| Citation |
McDonald, L. (2009) Survey of Selenium in water, zooplankton and fish in Lake Koocanusa, Bristish Columbia, 2008, Spirogyra Scientific Consulting. Report prepared for Environmental Protection, Kootenay Region, British Columbia Ministry of Environment on behalf of the Elk Valley Selenium Task Force. |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
In August of 2008, a survey of selenium (Se) in water, zooplankton and fish (with a focus on kokanee) in Lake Koocanusa, upstream and downstream of the Elk River confluence, was conducted by Kootenay Region, Environmental Protection staff. Selenium is elevated in the Elk River as a result of coal mining within the basin, averaging 4.26 _g/L in 2008, compared to 0.09 _g/L in the Kootenay River. The goal of this study was to determine metals concentration, specifically Se, above and below inputs from the Elk River, to answer the following questions: 1) Are there risks to the aquatic environment, based on a comparison with current aquatic life water quality guidelines and tissue-based thresholds; 2) Do these data corroborate historical data for Lake Koocanusa, where available; and 3) Are there significant differences in concentrations among the sites? |
