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Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

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3.1.1.11 Municipal Wastewater Treatment FacilitiesMunicipal wastewater treatment plants are located throughout the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin(Figure 3.12; Table 3.15). At least three such facilities are located in the Nechako Area <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>Interest (i.e., at Fort St. James, <strong>Fraser</strong> Lake and Vanderho<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>), which collectively discharge3up to 5,022 m /d <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sec<strong>on</strong>dary treated wastewater to receiving waters. In the Upper<strong>Fraser</strong> Area <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Interest, there are at least ten wastewater treatment plants that collectively3discharge up to 56,760 m /d <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> primary or sec<strong>on</strong>dary treated wastewater to the <strong>Fraser</strong><strong>River</strong>. These wastewater treatment plant facilities are located in McBride (1 plant), PrinceGeorge (4 plants), Williams Lake (1 plant), Lillooet (1 plant), District <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Wells (1 plant),<strong>Fraser</strong> Valley Regi<strong>on</strong>al District-North Bend (1 plant) and Lytt<strong>on</strong> (1 plant). Within theNorth, Lower, and South Thomps<strong>on</strong> <strong>River</strong> areas <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interest, wastewater treatment plantsare being operated at Salm<strong>on</strong> Arm, Chase, Kamloops, Clint<strong>on</strong>, Merritt, Enderby, and,3Ashcr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>t. Together, these wastewater treatment plants discharge up to 66,070 m /d <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>sec<strong>on</strong>dary or tertiary treated wastewater to the Thomps<strong>on</strong> <strong>River</strong> and/or its tributaries. Aswould be expected, the highest density <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> wastewater treatment plants are located in theLower <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Area <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Interest, which has the highest populati<strong>on</strong> density in the studyarea. There are at least 12 wastewater treatment plants operating with in this geographic3area, 10 <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> which collectively discharge up to 1,475,000 m /d <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sec<strong>on</strong>dary treatedwastewater to the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong>. One facility, the I<strong>on</strong>a Island wastewater treatment plant,3discharges up to 1,530,000 m /d <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> primary treated wastewater directly to the Strait <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>Georgia via deep-water outfalls. For a listing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the substances that typically occur inmunicipal wastewater treatment plant effluents see Table 3.16.Limited site-specific data c<strong>on</strong>firm that municipal wastewater treatment plants in the <strong>Fraser</strong><strong>River</strong> Basin release a wide range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>taminants into the envir<strong>on</strong>ment. Sylvestre et al.(1998) measured the c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a broad suite <strong>on</strong> chemicals upstream anddownstream <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Annacis Island wastewater treatment plant <strong>on</strong> the main arm <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong>. The results <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this study dem<strong>on</strong>strated that the levels <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> chromium, copper,ir<strong>on</strong>, zinc, and total PCBs exceeded water quality guidelines downstream <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> thewastewater treatment plant. In additi<strong>on</strong>, the levels <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> n<strong>on</strong>ylphenols, PAHs, amm<strong>on</strong>ia, andmicrobiological variables were elevated downstream <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the facility compared to thec<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s measured at the upstream site.In additi<strong>on</strong> to these traditi<strong>on</strong>al chemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern, wastewater treatment plantsare also know to c<strong>on</strong>tain a variety <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pharmaceuticals and pers<strong>on</strong>al care products.Informati<strong>on</strong> was not located in the literature to document either the c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>these c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> emerging c<strong>on</strong>cern in the effluents <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> wastewater treatment plantlocated within the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin or the associated loadings to receiving water30

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