Regresar

Integrating geoelectrical and water chemistry studies to explore environmental challenges with an Indigenous community in northern Canada

Abstract:

The FN, an undisclosed Indigenous community in northern Canada, is affected by pollution sources allegedly linked to health issues. Environmental records in The FN's water quality reports are insufficient for community leaders to make land-planning decisions. This work presents the outcomes of a geoelectrical study in a bark dump southwest of The FN. The resulting isoresistivity and isochargeability volumes of maximum pollution levels depict four hydrogeological anomalous bodies outlining the current extent of the bark dump's impact zone. The lithostratigraphic and water quality information constrain the analysis of these anomalies. Resistivity and chargeability values are primarily associated with the composition of the waste and the distribution of metals in the saturated subsoil. Fracture-related hydraulic conductivity in silty clays controls the contaminants' easterly flow in the groundwater. A map sequence of integrated hydrogeochemical data illustrates the migration of the leachate through an upper overburden and bedrock aquifers. This kinematic view supports the present-day static geoelectrical model. The stacked metal concentration maps show similar trends to the extrapolated geoelectrical data when contrasted on slices intersecting the resistivity and IP cubes at two screening depths. Carcinogenic petroleum hydrocarbon compounds might also play a role in the observed geoelectrical anomalies. This is the first geophysical study to address environmental and epidemiological concerns of an Indigenous community in Canada. The methodological approach communicates technical information to stakeholders in a visual, integrated, and accessible format, furthering their competencies in evidence-based future planning decisions regarding the monitoring and remediation of their lands.