New tools for surface drinking water supply assessment and management

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The proposed partnership between I. Spooner (applicant) and EXP (consultant) focuses on the application of**an Applied Paleolake Assessment (APA) approach to determining the impact of watershed development and**mining on water quality in water source supply lakes and reservoirs in Cape Breton Regional Municipality,**Canada. This partnership will focus on technology transfer to EXP using MacAskill's Reservoir, a water**supply reservoir near Sydney, Nova Scotia as the test site. In Spooner's lab at Acadia University the APA**method has been used to investigate water quality variability in lakes in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).**Spooner's lab has developed new and innovative applications of standard analytical tools (portable XRF, stable**isotopes) to rapidly distinguish between natural variability in lake water quality and conditions caused by**human activities**EXP is a Canadian-owned company that has offices throughout Maritime Canada. They provide**comprehensive services in all aspects of water infrastructure and have extensive experience working with Cape**Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM Water Supply and Treatment) on surface water reservoir concerns. EXP**would like to develop the expertise to employ the APA approach to address CBRM's needs. The APA approach**uses an integrated assessment of lake sediments, water chemistry, watershed characteristics and environmental**change to inform management decisions. EXP understands that lake impact assessments must be completed**rapidly and be understandable to managers and operators; APA has been recognized as a new, user friendly**method developed to meet this requirement. The APA method of lake assessment is compatible with CEAA**guidelines and industry requirements as it is cost-effective, time-efficient and readily accessible.