Classification: Protected A Groundwater Monitoring in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT: In 2018, the Governments of Alberta and Canada, and seventeen indigenous communities in the oil sands region of Alberta, formally agreed on their joint commitment to the monitoring of environmental impacts of oil sands development through the new Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) Program. The objectives of the groundwater theme within the OSM Program are to determine if oil sands activities (mining and in situ) are causing observable changes in groundwater conditions outside of natural variability, and to assess cumulative effects on local and regional ecosystems. The technical design for groundwater monitoring has been developed by a multi-stakeholder and rights holder Technical Advisory Committee. The groundwater monitoring program follows an adaptive study design so that monitoring focus and effort can be shifted as knowledge on the monitoring targets improves and to provide actionable information for policy decisions. Groundwater monitoring includes Indigenous-led community-based monitoring and traditional knowledge studies, with indicators relevant to these communities. To guide monitoring design, we developed groundwater conceptual models based on a pressure, stressor, pathway, response and effects framework. The key conceptual model components potentially affecting groundwater systems and the health of connected groundwater dependent ecosystems (e.g., fens, aquatic communities, riparian communities) include groundwater withdrawals, contaminant transport, landscape disturbance and climate change. A comprehensive data inventory and compilation was completed which identified gaps to be addressed through the groundwater monitoring, evaluation and reporting program. These include synthesizing regional hydraulic head data to develop indicators for detecting changes in groundwater quantity from baseline conditions, utilizing existing operational monitoring results for surveillance of groundwater quality and quantity responses, and integrating with river, lake and wetland monitoring and watershed modelling to determine whether groundwater discharge is changing and affecting ecosystem health. The resulting oil sands groundwater monitoring program better prioritizes monitoring considering potential environmental impacts from oil sands development, is more focused on detecting changes in groundwater systems, and respects sensitivities associated with sharing of Indigenous knowledge.