concentrations in surface water samples exceeding the CCME water criteria were
highlighted in red and are presented in Table IV. For some parameters in surface
water samples, the CCME criterion was given as an interval of concentrations such as
5-100 ppb for aluminum. Concentrations within this interval, were highlighted in
green. For the surface water samples, the CCME aquatic life threshold criterion is the
most appropriate value to use. For sediment samples, all the parameters were
compared to the CCME Interim Sediment Quality Guideline (ISQG) and to the
CCME Probable Effect Level (PEL), which is more permissive than the ISQG.
Values higher than the CCME criteria were highlighted in red in Table V. To
facilitate the following discussion, values indicated as higher than background are
actually higher than the mean plus twice the standard deviation.
During Phase II, 324 soil, 69 vegetation, 19 surface water and 28 sediment samples
were collected in August 2003. Analyses for the following metals were conducted on
all samples: Sb, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se, Ag, Sr, Tl, Sn, V, and
Zn. Soil, water and sediment samples were also analysed for Hg and U. Vegetation
and surface water were also analysed for the following: Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, K, Na
and Ti. Only surface water was analysed for Li. Since Plants were not washed, the
results for plants are metals both bio-accumulated and deposited on the plants.
Analyzing leachates to discriminate between metals in and on plants was not judged
necessary, since wildlife ingest both.
For Phase I, no major environmental impacts related to the training activities were
identified. In soils, the accumulation of some heavy metals associated with
ammunition was observed in some parts of ranges, but concentrations did not reach
levels of concern. Phase I results clearly demonstrated no major problems associated
with soil contamination except in a few locations such as Jimmy Lake and Shaver
River ranges, which were re-sampled during Phase II.
Out of the 324 soils samples, 180 samples were analysed for energetic materials.
Eleven parameters were screened for explosives, including the most common
explosives RDX, HMX and TNT, using the HPLC method. Analyses for energetics
were done at CRREL for the samples collected in the statistical evaluation and at
DRDC Valcartier for all other samples. Both labs used the RP-HPLC EPA SW 846
Method 8330 with a reporting limit of usually 100 ppb for most analytes except for
DNB, tetryl and PETN, for which limits were slightly higher. The detection limits for
all analytes at CRREL are described in Table VI, while at DRDC Valcartier, the
detection limit was slightly higher at 64 ppb. The GPS locations for all these samples
can be found in Table I. For the purposes of this report, we can consider that
energetic compounds fall into two classes, those that are related to propellants and
those related to high explosives.
Nitroglycerine (NG), dinitrobenzene (DNB), dinitrotoluene (DNT) and
trinitrobenzene (TNB) are either major ingredients or impurities in various types of
propellants such as those used in rocket motors. Usually, rockets use either double
base propellants composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine or a thermoset
polymeric matrix based on hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene containing ammonium
perchlorate as the oxidizer. Perchlorate analyses should be performed in ranges to
evaluate impacts by this chemical. However, these analyses are costly and will be
performed only for groundwater samples that will be collected during the
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DRDC Valcartier TR 2004-204
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