Protecting surface water through groundwater sampling: Building capacity to characterize hazard at legacy industrial sites

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The Canadian landscape, both urban and rural, faces the challenge of addressing the legacy of industrial activity. The greatest hurdles from our activities on these sites are contaminated soil and water. This contamination can threaten both the environment as well as human health. This is further compounded by the complexity of the contaminant profiles found in these environments. Rarely is there a single driver of possible adverse impacts, which also means there is likely a suite of sensitive receptors. The work I will undertake will assist Interprovincial Cooperative Limited (IPCO) to begin to better understand the ecological hazards associated with a legacy site of concern for them in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I know the site has some connectivity to surface water, but this is poorly characterized at this time. By examining responses from groundwater sampling in a suite of aquatic organisms (primary producers and invertebrates), I will be able to make conservative predictions about responses in surface waters. As well, I will examine the utility of a novel response, namely the release of the arthropod moulting enzyme chitobiase as a sensitive and more rapid indicator of possible toxic effects. The approach should help guide hazard assessment at other contaminated sites across Canada, resulting in more timely and effective clean-up and remediation.