Independent Environmental Monitoring Program: Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado

Site name	Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado
Licensee	Cameco Corporation (Cameco): Beaverlodge Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC):Gunnar and Lorado
Facility name	Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado
Facility location	Near Uranium City, Saskatchewan
Land acknowledgement	The CNSC acknowledges that the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado sites are located in northern Saskatchewan, on Treaty 10 territory (1906), and the Homeland of the Métis, and are within the traditional territories of the Denesųłiné, Cree, and Métis.
Facility description	Beaverlodge is a decommissioned historic uranium mine and mill. Uranium mining and milling activities began at Beaverlodge in 1952. The mine closed in 1982 and decommissioning was completed in 1985. Gunnar is a decommissioned historic uranium mine that is undergoing active remediation by SRC. The site operated from 1955 to 1963 and closed in 1964, with little decommissioning performed at the time. Lorado is a decommissioned historic uranium mine. The site operated from 1957 to 1960 and was abandoned in the 1960s without any decommissioning or remediation work done at the time. Remediation was completed by SRC in 2017.
Environmental protection requirements	In accordance with regulatory requirements under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, all licensees must maintain a comprehensive environmental protection program to monitor and control nuclear and hazardous substances released from the facilities they own and operate. As part of every licensee’s environmental protection program, concentrations of contaminants in the environment must be determined and the potential exposure routes to the public must be assessed and mitigated.

Our IEMP results from 2023 are consistent with the results submitted by Cameco and SRC, supporting our assessment that the licensees’ environmental protection programs are effective for current licensed activities. The results add to the body of evidence that people and the environment in the vicinity of the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado sites are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the sites, provided the Saskatchewan Healthy Fish Consumption Guideline is followed regarding fish and water consumption. This will be discussed in the results section below.

• Interactive map and IEMP results
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• Results: (2023)
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¹ The < symbol indicates that a result is below the provided laboratory analytical detection limit. 

² N/A – not available. 

³ For radiological parameters (expressed as Bq/L, Bq/kg or Bq/m³) where no federal or provincial guidelines exist, our screening levels were established based on conservative assumptions using CSA standard N288.1-20, Guidelines for Modelling Radionuclide Environmental Transport, Fate, and Exposure Associated with the Normal Operation of Nuclear Facilities. The screening level for a particular radionuclide in a particular medium (e.g., water, air, food) represents the activity concentration that would result in a dose of 0.1 mSv/year, a dose at which no impacts on human health are expected. For more information, please refer to the IEMP technical information sheet. 

⁴ For water samples, the results for non-radiological parameters are compared to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life. Where no CCME guidelines exist, Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Qualityare used. 

2023 results 

The 2023 IEMP sampling plan for the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado sites focused on radioactive (nuclear) and hazardous substances. A site-specific sampling plan was developed based on the licensees’ approved environmental monitoring programs and our regulatory experience with the sites. We endeavour to incorporate traditional Indigenous land use, values and knowledge by engaging with Indigenous Nations and communities on the sampling plan. More information on this engagement is provided in the “Indigenous Nations and communities’ participation” section. 

In late August and early September 2023, with the assistance of 2 of our staff members and a community land technician from Ya’thi Néné Lands and Resources, CanNorth collected samples at 3 reference stations not exposed to the activities of the sites (Milliken Lake, Lake Athabasca near Prospectors Bay, and Donaldson Lake) and at 4 exposure stations (Crackingstone Bay of Lake Athabasca, the north basin of Martin Lake, St. Mary’s Channel of Lake Athabasca, and Crackingstone Creek). The samples included surface water, berries, Labrador tea, and fish (lake whitefish, northern pike and lake trout). Not every type of sample was collected at each location. Samples of moose (flesh, heart and liver) near the Goldfields Mine and near Prospectors Bay, samples of spruce grouse (flesh) near Bushell Road, and additional berry samples near Camsell Portage were collected by community members and provided to our staff for analysis. 

Radioactivity levels (radiological contaminants) and concentrations of hazardous (non-radiological) contaminants in surface water samples were within natural background levels ^{Footnote 1} and mostly below the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guidelines for the protection of aquatic life ^{Footnote 2} and the Province of Saskatchewan’s drinking water quality standards and objectives ^{Footnote 3}. The uranium levels in the surface water samples collected at Martin Lake and at Crackingstone Creek were above the water quality guidelines. However, the IEMP results are within the historic range and are below Cameco’s modelled predictions, which indicates that the uranium concentrations are stable and are expected to improve in the long term. At Martin Lake, it is recommended to follow the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health’s Healthy Fish Consumption Guideline for the area, which indicates the locations where the surface water should not be consumed. It should be noted that the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health does not have a drinking water advisory for Crackingstone Creek. 

For radiological contaminants in fish, Labrador tea, berries, moose and spruce grouse, the monitoring results were compared to CNSC screening levels to ensure that human health is protected. CNSC screening levels are calculated based on conservative assumptions about the ingestion of food and outdoor exposure, using CSA standard N288.1-20, Guidelines for Modelling Radionuclide Environmental Transport, Fate, and Exposure Associated with the Normal Operation of Nuclear Facilities ^{Footnote 4}, and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 119, Compendium of Dose Coefficients Based On ICRP Publication 60 ^{Footnote 5}. The screening level for each radionuclide in a particular medium (e.g., fish, Labrador tea, berries) represents the radioactivity level that would result in a dose of 0.1 millisievert (mSv) per year, or one-tenth of the CNSC regulatory dose limit for a member of the public of 1 mSv/year ^{Footnote 6}. The approach used by our staff to calculate screening levels is similar to the Health Canada ^{Footnote 7 Footnote 8} and the World Health Organization approaches for drinking water guidelines, which also use 0.1 mSv/year. 

With the exception of polonium-210 in fish, which is discussed below, the measured radioactivity levels for all radiological contaminants in fish, Labrador tea, berries, moose and spruce grouse were below the CNSC screening levels for radionuclides. As a result, the consumption of water, fish, Labrador tea, berries, moose and spruce grouse is not expected to result in any adverse health effects from radiological contaminants. 

The measured radioactivity levels of polonium-210 in fish at both the exposure and reference stations were within the regional background range of 0.02 to 14 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg) fresh weight ^{Footnote 1} and were consistent with the results from the Eastern Athabasca Regional Monitoring Program (EARMP) for the northern Saskatchewan region ^{Footnote 9}. The highest radioactivity level of polonium‑210 in fish analyzed in the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado area was 3.5 Bq/kg fresh weight in a lake whitefish sample caught at the Milliken Lake reference station. This level of polonium-210 is within the natural background range, bearing in mind that, by definition, a reference station is not affected by a site’s operations. The results also show that radioactivity levels of polonium-210 in fish in the exposure areas were not the result of Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado since they were similar to the levels detected at the reference station. This means that they are attributable to natural background radioactivity levels for the region. 

CNSC screening levels were also calculated for hazardous contaminants. The CNSC screening level represents the concentration required for a representative person (adult or child) to ingest one-tenth of Health Canada's tolerable daily intake (TDI) of a hazardous contaminant from multiple food ingestion pathways, such as drinking water, fruit, vegetables and fish/meat. This adds conservatism to the assessment because it considers that the receptor could be exposed to a contaminant through multiple different exposure pathways. It is likely that only 1 or 2 pathways are predominant. A TDI is the concentration of a hazardous contaminant that is safe for daily ingestion by humans on a long‑term basis. The CNSC radiological and non-radiological screening levels developed for northern Saskatchewan IEMP sampling campaigns are conservative and are calculated using ingestion rates for a regional Indigenous diet. 

With the exception of selenium and arsenic in fish, and copper, molybdenum, selenium and zinc in moose (discussed below), the concentrations of hazardous contaminants in fish, berries, Labrador tea, moose and spruce grouse were below CNSC screening levels for hazardous substances. Therefore, the IEMP results support the conclusions from the EARMP and the licensees’ monitoring programs that the berries, Labrador tea and spruce grouse in the vicinity of Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado are safe to eat.  

