NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: physical sciences, contaminants, water sampling, hydrology, geochemistry, metal concentrations

Objective(s): To determine the environmental chemistry of the elevated metal concentrations, which will in turn determine the environmental risk that these measured concentrations pose (i.e. will answer, at least in part, the questions: do these sites require remediation, and in what timeframe?).

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5068. The overall objective of the research is to eventually determine the environmental chemistry of the elevated metal concentrations, which will in turn determine the environmental risk that these measured concentrations pose (i.e. will answer, at least in part, the questions: do these sites require remediation, and in what timeframe?). Since the environmental chemistry of metals in permafrost regions remains poorly understood, a full understanding of the environmental chemistry of these sites will be difficult to accomplish in the proposed 3-year timeframe. Nonetheless, the project aims to generate enough data and interpretation for stakeholders to be able to generate value judgements on the environmental risk. The larger concept surrounding this research concerns infrastructure development in permafrost terrains; i.e. Are there issues that are important but insufficiently understood concerning contaminant generation and movement in permafrost terrains during infrastructure development; issues which could or should lead to policy or regulatory revision? This study will use the following methods: 1) Water and solid phase sampling: this will include both surface and subsurface waters and solids. Subsurface samples will be collected using low-impact augering techniques. Solid phase includes mineral, organic humus and ice sampling. Water sampling procedures include pumping, filtering and measurement of thermodynamic parameters. 2) Hydrogeology: water movement will be measured using standard monitoring techniques (dataloggers, water level, electrical conductivity instruments) that will be input into general hydrogeological models (at this stage the research team only intend to generate basic hydrogeological models - detailed models for permafrost terrains are very difficult and time-consuming to generate. However, if necessary the team does have the expertise and equipment to generate such detailed models). 3) Geochemistry: The water and solid phase samples will be analysed by standard mass spectrometric techniques to determine their metal chemistry. This chemical data will be modeled to determine the controlling processes. The research team will start with basic geochemical thermodynamic models and progress to more complex models if the data permits. The modeling will also indicate where data deficiencies lie, which can then be addressed in subsequent fieldwork. 4) Environmental chemistry: the combined hydrogeological and geochemical components will provide an excellent picture of the environmental chemistry of these sites, and thus answer the objectives above. To date the research team have engaged the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers, who provided a letter of support. Please note that this letter is pre-pandemic as this project was started in 2019, but got nowhere before COVID19 stopped the necessary data collection. Part of our fieldwork plan includes face-to-face consultations with stakeholders, which includes the Hunters and Trappers (i.e. the team plan to do further consultations with the Hunters and Trappers during the October fieldwork). As some of the borrow pits lie in Inuvialuit Settlement Region lands, the team have also applied to the Inuvialuit Land Administration (ILA) for access. The borrow pits were dug by the NWT Infrastructure department, and who are keen to understand the environmental risk the borrow pits represent. Prior to COVID the team were in regular contact with the departments Inuvik staff - they host the information as to how the borrow pits were excavated, timeframes, etc. The research team will contact them again once fieldwork becomes more certain (i.e. when it is sure the planned October fieldwork will not be delayed further due to COVID19). The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from October 12, 2021 to October 30, 2021.