What is the Government of Alberta doing to protect and monitor water quality of lakes and rivers in the oil sands region?
Alberta Environment has been monitoring the water quality in the oil sands region since the early 1970s. In the 1990s we increased monitoring efforts by establishing and joining the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP), which collects thousands of water samples from across the region each year. RAMP is an environmental monitoring program that assesses the health of rivers and lakes in the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta. RAMP works to identify long-term trends, regional issues and potential long-term effects related to industrial development. RAMP is responsible for: • Measuring water quality and quantity in rivers, streams and lakes • Monitoring and assessing habitat quality of fish populations and benthic invertebrate communities • Monitoring aquatic environments in the oil sands area for potential effects of all activities on the region’s rivers and lakes • Collecting environmental data so that we can better understand the nature and impact of oil sands operations •
Alberta Environment has been monitoring the water quality in the oil sands region since the early 1970s. In the 1990s we increased monitoring efforts by establishing and joining the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP), which collects thousands of water samples from across the region each year. RAMP is an environmental monitoring program that assesses the health of rivers and lakes in the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta. RAMP works to identify long-term trends, regional issues and potential long-term effects related to industrial development.
