NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Tags: physical sciences, environmental assessment, land use planning, environmental baseline

Objective(s): To collect baseline data to characterize the environmental (physical and biological) setting in the proposed project area. Specifically, data will be collected to characterize the following environmental components: air quality, noise, hydrology, bathymetry, hydrogeology, aquatic resources, fish and fish habitat, soils, vegetation and wetlands.

Project Description: The objective of the study is to collect baseline data to characterize the environmental (physical and biological) setting in the proposed project area. Specifically, data will be collected to characterize the following environmental components: air quality, noise, hydrology, bathymetry, hydrogeology, aquatic resources, fish and fish habitat, soils, vegetation and wetlands. Air Quality: Five locations will be selected for dustfall monitoring stations that are outside of the boundaries for the mineralized zone and the proposed project development and sampling will occur for a 3 month period. Dustfall samples will be opened to the atmosphere for approximately 30 days and be analyzed for settle-able particulate matter. Noise: Noise measurements will be conducted during the summer and fall to coincide with peak caribou migration and breeding of birds and mammals. A sound level meter capable of logging data will be used to log data for 24 consecutive hours. Hydrology: Three hydrometric stations will be established and will consist of a pressure transducer with an automated data logger. The hydrometric stations will be operated throughout the open-water season. Bathymetry: To produce a bathymetric map of Matthews Lake, a bathymetry survey will be conducted during the summer. Geographic position will be determined using a Trimble Pro XRS DGPS with a TCS1 data logger. Lake depths will be measured using a 200 kHz Marinetek SeaMax depth sounder that will be mounted to a boat. Hydrogeology: A Thermistor/Vibrating Wire Piezometer/Electrical Conductivity Probe string will installed in a single drill hole. The drill hole will be advanced using an exploration diamond drill. The total number of thermistors will be dependent upon the overall depths of the holes, which is yet to be determined. There will be a greater concentration of thermistors at the top of the holes so that the extent of the active layer and the zero amplitude point can be determined. The instrumentation string will also contain several electrical conductivity probes which will be used for a qualitative assessment of groundwater quality. Vibrating wire piezometers will also be included to measure hydraulic head. Aquatics: A total of nine lake sites and seven stream sites will be sampled. Lake physical limnology measurements will be taken with a multi-meter which measures dissolved oxygen and temperature. Lake water quality and phytoplankton samples will be collected using a GO-FLO (a cylindrical PVC water sampler). Zooplankton samples will be collected using a conical mesh net towed through the water column. Lake benthos and sediment quality samples will be collected using an Ekman grab sampler (surface area of 0.0225 m2). Stream benthos samples will be collected using a Hess sampler (surface area of 0.096 m2). Water quality samples will be collected three times in the open water season and all biology and sediment samples will be collected during the August sampling trip. Fish and Fish Habitat: Eight stream sites and six lake sites will be sampled. Stream habitat assessments will be conducted in the Courageous Lake study area during two sampling periods: freshet (June) and summer low-flow (August). Parameters will be measured to determine substrate, habitat, cover, and physical characteristics of the stream. The lake habitat assessment will collect data to delineate shoreline and littoral substrate types, riparian vegetation types and habitat types. The fish community in streams will be sampled using backpack electrofishers. At each site, one-pass electrofishing with no blocking nets will be conducted over a minimum 200 m-long stream section and for a minimum of approximately 1,000 electrofishing seconds. Electrofishing will not be completed where fish are observed to be spawning. Lakes will be sampled with RISC standard sinking gillnets and baited minnow traps. Gillnets will be set randomly throughout the lake, if small, and at specific sampling sites in large lakes (i.e., Courageous Lake and Matthews Lake) for a period of one hour to minimize fish mortality. Minnow traps will be set in the littoral zone at depths of approximately 2 m for periods of 24 hours duration. Traps will be set along the entire lake shoreline in small lakes and at specific sampling sites in large lakes. Biological information collected on captured fish will include: number, species, length (mm), wet weight (g) and age (as read from scales, pelvic fin rays, otoliths or cleithra). An application has been submitted to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada for a Licence to Fish for Scientific Purposes. Soils and Terrain: Terrain mapping will be carried out using aerial photos or anaglyph data which will be made available from the client. The terrain map will be checked in the field. Ground truthing will include the collection of site, terrain, and soils information data. Soil samples will be collected for metals analysis at various locations. Samples will be collected from the 0 cm to 10 cm depth, the 10 cm to 20 cm depth, and the 30-50 cm depth where possible. Soils mapping will be done using the information comparing the soils/terrain information in the field program to the terrain mapping developed in the air photo/anaglyph mapping program. Wetlands: To characterize and classify wetlands in the area, a field survey will be conducted to identify wetlands in the proposed project area. At each wetland, a soil pit will be dug to evaluate the soil moisture regime and texture. A soil auger will be used to characterize the soil layers. Soil water pH and conductivity will be measured using handheld equipment in the auger holes. A vegetation species list will be recorded at each site. Vegetation and Ecosystem Studies: Field studies will be conducted to guide ecosystem mapping in the local study area. Field surveys will be conducted for rare and invasive plants and plant tissue samples, primarily lichen, will be collected for metals analysis within the local study area. Public meetings for information exchange and project status updates will be held at milestone points of the project. Information will also be provided on Seabridge's company website. Additional communication through letter, email and phone can be made to identified government and stakeholder or interested parties. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 7, 2010 to December 31, 2010.