Giant Mine Ambient Air Monitoring Program
Site-wide air quality monitoring program
The site-wide air quality monitoring program is made up of:
- Fenceline Air Quality Monitoring Program
- Community Air Quality Monitoring Program
Fenceline Air Quality Monitoring Program
When will monitoring take place?
Monitoring will take place from May to November every year until three years after the end of Giant Mine Remediation Project.
Why is monitoring being done?
Air quality is being monitored as a dust management tool along the project fenceline, to ensure dust and contaminants are not released from the project site at unacceptable levels.
Where are the monitoring stations located?
Six stations are around the fenceline of the Giant Mine property, positioned in fixed locations to ensure consistent coverage of various wind directions.
How is the monitoring being done?
The instruments monitor for particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10), in lieu of real-time arsenic monitoring, and total suspended particulate (TSP), continuously throughout the active site work day from approximately 7 am to 7 pm. This is known as the surrogate method. More information on the surrogate method can be found in the document Real-time Fenceline Monitoring Risk-based Action Level (RBAL) for PM10, available from the Giant Mine Remediation Joint Project Office. Real-time data is used to trigger dust management actions at the roaster site if the levels are unacceptable.
Who is doing the air quality monitoring?
SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. conducts the air quality monitoring for the Site-wide Program, including data quality assurance and weekly reporting. SLR incorporates AECOM’s weekly report to generate a single weekly Air Quality Monitoring Report for residents.
Community Air Quality Monitoring Program
When will monitoring take place?
All year round, every year until three years after the end of Giant Mine Remediation Project.
Why is monitoring being done?
Air quality data is being collected during remediation activities at Giant Mine to determine effects on the local airshed. Air quality is being monitored at specific locations in NWT communities, to determine receptor exposure and confirm that Yellowknife residents are not being exposed to unacceptable levels of contaminants from remediation activities at the Giant Mine site.
Where are the monitoring stations located?
There are three community stations in fixed locations: at the Great Slave Cruising Club (near the Giant Mine public dock), in N’Dilo, and near downtown Yellowknife.
How is the monitoring being done?
The instruments monitor for particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) continuously, and integrated sampling is conducted every 3rd day at each station for lab analysis of metals, asbestos, and particulate (TSP, PM10). This information is used to verify the effectiveness of the fenceline program.
Who is doing the air quality monitoring?
SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. conducts the air quality monitoring for the Site-wide Program, including data quality assurance and weekly reporting. SLR incorporates AECOM’s weekly report to generate a single weekly Air Quality Monitoring Report for residents.
Where can I view monitoring results?
Community air quality monitoring data helps us understand receptor exposure. If criteria are exceeded at any community station, there is an investigation into the source. This includes investigating any connection to the fenceline monitoring data. If necessary, mitigative options are investigated put into place.
Community station PM data is streamed in near real time to the GNWT Ambient Air Quality Monitoring website, under Current Air Quality on the left menu. You can search for cumulative data tables or graphs, and time-period specific variables based on station, parameter, under Data Reports on the left menu. Use this guide to view and download date from the site.
The weekly data reports compiled by the air quality contractor, containing data summaries and analyses and quality assurance/quality control summaries, are presented in Giant Mine PDF Reports on the GNWT Ambient Air Quality Monitoring website under Information on the left menu. Use this guide to view and download date from the site.
The community air quality monitoring data will be used as part of the longer term trend analysis and program review conducted according to the Additional and Adaptive Approach to Air Quality Monitoring at the Marina Area and Giant Mine Remediation Project Air Quality Monitoring Data Analysis and Review Plan. For more information about this plan, please contact the Giant Mine Remediation Joint Project Office.
What about meteorological data?
Meteorological data is an important subset of information used as part of air quality monitoring programs. Horizontal wind speed and wind direction help determine likely sources of particulate, while temperature, precipitation and relative humidity contribute to understanding site wide conditions.
A meteorological station, operated by the Contaminants and Remediation Directorate of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), is located near the North Pond on-site and is operated on a continuous basis throughout the year. Air quality program contractors extract data from the on-site meteorological station for their program needs.
Additional Information: