| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
This report constitutes Chapters 1, 2 and 9 of the 17 chapter KSM Project 2008 Baseline Studies Report. It has been produced as a separate document to facilitate distribution. The 2008 KSM aquatic ecology baseline assessment was designed to collect baseline sediment quality, and primary and secondary producer community data within the streams, rivers and lakes in the KSM Project Study Area. This program included 28 stream and river sites where sediment quality, and periphyton and benthic invertebrate communities were assessed, and three lakes where physical limnology, sediment, phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic invertebrate communities were assessed in August 2008. Streams in the KSM Project Study Area were characterized by sediments consisting primarily of sand, characteristic of fast flowing water. Nutrient concentrations were low in the Unuk River, Reference sites, Mitchell Creek and Sulphurets Creek watersheds and tended to be higher in the Teigen Creek and Treaty Creek Watershed. Sediments in the streams in the KSM Project Study Area were characterized by naturally high concentrations of metals that exceeded BC and CCME sediment quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. In particular, arsenic, copper, iron and mercury were highest in the Treaty, Mitchell and Sulphurets Creek watersheds. Sites in the Teigen Creek Watershed contained naturally higher chromium and nickel concentrations. Exceedances are related to the highly mineralized geology of the region, since no development has yet been initiated in the Project area. |