The historical mining practices at the Beaverlodge mine have impacted the downstream water quality of several waterbodies. Mine tailings, deposited in Fookes Reservoir and Marie Reservoir, released untreated mine effluent into the water, which travelled downstream into Beaverlodge Lake, Martin Lake and Cinch Lake. These lakes have experienced elevated concentrations of certain contaminants in the water, mainly uranium and selenium, which has also resulted in elevated concentrations of these parameters in fish inhabiting these lakes. As a result, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health enacted a healthy fish consumption guideline stating that fish from Beaverlodge Lake, Martin Lake and Cinch Lake may be consumed, but in moderation. 

The results of the IEMP confirm that the fish sampled in Martin Lake fall mostly below the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) guideline of 11.3 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) dry weight for selenium in fish tissue and the CNSC’s internal screening levels for fish consumption of 0.2 micrograms per gram (µg/g) fresh weight. Some of the fish samples in Martin Lake exceeded both the US EPA guideline and the CNSC’s internal screening level. The highest concentration of selenium in fish from Martin Lake was 10.0 µg/g fresh weight, or 48.1 mg/kg dry weight. The IEMP results support the Healthy Fish Consumption Guideline conclusion that fish may be consumed from Martin Lake in moderation. For context, the 2020 Beaverlodge environmental risk assessment predicted that in 2024, the selenium in fish tissue in Martin Lake would have a mean concentration of 20 mg/kg fresh weight and 95% of fish tissue would have a selenium concentration of 51 mg/kg fresh weight or lower ^{Footnote 10}. 

The regional background concentration of selenium in fish ranges from 0.12 to 3.03 mg/kg fresh weight ^{Footnote 1}. With the exception of Martin Lake, the measured concentrations of selenium in fish at both the exposure and reference stations were within the regional background concentration range. The results are also consistent with the results from the EARMP for the northern Saskatchewan region ^{Footnote 9}. 

Other than at Martin Lake, the highest concentration of selenium in fish analyzed in the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado study area was 1.5 mg/kg fresh weight in a lake whitefish sample, caught at the Crackingstone Bay exposure station. A concentration of 1.5 mg/kg fresh weight in fish is equal to 69% of the selenium TDI of 2.2 mg/kg fresh weight. The selenium contribution from other ingestion pathways, including water, berries and Labrador tea, was negligible. No health effects are expected from the consumption of fish due to selenium. This is because the highest concentration of selenium in fish was less than half of the conservative CNSC screening level, and the selenium concentrations in all other samples analyzed (water, Labrador tea, berries) were well below the screening levels. 

The regional background concentration of arsenic in fish ranges from 0.005 to 0.1 mg/kg fresh weight ^{Footnote 1}. The arsenic screening level in fish samples from the reference and exposure stations was exceeded in certain cases. The highest concentration was 0.47 mg/kg fresh weight. A concentration of 0.47 mg/kg fresh weight in fish is equal to 67% of the arsenic TDI of 0.7 mg/kg fresh weight. The arsenic contribution from other ingestion pathways, including water, berries and Labrador tea, was negligible. No health effects are expected from the consumption of fish due to arsenic. This is because the highest concentration of arsenic in fish was well below the TDI, and the arsenic concentrations in all other samples analyzed (water, Labrador tea, berries) were well below the screening level. 

Furthermore, the maximum arsenic concentration in lake trout collected by SRC from St. Mary’s Channel varied from 0.05 µg/g to 0.28 µg/g, while in the reference areas the corresponding range was 0.04 µg/g to 0.45 µg/g ^{Footnote 11}. The mean arsenic concentration in the lake trout from St. Mary’s Channel (0.13 µg/g) was within the range of mean concentrations in the fish sampled from the reference areas (0.10µg/g to 0.18 µg/g) ^{Footnote 11}. The high variability of the arsenic concentration in the lake trout is likely due to the ability of this species to travel and forage over a vast area. For this reason, the results of single-time field measurements can be better explained by comparison with averaged multi-year data. 

