monitoring meetings and workshops on September 11,

2019, November 18, 2019, and December 5 and 6, 2019, on-going bi-weekly phone-calls that

commenced on September 23, 2019, and work plan development throughout January and early

February 2020.

ii. Participate in annual refinements and adjustments to the Integrated Terrestrial

Biological Monitoring Design.

The WBEA will participate in annual refinements and adjustments to the Integrated Terrestrial

Biological Monitoring Design.



iii. Refine and adjust, on an annual basis, the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring Program

in the oil sands region, implemented through the annual OSM Program work

planning and governance process.

No refinements or adjustments to report at this time as workplan development is in

progress. Numerous recommendations for future network improvements came out of the 2017-

2018 Program Design Review (B-MD-12-1718) and the analysis of the 2018 Forest Health

Monitoring data. These recommendations will be reviewed by applicable OSM and WBEA

Technical Committees as part of the 2020-2021 work plans.


3.6. New Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference WL-PD-10-1920

The WBEA has partnered with AEP on their Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring initiative to provide deposition

monitoring technical expertise and field-level resources.

The primary goal of the project is to develop a wetland long-term monitoring program, and clear

mechanisms to integrate existing OSM wetland Focus Studies. An integrated OSM wetlands monitoring

program will support: better understanding of the effects of stressors associated with oil sands

development activities on wetland ecosystems; and inclusion and application of Indigenous knowledge

related to cultural wetland value and observations of ecosystem change.

The project objectives are to detect and report changes in wetland ecosystem in relation to Oil Sands

Developments and related Point and Non-point source emissions, and the evaluation and integration of

wetland monitoring focus studies across air, water and biodiversity. Specific 2018-2019 objectives are to

develop rigorous and efficient methods to assess wetland ecosystem responses to key stressors associated

with oil sands development across various wetland classes (i.e. shallow open water wetlands, marshes,

bogs, fens and swamps).



i. Conduct passive air sampling for SO2, NO2, NH3, HNO3 (two replicates) at wetland bog

sites.

January update: Collection and deployment of passive air sampling media was completed at six monitoring sites

from January 3 through January 10, 2020, concurrent with other WBEA deposition monitoring

activities at nearby sites (OSM Work Plan A-PD-6-1920; refer to section 3.3). No sampling issues

or losses occurred during the December 2019 deployment period. Analytical results were

received on January 28, 2020.

February update: Collection and deployment of passive air sampling media was completed at 32 monitoring sites

from January 31 through February 6, 2020, concurrent with other WBEA deposition monitoring

activities at nearby sites (OSM Work Plan A-PD-6-1920; refer to section 3.3). All sampling issues

are summarized in the table below. Analytical results were received on February 25, 2020.

Table 12. Passive air sampling issues for February 2020.


Issue Cause Result

4003 4003-20-JAN-HNO3-1 HNO3 Sampler found in snow at the time of retrieval

Human or wildlife interference

Possible contamination

March update: Collection and deployment of passive air sampling media was completed at 32 monitoring sites

from January 31 through February 5, 2020, concurrent with other WBEA deposition monitoring


activities at nearby sites (OSM Work Plan A-PD-6-1920; refer to section 3.3). No sampling issues

occurred during the February 2020 deployment period.

Analytical results were received from Bureau Veritas on March 24, 2020.

ii. Conduct bulk deposition sampling for N and S via ion exchange resin methodology

(six replicates) on a seasonal basis (spring and fall deployment/retrieval) at bog

sites. Analysis for base cations will be conducted on a subset of columns (instead of

N and S) if animal interference is minimal.

January update: Ion exchange collector installations were inspected during site visits. No maintenance was

required.

February update: Ion exchange collector installations were inspected during site visits. No maintenance was

required.

March update:

Ion exchange collector installations were inspected during site visits. No maintenance was

required.

iii. Coordinate and integrate activities with AEP wetland group and bog researchers.

No coordinated activities to report in the fourth quarter of 2019-2020.

iv. Update and complete site-specific documentation as per WBEA or AMD

requirements.

AMD requirements for site documentation for passive air sampling is complete.

