Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Yakeleya on May 19, 2011, to the Honourable Michael Miltenberger, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, regarding water quality monitoring.

Environment and Natural Resources does not have a mandate for water quality monitoring in the Northwest Territories; this is a federal responsibility. The information in this return to written question was provided by Environment Canada, and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. All water quality monitoring programs presented here are subject to current and potential federal budget and resource constraints.

In the 2011-2012 fiscal year Environment Canada is planning on operating three water quality monitoring stations on the Mackenzie River: one each at Strong Point, Norman Wells, and Arctic Red River. Each of these will be sampled six times during the year.

Environment Canada’s planned monitoring at the Slave River includes one station at Fort Fitzgerald. Environment Canada anticipates collecting eight water samples at this station in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Samples will be analyzed for physicals, nutrients, major ions, total and dissolved metals, bacteriologicals, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

In addition, Environment Canada anticipates deploying five to six passive samplers throughout the open water season, and two to three passive samplers under ice. Finally, Environment Canada is considering future deployment of an automated water quality monitoring buoy, which will collect and transmit near real-time readings of conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, and refined and crude fuels.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development’s Water Quality Monitoring Program for the 2011-2012 fiscal year includes three sites in the

Yellowknife area, Cameron, Marion, and Yellowknife rivers, that are sampled monthly; plus five sites in the Upper Coppermine catchment, Lac de Gras, Desteffany Lake, Yamba Lake, Point Lake, and Rocknest Lake; and three sites in the Upper Lockhart catchment, Lake of the Enemy, King Lake, and Mackay Lake. These sites are sampled in July, August, September, and March, and are analyzed for metals, major ions, physicals, and nutrients.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development operates a water and suspended sediment sampling program on the Slave, Hay, Liard, and Peel rivers, for hydrocarbon and chlorinated contaminants. Each of these rivers are sampled on an approximately five-year cycle, with sample runs being made in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The Hay River is scheduled for sampling in 2011.

In addition to this work, which is done by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development’s Yellowknife staff, the Slave River is sampled at Fort Smith and above Fort Resolution in May or June and October, by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development’s district office.