Sampling Plans and Analysis Strategies for Environmental Assessment of Diamond Mine Impacts in Northern Canada

Rescan Environmental Services has conducted an extended aquatic effects monitoring survey as part of the environmental assessment of the diamond mine operations in northern Canada. Yearly water and sediment samples have been taken over the past 12 years at reference lakes (those not affected by mine operations) and impact lakes (lying in a downstream gradient from the containment facility). This proposal will examine three issues related to the environmental assessment namely 1) How representative are single samples taken from a lake of the variation in water quality and sediment loading parameters across the lake; 2) How to best incorporate the multiple years of data that accounts for the correlation across time and lakes; and 3) How to summarize very complex data on community structure of biological information in a form that is readily accessible to non-experts.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Carl Schwarz

Student:

Simon Bonner

Partner:

Rescan Environmental Services Ltd.

Discipline:

Statistics / Actuarial sciences

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

Simon Fraser University