Development of site-specific documentation is ongoing. When completed, site documents will be

available on the WBEA website (https://wbea.org/resources/site-documentation/).

Refer to Section 3.4.6 for additional details.


i. Maintain the processing and validation of passive, ion exchange resin and meta-

data into the WBEA's data management system.


ii. Provide WBEA data to citizens, industry members, regulatory bodies, and







iii. Any data not submitted to the Alberta Air Data Warehouse or not on the WBEA

website will be provided directly to AEP in an agreed upon format within three


If WBEA data is not submitted to the Alberta Data Warehouse or not posted on the WEBA

website, the WBEA will provide the data to AEP in an agreed upon format within three months of

data collection.



workshops, and webinars related to optimizing and improving the

wetland ecosystem monitoring network in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region.

The WBEA will participate in OSM Program activities related to optimizing and improving the

wetland ecosystem monitoring network, as required. No activities to report on to date. Refer to

Section 3.1.4.i for more information.

ii. Implement any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA wetland

ecosystem monitoring network consistent with approved OSM Program

workplan(s).

No changes have been approved to the existing WBEA deposition monitoring network at AEP

bog sites in the fourth quarter.

iii. Document any additions, deletions, or any other changes to the WBEA wetland

ecosystem monitoring network not indicated previously. Identify and describe any

deviations from the approved OSM Program workplan(s).

No changes to report for the fourth quarter.


3.7. Community-Led Berry Contamination Study, 2019-20 Work Plan Reference B-CM-3-1920

This Community Led Berry Contamination Study (the “Project”) is a multi-year community-based

monitoring project coordinated by the Indigenous Knowledge, Community Monitoring and Citizen Science

Branch of AEP. This program builds upon work initiated by Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN) and the Wood

Buffalo Environmental Association since 2011. The FMFN project has been monitoring changes in berry

health and quality on culturally significant berry patches due to oil sands development. Neighboring

communities saw value in the project and expressed interest in expanding to their own territories. There

are now five Indigenous communities in the Athabasca region (Fort McKay First Nation, Fort McKay Metis,

Fort McMurray First Nation, Fort McMurray Metis and Conklin Metis) participating in the Project.

Communities are keen to continue building and growing their individual programs in 2019-2020 while

FMFN is ready to incorporate recommendations from the 5-year review, completed in January 2019, and

mature the program into a community led initiative for Oil Sands Monitoring.

The broad objectives across the project include:

• Support community involvement in program design, implementation, evaluation, reporting, and

communication to ensure the project is based on community-specific priorities.

• Produce qualitative and quantitative data spanning many years that will provide insights on the

level of contamination and impacts that oil sands development has on traditional wild food

supplies in northern Alberta.

• Provide opportunities for relationship building, knowledge sharing, and time on the land.

• Provide educational opportunities for all participants involved to learn new perspectives and skills.

The desired outcomes (results):

• Use of best practice methodologies that appropriately bridge Indigenous and Western knowledge

systems;

• Improved understanding of status and health of berries in the Athabasca region;

• Trusted relationships between involved Indigenous communities, academic researchers and

provincial and federal government scientists.


3.7.1. Planning meeting with Berry Group/Participants

Planning meetings were held with each participating community late July, August and September. As no funding decisions were given until August 2019 the participants were unable to complete their spring planning meeting or their June and July monitoring visits (these monthly visits are specific to the Fort McKay First Nation). Jeopardizing the study was too great a risk, therefore, with WBEA’s commitment to risk-manage the budget, the groups proceeded with meeting and the site visits as to not miss the limited window of opportunity for harvesting. Typically, these meetings are held earlier in the season to ensure each group has adequate time to plan logistics, determine status of berries, and contact community members to schedule berry harvesting trips.

In addition to the individual planning meetings the community representatives, along with the WBEA, the toxicologist, and the social scientist met on August 13, 2019, to discuss the methods being used to analyze and report the berry data, specifically from a risk assessment perspective


and how they should be communicated with members. It was identified that the risk assessment should incorporate consumption rates so they would more accurately reflect risk and that this information should be collected when, or if, possible during harvest trips.

