Table of contents

Annual reports

Annual reports highlighting the accomplishments, activities, and governance of the Oil Sands Monitoring Program (OSMP). The program funds and undertakes ambient environmental monitoring within the oil sands area of Alberta to enhance the understanding of the effects of oil sands development and core outcomes.

Work plans

Ambient environment monitoring plans are created yearly to identify projects being completed for that year.

  • Glossary

    Focused Study (FS): A class of purposeful, requested projects with definite start and end dates (typically 3 years), according to the characteristics described below.

    Community Based Monitoring (CBM): Refers to collaboration between concerned citizens, government agencies, industry, academia, community groups, and local institutions to monitor issues of common concern.

    Core Monitoring: Describes long term monitoring activities under the OSM Program.

    Long-term Monitoring: Refers to the routine monitoring of status and trends of physical/chemical/biological parameters related to oil sands development activities to detect and evaluate changes in the environment over a period of time, typically more than 5 years.

  • Acronyms

    ECCC – Environment and Climate Change Canada

    AEP – Alberta Environment and Parks

    WBEA – Wood Buffalo Environmental Association

    LICA – Lakeland Industry & Community Association

    PRAMP – Peace River Area Monitoring Program

    U of A – University of Alberta

    U of C – University of Calgary

    ABMI – Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

  • Previous plans

Current plan

2021-22 Ambient environment monitoring plan

The summaries below are for projects approved under the current year’s plan.

For full versions of each monitoring project, and a description of the monitoring activity, objectives, assigned budget, key outcomes, geographic scope and associated data and reporting products:

Project Name Amounts Approved (June 4, 2021)
Air & Deposition Monitoring (Core)
Atmospheric Pollutant Active Monitoring Network $11,541,094
Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring $4,713,968
Sub-Total $16,255,062
Water Monitoring (Core)
Surface Water Quantity Monitoring – Water Levels and Flows $1,786,633
Surface Water Quality $5,742,748
Aquatic Ecosystem Health Monitoring – Integrated CBM $1,659,016
Core Biodiversity Monitoring – Benthic Macroinvertebrates $2,169,483
Core Long-Term Fish Monitoring $1,403,783
Sub-Total $12,761,663
Water Monitoring (FS)
Enhanced Monitoring of the Lower Athabasca River $1,204,312
Quantifying changes in biological and water quality endpoints in lakes located in the AOSR utilizing historical datasets alongside contemporary data from automated monitoring systems $69,849
Sub-Total $1,274,161
Biodiversity Monitoring (Core)
Integrated Terrestrial Biological Monitoring $5,538,478
Sub-Total $5,538,478
Wetlands Monitoring (Core)
Wetland Ecosystem Monitoring Program $1,426,539
Sub-Total $1,426,539
Groundwater Monitoring (Core)
Groundwater Monitoring $2,056,038
Sub-Total $2,056,038
Data Management, Integrated Analytics & Cumulative Effects
OSM Data Services $1,783,078
Data and Integrated Analytics TAC Scoping $73,514
OSM Monitoring Framework $139,154
Sub-Total $1,995,746
Cross Cutting Projects
Integrated Geospatial Program $262,896
State of Environment Reporting $141,420
Sub-Total $404,316
Community Based Monitoring
Air Quality Monitoring in the Peace Athabasca Delta $105,475
Fort McKay Métis Community-Based Wetland Monitoring $245,586
Athabasca Aquatic Monitoring Program $48,922
ICBM Facilitation Centre $1,125,196
Lakeland Metis Community Based Wildlife Monitoring Program $48,922
Ni ho ghe di – Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Community Based Monitoring $391,372
Changes in Fish Tissue: IK and Western Science investigation $179,162
McMurray Metis Data Integration $146,719
Metis Fish Health Assessment $140,731
CLFN Integrated Community Based Monitoring Program $481,108
Community Led Berry Contamination Study $97,843
Mikisew Cree First Nation – Community Based Monitoring $342,451
Peavine Hydrology $48,922
Sub-Total $3,402,409
Oil Sands Monitoring Program Office
OSMP Office – Program Administration $3,171,999
OSMP Science Secretariat & ICBMAC $1,630,589
Sub-Total $4,802,588
Grand Total $49,917,000
Pie chart of amounts approved percentages per monitoring project.

Contact the Oils Sands Monitoring Program
Email: [email protected]

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