Proceedings - Teaching and Learning Centre - Simon Fraser ...

Fraser River Action Plan 3rd Research Workshop
General Conclusions
Session 3:
Urban Issues
Chair: K. Hall
Only one project in this session dealt with point source pollution (Chamber’s work on P, N nutrient contributions
by direct discharges). The remaining projects are concerned with non-point sources.
Review of projects:
• Kooi:
– urban status report reviewing runoff and currently active pollution abatement activities.
– a review of a number of projects, e.g., Urban Runoff Contaminants Project (completed), reveals lack of
data on local loading of pollutants as well as need to establish how quality conditions change over storm
events, etc. All the data has been collected, and data analyses are in progress. Recommendations are in
the near future.
– combined sewer outflow is concern in Burrard Inlet.
– numerical documentation of CSO locations exists, as well as GVRD report on CSO volumes.
– stormwater is a problem and needs to be subtracted out of CSO component to avoid double count for
total loadings.
– stormwater discharge inventory documents 257 discharges in Fraser area with photo records.
– an initial look at contaminants coming from golf courses.
– all chemicals from car/truck washes enter stormwaters.
• Chambers:
– project complete.
– look at nutrient loadings from primarily pulp mills and municipal STPs; data is limited and variable as
P/N monitoring is not a licensing requirement.
– anthropogenic sources are a small fraction of total nutrient load, but can result in ecological changes due
to the high proportion of bioavailable forms of P and N in the effluents.
– some seasonal segregation of data shows dilution effects, especially for TDP and TDN during high
flow periods.
• Farrell:
– antisapstain (DDAC and IPBC) toxicity studies; (LC 0, 50, 100) on fish and invertebrates of various life
stages.
– work completed with DDAC: white sturgeon are most sensitive; starry flounder and Neomysis found to
be least sensitive and therefore may not be the most relevant or useful test species.
– inspite of some uncertainties, present regulatory level for DDAC (700 ppb), suspected to be nonprotective
for sensitive aquatic species.
• Richardson:
– looked at urban/agricultural contaminant effects on benthic invertebrate and fish communities of streams
plus some microcosm studies relating to stormwaters (looking at impact of metals on invertebrates). Fish
assemblages are distinctly different (associated with water quality variability) between sites considered
“pristine” and those affected by contaminants.
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