3.7.2. Site visits for collection of site data

Fort McKay First Nation is currently the only community to collect air quality and meteorological data at their berry patches and to visit each patch several times throughout the summer to observe the site. This season, each other participating community observed the site conditions during the harvest trip. The passive samplers were deployed at Fort McKay First Nation patches in early August 2019 and were retrieved by a member of the Fort McKay First Nation community at the end of September 2019.

3.7.3. Berry harvest and soil collection

Each participating community harvested both cranberries and blueberries from community selected berry patches. Conklin harvested September 10 and 11, 2019; Fort McKay First Nation harvested August 1, 15, and 30, 2019; Fort McKay Métis harvested August 27, 29, 2019, and September 6, 2019; Fort McMurray First Nation harvested August 23, 2019; and McMurray Métis harvested September 17, 18, and 19. 2019. The timing of harvest was not optimal for both berry types for all communities, so some sample quantities were limited. Soil samples were collected during berry harvest trips at each berry patch for all communities.

3.7.4. Analysis: submission of collected samples to laboratory, retrieval of results; assembly of qualitative data, oral recordings, and storytelling; and production of reporting products.

Samples were processed by the WBEA (berries: divided into washed and unwashed samples and documented; soil: composited and documented). 160 berry samples were submitted to the National Research Council for analysis of berry health promoting compounds. Results are expected by mid-February 2020. The remaining berry and soil samples will be submitted to AirZone One laboratory to be analyzed for trace metals and PAHs in early 2020. Results are expected 4 months after submission. The meteorological instruments located at the Fort McKay First Nation berry patches were retrieved by the WBEA in November 2019. In December 2019, the equipment was upgraded, and they will be redeployed in Spring 2020. Results were received for the passive air quality sampler for the Fort McKay First Nation berry patches in the fall of 2019.


3.7.5. Communication of Results

Meetings were held in: Fort McKay on January 23rd, 2020, with Fort McKay Métis Elders and Fort McKay community members; Fort McMurray on February 25th with Fort McMurray Métis Local 1935 Elders and community members; Anzac on February 25th with Fort McMurray 468 First Nation Elders and community members; and in Conklin on February 27th with Conklin Métis Elders and community members. The WBEA, the project toxicologist, and the project social scientists also participated in each meeting. Analytical results from 2018 berry samples and the documented observations from 2018 and 2019 field visits were shared with the group by the toxicologist and social scientists. Throughout the sharing of the results, community members also shared their Traditional Knowledge and lived experiences and the group discussed ways to improve the project for the next field season. Copies of the traditional knowledge and science results shared at the meetings were provided as a report to each community in March.


2. Appendix – Supplemental Information Adhering to Contract Clauses:

As per Clause 9 of the WBEA Contracts with Alberta Environment and Parks, Personnel Replacement, the WBEA is

required to report any changes to the list of key personnel. The WBEA made no changes to its key personnel list

during this reporting period. Any changes would be communicated to the AEP within five business days of the

change.

As per Clause 21 of the WBEA's Contracts with Alberta Environment and Parks, Conflict of Interest and Ethical

Conduct, the WBEA is required to report all potential or perceived conflicts of interest. The WBEA noted the

following potential or perceived conflicts of interest during this reporting period. These conflicts are

communicated to the AEP via email within five business days of each meeting.

Date Meeting Member Declared Conflict of Interest

Name Organization

January 17, 2020

GC Meeting

Ryan Abel Fort McKay First Nation Participates on OSM Air and Deposition TAC as alternate

Gillian Donald McMurray Métis Participates on OSM TBM and Wetlands TACs

March 11, 2020

AATC/OMP Committee Meeting

Nerissa Hernani Syncrude Represents COSIA on the Air and Deposition TAC

David Spink Fort McKay First Nation Participates on OSM Air and Deposition TAC

Ryan Abel Fort McKay First Nation Participates on OSM Air and Deposition TAC as alternate and is a member of the WBEA's GC

Gillian Donald Fort McMurray Metis Participates on Wetlands TAC and is a member of the WBEA's GC

