Monitoring the remediation of Halifax Harbour after 250 years of contamination

该提案将解决监测缓解进展的问题后，一个新的污水处理系统是首次引入哈利法克斯港后，250年的原污水被放置在港口。虽然在引入处理后将对水质进行监测，但在沉积物中遇到了真实的问题，目前没有计划取样或监测变化。鉴于港口现在有捕鱼业，捕捞龙虾等底栖动物，因此必须了解港口内积累了什么，以及随着减缓措施的进展，积累的量是否会减少。我们的计划是利用哈利法克斯地区市政府（HRM）提供的船期，收集与水样一致的底栖样品，并监测这些样品中的底栖有孔虫和其他生物群以及重金属和多环芳烃，因为在2006 - 2007年夏季第一个处理厂上线后，减缓进展;我们已经有了2004年和2005年的样品集。我们还将重建史前时期的污染历史，以确定影响前的基线是使用有孔虫和锡壳类作为代理。在几乎没有任何情况下，在引入应力之前都没有数据;使用底栖环境的替代物（例如底栖有孔虫），我们可以重建撞击前的条件。以往对岩芯中有孔虫的研究没有与本研究相同的地球化学数据或适当的定年。我们将能够在2年后确定系统是否对补救措施作出反应以及在多大程度上作出反应。与此同时，"哨兵"物种也将用于监测关键生物群返回系统的情况。 HRM的情况在加拿大是独一无二的，我们在治疗开始前就开始取样，并在补救治疗后跟踪数年。这种史前重建可能会以新标准的形式影响公共政策，其中必须考虑底栖环境以及水质。该项目的支持组织包括政府、民间和国际支持（埃及文化事务）。

This proposal will address the issue of monitoring the progress of mitigation after a new sewage treatment system is introduced to Halifax Harbour for the first time after 250 years of raw effluent being placed in the harbour. Although there will be monitoring of the water quality after treatment is introduced, the real problems are encountered in the sediments where there is currently no plan sample or monitor changes. Given the fact that there is a fishing industry in the harbour now that harvests benthic animals such as lobsters, it is important to know what is accumulating in the harbour and if it will decrease as mitigation progresses. Our plan will be to utilize ship time provided by the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) to collect benthic samples coincident with water samples and monitor the benthic foraminifera and other biota together with heavy metals and PAH's in these samples as mitigation progresses after summer of 2006-2007 when the first treatment plant comesonline; we already have sets of samples from 2004 and 2005. We will also reconstruct the history of pollution from pre-historic times to determine what the pre-impact baseline was using foraminifera and tintinnids as proxies. In virtually no cases are data available prior to introduction of stresses; using proxies of the benthic environment (e.g. benthic foraminifera) we can reconstruct the conditions prior to impacts. The previous studies of foraminifera in core material had no coincident geochemical data or adequate dating as will be the case in this study. We will be able to determine after 2 years if the system is responding to remediation and to what degree. In parallel "sentinel" species will also be used to monitor the return of key biota to the system.  The HRM situation is unique in Canada where we have begun sampling before the treatment started and can follow it for several years following the remedial treatments. This type of pre-historical reconstructionn could influence public policy in form of new standards where the benthic environment must be considered as well as water quality. This project includes, as supporting organisations, government, civic and international support (Egyptian Cultural Affairs).