Summarizing all available data since 2006, the mean arsenic concentration in predatory fish from St. Mary’s Channel varied from 0.07 to 0.21 µg/g, while the mean arsenic concentration in the fish sampled from the reference areas varied from 0.1 µg/g to 0.18 µg/g ^{Footnote 11 Footnote 12}. According to the 2023 IEMP results, the arsenic concentrations in 3 sampled trout (0.06, 0.19, and 0.47 µg/g) average out to 0.24 ± 0.17 µg/g (standard deviation). Taking into account statistical variability, the 2023 IEMP data for arsenic at St. Mary’s Channel is in relatively consistent with the previously collected data. 

The moose results that exceeded the screening levels were compared against data from the EARMP on the regional reference ranges observed in moose. The results can be summarized as follows: 

• For copper in liver, the IEMP result was 48.6 µg/g, which is slightly above the range of 0.55 µg/g to 47 µg/g.
• For selenium in liver, the IEMP result was 0.49 µg/g, which is within the range of 0.18 µg/g to 0.92 µg/g.
• For zinc in meat, the IEMP results that exceeded the screening level measured 51 µg/g and 72 µg/g, both of which are within the range of 19 µg/g to 79 µg/g.
• For zinc in heart, the IEMP result was 77 µg/g. Under the EARMP, zinc in heart was measured in only 2 samples (22 and 24 µg/g), providing a dataset that is too small to compare with the IEMP results

Therefore, the IEMP moose results are within or close to the ranges observed in moose according to EARMP data. There are no concerns with copper, selenium, molybdenum and zinc in moose. This means that the moose in the vicinity of Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado are safe to eat. 

Indigenous Nations and communities’ participation

We have made it a priority to ensure that IEMP sampling reflects Indigenous traditional knowledge, land use and values where possible. We seek input from local Indigenous Nations and communities on our IEMP sampling activities and on our IEMP sampling plans. 

In advance of the 2023 IEMP sampling campaign at the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado sites, notification emails were sent to Indigenous Nations and communities near those sites to notify them of the sampling campaign and to seek input on the sampling plan. We invited suggestions for species of interest, valued components, and potential sampling locations where traditional practices and activities may take place. 

In April 2023, Ya’thi Néné submitted its comments on the draft IEMP sampling plan. Ya’thi Néné interviewed residents and leadership in Uranium City and Camsell Portage and found that there was very little concern with the plan. The respondents identified Donaldson Lake as a location where traditional activities take place. We incorporated this location in the final sampling plan. The respondents also identified lake trout, moose and spruce grouse as species of interest. Therefore, we added them to the final sampling plan as well. In the field, a community land technician from Ya’thi Néné accompanied one of our staff members and the qualified contractor to help collect samples during the 2023 IEMP sampling campaign at the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado sites. This collaborative sampling approach was done to build trust, strengthen relationships and provide Ya’thi Néné with more information on the CNSC’s IEMP. We would like to thank Ya’thi Néné for its collaboration. 

We will continue to engage with interested Indigenous Nations and communities to ensure that Indigenous knowledge is incorporated in future sampling. 

Conclusions

Our IEMP results from 2023 are consistent with the results submitted by Cameco and SRC, supporting our assessment that the licensees’ environmental protection programs are effective for current licensed activities. The results add to the body of evidence that people and the environment in the vicinity of the Beaverlodge, Gunnar and Lorado sites are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the sites, with the exception of areas covered by the provincial advisory. The results also support the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health’s conclusion that traditional foods in the area are safe to consume and its recommendation to follow the Healthy Fish Consumption Guideline when consuming fish from Martin Lake. 

Related links

• Other monitoring programs and reporting
• CNSC regulatory oversight reports
• Watch the IEMP video
• Frequently asked questions IEMP
• IEMP technical information sheet
• E-mail your questions or comments about the IEMP
• Health studies