March 13, 2020

GC Meeting Ryan Abel Fort McKay First Nation Participates on OSM Air and Deposition TAC as alternate

Peter Fortna CRDAC Participates on SIKIC as alternate

Simon Tatlow Alberta Environment & Parks Works for AEP

March 25, 2020

GM Meeting Ryan Abel Fort McKay First Nation Participates on OSM Air and Deposition TAC as alternate

Gillian Donald McMurray Métis Participates on OSM TBM and Wetlands TACs

Peter Fortna CRDAC Participates on SIKIC as alternate

Simon Tatlow Alberta Environment & Parks Works for AEP

Lori Cyprian Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Participates on the OSM ICBMAC

Lindsay Wong Mikisew Cree First Nation Participates on OSM Data Management TAC

Summary of Stations & Parameters in the WBEA Network:

The table below provides a listing of stations with their names and corresponding WBEA identification number and

the air quality parameters measured by continuous methods at each site. Parameters measured include hydrogen

sulphide (H2S), total reduced sulphur (TRS), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), total hydrocarbons

(THC), methane (CH4), non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon

dioxide (CO2). Sites are categorized as industrial or community, based on the setting in which they are located.


Table 13. Summary of stations and parameters measured continuously at WBEA sites.

WBEA ID

TYPE STATION NAME SO2 NO/NO2/

NOX O3 PM2.5 TRS H2S THC

Methane NMHC

CO CO2 NH3

1 COMMUNITY BERTHA GANTER-FORT MCKAY

X X X X X X X X X X

2 COMPLIANCE MILDRED LAKE X X X

3 METEOROLOGICAL

LOWER CAMP MET TOWER

4 COMPLIANCE BUFFALO VIEWPOINT

X X X X X X X

5 COMPLIANCE/METEOROLOGICAL

MANNIX X X X

6 COMMUNITY PATRICIA MCINNES X X X X X X X X

7 COMMUNITY ATHABASCA VALLEY X X X X X X X X

8 COMMUNITY/COMPLIANCE

FORT CHIPEWYAN X X X X X X

9 ATTRIBUTION BARGE LANDING X X X X X

11 COMPLIANCE LOWER CAMP X X X X

13 COMPLIANCE/ATTRIBUTION

FORT MCKAY SOUTH

X X X X X X

14 COMPLIANCE/COMMUNITY

ANZAC X X X X X X X

15 COMPLIANCE HORIZON X X X X X

17 COMPLIANCE WAPASU X X X X X X

18 ENHANCED DEPOSITION/ BACKGROUND

STONY MOUNTAIN X X X X X X X X X

19 COMPLIANCE FIREBAG X X X X

20 COMPLIANCE MACKAY RIVER X X X X

21 COMMUNITY CONKLIN X X X X X X X

22 COMMUNITY JANVIER X X X X X X X

23 COMPLIANCE FORT HILLS X X X X X

25 EMERGENCY RESPONSE

WASKOW OHCI PIMATISIWIN

X X

26 COMPLIANCE CHRISTINA LAKE X X X

27 COMPLIANCE JACKFISH 2/3 X X X

29 COMPLIANCE SURMONT 2 X X X X X

501 COMPLIANCE LEISMER X X X

505 COMPLIANCE SAWBONES BAY X X X

506 COMPLIANCE JACKFISH 1 X X X

508 COMPLIANCE KIRBY NORTH X X X X


The following table provides a listing of stations and meteorological parameters measured by continuous

methods. Parameters measured include ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction,

vertical wind speed, solar radiation, precipitation, and leaf wetness.

Table 14. Summary of stations and meteorological parameters measured continuously at WBEA sites.

