The base mine lake toxicity identification and evaluation study

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End-pit-lakes (EPLs) are currently the main strategy for large-scale and long-term remediation of toxic oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). However, as recently summarized by the Royal Society of Canada, there are great unknowns with respect to the rate and extent by which EPLs might facilitate this important function. A major source of uncertainty is that the chemicals which impart toxicity to OSPW remain unknown, and the aquatic persistence of most chemicals in OSPW has never been studied. Here, an integrated research plan has been designed that will use state-of-the-art analytical technologies, toxicity bioassays, molecular biology, microbial biodegradation, and monitoring of tailings ponds to identify the most toxic and persistent chemicals in OSPW. The specific focus of this study is OSPW from an active settling basin at Syncrude Canada Ltd - "the West-In-Pit" - which will serve as the source of water for Base-Mine Lake, Canada's first oil sands EPL. Syncrude's Base Mine Lake project will be commissioned in 2012/2013, thus the proposed work is conveniently coincident with the lake's start-up phase. The data from this study will be directly applied by Syncrude to monitoring and predicting the detoxification trajectory of Base Mine Lake, and will thereby inform water management options and regulatory decision making on water quality criteria for discharge. Approximately 30 other oil sands EPLs are planned, thus this research may be widely applicable or may serve as a model for other EPL projects.