Acid Sensitive Lakes, Oil Sands Region

Acid-Sensitive Lakes

Nine hundred and thirty-three lakes located in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories were sampled to establish current acidification status. Of the 933 lakes, 244 (or 26%) are considered acid sensitive, almost always because of naturally low calcium and magnesium (or "base cation") concentrations. The most acid-sensitive lakes (i.e., those with extremely low base cation concentrations) are located on the Canadian Shield in both Alberta and Saskatchewan and east of the oils sands development area.

Fifty-one of the 244 acid-sensitive lakes were sampled twice annually (spring and fall) to identify chemical changes through trend analyses. Results revealed that 55% of these lakes had concentrations of some metals in excess of Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guidelines. Of the 291 samples taken in the 51 lakes, iron concentrations were greater than guidelines in 36% (105 samples), aluminum in 33% (97 samples), lead in 0.3% (1 sample) and copper in 0.3% (1 sample). The metals in these lakes occur naturally and are expected to be found in a wide range of concentrations given the geology and physiography of the Canadian Shield. It remains to establish the relationship between acid sensitivity, geology and high metal concentrations.

Données et ressources

Info additionnelle

Champ	Valeur
Dernière modification	avril 17, 2026, 21:29 (TU)
Créé le	avril 17, 2026, 21:29 (TU)
contact_email	DRCADonneesOuvertes-ACRDOpenData@ec.gc.ca
contact_person	{"en": "Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology Branch / Water Science and Technology / Aquatic Contaminants Research Division,DRCADonneesOuvertes-ACRDOpenData@ec.gc.ca", "fr": "Gouvernement du Canada; Environnement et Changement climatique Canada; Direction générale des sciences et de la technologie / Sciences et technologie, Eau / Division de la recherche sur les contaminants aquatiques,DRCADonneesOuvertes-ACRDOpenData@ec.gc.ca"}
criticality_level	[]
data_dictionary	["environment"]
geographic_scope	[]
open_canada_collection	fgp
open_canada_date_modified	2016-04-25 00:00:00
open_canada_date_published	2014-05-22 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords	{"en": ["oil sands; monitoring; atmospheric deposition; contaminant; acidification; metals; nutrients; major ions; acid sensitivity; water quality", "Oil sands", "Lakes", "Water - Quality", "Assess Toxicity; Manage and Monitor for Environmental Presence of Hazardous Substances and Waste", "Monitor / Assess Substance and Waste Levels in Air; Water; Soil; Biota", "Science and Technology Branch", "Water Science and Technology", "1.3.2. Ecosystem Assessment and Approaches", "Unclassified", "Prairie - Alberta (AB)", "Prairie - Saskatchewan (SK)", "Territories - Northwest Territories (NT)"], "fr": ["Sables bitumineux", "Lac", "Eau - qualité", "Évaluer la toxicité de la présence dans l'environnement des substances et des déchets dangereux; les gérer et les surveiller", "Surveiller et évaluer les niveaux des substances et des déchets dans l'air; l'eau; le sol; le biote", "Direction générale des sciences et de la technologie", "Sciences et technologie; Eau", "1.3.2 Évaluation et approches axées sur les écosystèmes", "Non Classifié", "Prairies - Alberta (AB)", "Prairies - Saskatchewan (SK)", "Territoires - Territoires du Nord-Ouest (NT)"]}
open_canada_subject	["nature_and_environment"]
sensitivity_level	unrestricted
title_fr	Lacs sensibles aux acides, Région des sables bitumineux
update_frequency	as_needed