The levels of microplastics detected in the North Saskatchewan River were “low enough that [they’re] likely not causing a big risk to wildlife,” Ross said. On the other hand, when foam is unnatural it often has a perfumy scent and a bright white colour (pictured below). Produced water — a byproduct heavy with saline from the extraction of oil and natural gas — flowed into an unnamed creek and then into the North Saskatchewan River (pictured) on Christmas Day, although ARC officials said they found no detectable levels of chlorides from the produced water leak in the river. This program was established to provide basic information which would reveal pollution trends and provide water quality data for the many existing and prospective users of surface water in Alberta. âIdentifying Water Pollution.â Ottawa Riverkeeper, www.ottawariverkeeper.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1_Identifying-Water-Pollution.pdf. Our independent, ad-free journalism is made possible because the people who value our work also support it (did we mention our stories are free for all to read, not just those who can afford to pay?). Of course, in the natural world death is a part of life, so we cannot assume that any animal is dead from pollution. It flows east to Medicine Hat, Alberta, and turns northeast, crossing the Alberta-Saskatchewan border before being joined by the Red Deer River, then opens up to Lake Diefenbaker, a 225 km long reservoir formed by the Gardiner Dam, and continues through Saskatoon, Saskatc… While there are still unknowns about the full impact of microplastic pollution, these tiny particles may cause tearing or blockages in the digestive tracts of organisms that eat them, according to the, While most microplastic research has so far focused on oceans, studies have found similar and, in some cases, greater levels of microplastic pollution in lakes and rivers, according to the, in the Drayton Valley into a creek before flowing into the river, in 2016 forced a number of communities in Saskatchewan to stop drawing water from the river for two months, Biosolids collected from wastewater treatment plants and used as fertilizers could be another source of microplastics, the, is underway by researchers at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), supported by $10 million in funding from Inter Pipeline, an energy infrastructure company that’s. This type of algae (also known as cyanobacteria) can release toxins which are harmful to humans and animals. Due to the size of the mesh the team used to collect their samples, the smallest microplastics they were able to detect in the North Saskatchewan River were 53 microns — about a third of the size of grain of sugar. The City of Edmonton, along with partners, conducts an annual Environmental Monitoring Program which includes monitoring of the North Saskatchewan River and of discharges into the River. Abstract. In the study researchers detailed the results of water sampling conducted at eight sites along a roughly 66-kilometre stretch of river during the summer of 2017. In a study published Jan. 14 in the journal Facets, researchers from MacEwan University detailed the results of water sampling conducted at eight sites along a roughly 66-kilometre stretch of river during the summer of 2017. It turns no… Tones, Patricia I. On Valentine’s Day, a small group of Wet’suwet’en people gathered outside a Coastal GasLink pipeline work camp in northwest B.C. In December, contaminated water spilled from a pipeline in the Drayton Valley into a creek before flowing into the river. While the province has committed to building Alberta into a world leader for plastics recycling, companies are planning manufacturing complexes that will pump out new plastic products as well, including a major new facility along the North Saskatchewan River. Admission is free, though a financial donation is requested. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. “It suggests to us that the sources are more diffuse,” Ross said. It might seem too easy, but taking pictures and sharing them on the Swim Guide and/or on social media provides an extremely important body of pollution evidence. , researchers from MacEwan University detailed the results of water sampling conducted at eight sites along a roughly 66-kilometre stretch of river during the summer of 2017. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of water quality in the river for the time period studied. In addition to Ross’s work, a multi-year study is underway by researchers at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), supported by $10 million in funding from Inter Pipeline, an energy infrastructure company that’s building a new petrochemical complex along the North Saskatchewan River to manufacture polypropylene plastic. June 30, 1971. Microplastics are typically defined as pieces smaller than five millimetres. It can be totally natural, and it can also be a sign of pollutants. Scientists have found microplastics near Everest’s peak and along the ocean floor, in oysters, Arctic belugas and even in the air. Â. âCombined Sewer System.â City of Edmonton, www.edmonton.ca/city_government/utilities/combined-sewer-system.aspx. The government has also proposed new requirements for recycled content in products and packaging, a measure aimed at extending the life of plastics, and new regulations are expected to be finalized by the end of this year. The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Oil pollution can be very harmful to aquatic plants and animals, however, normal and unpolluted water can sometimes seem oily. About 200,000 litres of oil spilled into the North Saskatchewan River due to a pipeline leak near Maidstone in July, contaminating the drinking water supply for an estimated 62,000 people. We have what is known as a Combined Sewer System. You can share that picture on social media with the hashtag #swimdrinkfish, you can use the Swim Guide âReport Pollutionâ tool on the app and website, or you can report it to the city of Edmonton by calling 311. However, the future cumulative effects of the transition towards urban land use are likely to res ult in relatively minor additional effects on biodiversity, landscape and water quality compared … Iâm sure you get the drill now, but what do you do if you see oil pollution? Alberta Minister of Energy Sonya Savage was also not impressed with the federal plan, saying “plastics are the foundation of the modern world.”, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada Jonathan Wilkinson has said the designation shouldn’t affect the province’s efforts to increase plastic recycling and has noted that every year “29,000 tonnes of plastic waste enters into and pollutes our natural environment.”. “Presumably, if they can filter out much smaller bacteria, they’ll also remove microplastics and other particulates in this size range,” he said. Just take a picture and report it on the Swim Guide or share it on social media! The Narwhal is ad-free, non-profit and supported by readers like you. Monitoring of fish, invertebrates, and ve… View/ Open. Unfortunately, Edmontonâs sewer system is not perfect. Alberta Environment and Parks also operates a long term network of monitoring locations on the North Saskatchewan River. And since you’re here, we have a favour to ask. One major river that crosses the city of Edmonton, Alberta is the North Saskatchewan River. Last week while giving a water presentation to a grade 4 class, I was asked by a student, âwhat does water pollution look like?â I was very impressed by the question, and it made me realize how hard it is to describe water pollution. If you see garbage that you canât clean up, TAKE A PICTURE! Your email address will not be published. It is a source of water to humans and livestock (Partners for the Saskatchewan River Basin, 2009). Author. Blue Jay, Nature Saskatchewan's renowned journal of conservation and nature, celebrates over sixty years of continuous publication. The North Saskatchewan River begins in the Columbia Icefields in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. He cautioned that his answer might change as concentrations of microplastics increase and as scientists gain a deeper understanding of the potential risks microplastics may pose. This was the first to examine microplastic pollution in a river in western Canada as far as the authors are aware. “If we don’t mitigate this, presumably, we’ll see increasing concentrations,” he said. As part of its provincial licence to use the North Saskatchewan, the city agreed in 2009 that the amount of pollution it sends in to the river each year … Ainslie Cruickshank is a Vancouver-based journalist focused on stories about the environment. Credit: Kerry Snelson, Adobe Stock. This study investigates the occurrence, composition, and spatial trends of microplastic contamination in the North Saskatchewan River flowing through Edmonton, Alberta, the fifth largest city in Canada. However, it is quite common to have serious blooms of blue-green algae in lakes across Alberta. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology/Handout Please take a picture and post it to social media or share it on Swim Guide and it can be identified and managed. But it was: in the early 20 th century, downtown Edmonton was a booming industrial landscape, and the river valley was populated with coalmines, brickyards, garbage dumps, and slaughterhouses.The North Saskatchewan River was a natural effluent for all of these. Of course, in the natural world death is a part of life, so we cannot assume that any animal is dead from pollution. Algae itself is a natural part of any body of water. Microplastics are globally ubiquitous contaminants, but quantitative data on their presence in freshwater environments are sparse. Over the years, the waterway has faced increasing pressure from the energy industry with new pipeline crossings and spills. If you believe news organizations should report to their readers, not advertisers or shareholders, please become a monthly member of The Narwhal today for any amount you can afford. Microplastics could be washed into the river through storm drains, or fibres that shed from clothes could be carried through the air, he explained. Tiny fibres and fragments of plastic have been detected in the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, offering yet more evidence of the pervasive nature of plastic pollution. Village of Gibbons were drawing water from the Sturgeon River. Photo: Jeff Wallace /, Microplastics aren't just an ocean problem. Water quality monitoring was first initiated in the 1940s in response to pollution problems in the NSR associated with the City of Edmonton. With unreliable river flows and upstream pollution were a problem. In Alberta, meanwhile, Premier Kenney has said plastics are “a real ace in the hole for Alberta’s future.”. A history of stream pollution assessment and control, North Saskatchewan River, 1950's to 1980's Item Preview Water quality in the North Saskatchewan River (NSR) in the last 60 years has undergone some substantial changes. Required fields are marked *. Water supply has become an increasingly urgent challenge throughout the world due to drought, pollution and ever-increasing levels of human consumption. CARING FOR OUR WATERSHEDS: Southern Alberta is open to students who live in the Alberta borders south of and including Airdrie. There are tricks to differentiate between natural and artificial oils and foams in water. People always tell us they love our newsletter. “It was not unexpected to find this level of microplastics in the river,” Matthew Ross, an assistant professor of environmental chemistry at MacEwan University and one of the study’s authors, told The Narwhal. Regardless, I would recommend that you, once again, TAKE A PICTURE! We know that plastic does not grow in our lakes and rivers. âThe Rule Everyone Should Follow to Save Our Waters.â Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, 2017, www.waterkeeper.ca/blog/2017/9/7/the-rule-everyone-should-follow-to-save-our-waters?rq=foam%2Bpollution. That makes you some serious Narwhal material. Summary. While most microplastic research has so far focused on oceans, studies have found similar and, in some cases, greater levels of microplastic pollution in lakes and rivers, according to the Facets study. Foam is another mystery pollution. Donât be overwhelmed with your new duties as a photographer!