Baseline Limnology Program, Kennady Lake 2001 Environmental Program
Principal Investigator: Lawson, Nick (6)
Licence Number: 13188
Organization: Jacques Whitford Environment Ltd.
Licensed Year(s): 2001
Issued: May 11, 2001
Project Team: Matthew Kennedy

Objective(s): The Kennady Lake or Gacho Kue Project is an advanced mineral exploration property operated by DBCE. To assist with current environmental management of the property and prepare for an assessment of environmental effects of potential future development at the site, it is necessary to collect baseline environmental information. Water quality issues are uppermost in any evaluation of the effects of mining projects on fish and fish habitat. It is suggested that a potential future aquatic assessment of the project would focus on nutrient levels in aquatic habitat; suspended sediments, trace metals and oxygen consuming substances. Water quality sampling and analysis will be undertaken at three times during the year to collect baseline data on the above attributes. Additionally a sampling program will be developed to provide baseline information on the community structure, diversity and biomass of benthic invertebrates in those portions of Kennady Lake that may be dewatered to permit mining activities, as well as upstream and downstream portions of the lake that may also be affected by the potential development. The information collected will also provide an understanding of the relationship between benthic invertebrates, depth and substrate types in the lake. Zooplankton samples will be collected during the sampling events, counted and identified to species where practical. Biomass will also be measured. Sedimentation rates in Kennady Lake are also of interest to the assessment of potential environmental effects of future project. Sediment traps will be deployed in the three basins of the lake and retrieved later in the season. Measurements of sediments will allow calculation of sedimentation rates.

Project Description: The objectives of the research team are to collect baseline environmental information on the DeBeers Canada Exploration Ltd. project at Kennady Lake, to assist with the current environmental management of the property and prepare for an assessment of the environmental effects of potential future development of the site. Three field visits to Kennady Lake will be completed during the summer of 2001. General water quality (thermal structure, dissolved oxygen and conductivity) will be assessed, sediment traps installed and zooplankton traps collected during the first visit in June. During the second visit in August, full water chemistry analysis will be undertaken, along with benthic invertebrate and zooplankton sampling and sediment trap collection /redeployment. During the final visit in mid-September, general water quality will be assessed, zooplankton samples will be collected, and sediment traps will once again be collected.