WBEA ID

TYPE STATION NAME Temperature RH

BP Wind Speed

Wind Direction

Vertical Wind Speed

Solar Radiation

Precipitation Leaf Wetness


X X X X X X X

2 COMPLIANCE MILDRED LAKE X X X X

3 METEOROLOGICAL

LOWER CAMP MET TOWER

X X X X X

4 COMPLIANCE BUFFALO VIEWPOINT X X X X

5 COMPLIANCE/METEORLOGICAL

MANNIX X X X X X

6 COMMUNITY PATRICIA MCINNES X X X X

7 COMMUNITY ATHABASCA VALLEY X X X X X

8 COMMUNITY/COMPLIANCE

FORT CHIPEWYAN X X X X X X X

9 ATTRIBUTION BARGE LANDING X X X X X

11 COMPLIANCE LOWER CAMP X X X X

13 COMPLIANCE/ATTRIBUTION

FORT MCKAY SOUTH X X X X


ANZAC X X X X X X

15 COMPLIANCE HORIZON X X X X X X

17 COMPLIANCE WAPASU X X X X X


STONY MOUNTAIN X X

X X X X X

19 COMPLIANCE FIREBAG X X X X

20 COMPLIANCE MACKAY RIVER X X X X X

21 COMMUNITY CONKLIN X X X X

22 COMMUNITY JANVIER X X X X

23 COMPLIANCE FORT HILLS X X X X



X X

X X

26 COMPLIANCE CHRISTINA LAKE X X X X

27 COMPLIANCE JACKFISH 2/3 X X X X

29 COMPLIANCE SURMONT 2 X X X X

501 COMPLIANCE LEISMER X X X X

505 COMPLIANCE SAWBONES BAY X X X X

506 COMPLIANCE JACKFISH 1 X X X X

508 COMPLIANCE KIRBY NORTH X X X X


The table below provides a listing of stations and air quality parameters measured by integrated methods.

Parameters measured include volatile organic compounds (VOC) and reduced sulphur compounds (RSC),

particulate matter less than 2.5 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and associated metals and ions, particulate

matter less than 10 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and associated metals and ions, polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons (PAH), dichotomous samples, speciated denuder sampler (SASS), and precipitation samples.

Table 15. Summary of parameters measured using integrated methods at WBEA sites.

WBEA ID

TYPE STATION NAME VOC

PM2.5 Mass, Metals

and Ions

PM2.5

ECOC

PM10 Mass, Metals

and Ions

PAH PRECIP


X X X X X X

6 COMMUNITY PATRICIA MCINNES X X X X

7 COMMUNITY ATHABASCA VALLEY X X X X

9 ATTRIBUTION BARGE LANDING X

13 COMPLIANCE/ ATTRIBUTION

FORT MCKAY SOUTH X

X


ANZAC X X

X X

15 COMPLIANCE HORIZON X X X

17 COMPLIANCE WAPASU X


STONY MOUNTAIN

X X

22 COMMUNITY JANVIER X

The following table provides a listing of stations and air quality parameters measured by continuous/semi-continuous methods. Parameters measured include aethalometer (black carbon), visibility sensor, particulate bound PAH, sulfur GC, and VOC GC. Table 16. Summary of stations and parameters measured continuously/semi-continuously at WBEA sites.

WBEA ID TYPE STATION NAME AE33

Aethalometer Visibility Sensor

Wind Profiler/RASS

Sulfur GC

VOC GC


X

X X


X

7 COMMUNITY ATHABASCA VALLEY


X

17 COMPLIANCE WAPASU X


STONY MOUNTAIN

X




The following table provides a listing of stations and air quality parameters measured by continuous/semi-continuous methods for research and development purposes. Parameters measured include direct ammonia measurement technique, direct NO2 measurement technique and comparison with NOy and standard NO2 measurement techniques, particulate bound PAH, and continuous PM10 measurement (non-EPA FEM method). Table 17. Summary of stations and parameters measured continuously/semi-continuously at WBEA sites.

WBEA ID TYPE STATION NAME NH3 Study NO2/NOy Particulate bound PAH Continuous PM10

6 COMMUNITY PATRICIA MCINNES

X*

7 COMMUNITY ATHABASCA VALLEY

X*

15 COMPLIANCE HORIZON X*



X*

* Monitoring data used for research and development purposes only.


Figure 4 shows the most recent map of the WBEA Terrestrial Monitoring Network, while Figure 5 shows the most

recent map of active stations in the Continuous Monitoring Network.

Figure 4. The WBEA Terrestrial Monitoring Network.


Figure 5. The WBEA Continuous Monitoring Network.

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