Eastern Athabasca Regional Monitoring Program (EARMP)

EARMP is a regional monitoring program initiated in 2011 to monitor potential cumulative effects downstream of uranium mining and milling operations. It focuses on seven communities in the Athabasca region (four First Nations and three municipalities), including Uranium City and Camsell Portage. The program includes technical and community-based monitoring components that involve ongoing sampling of water, sediment, fish, and other locally harvested foods, and evaluation of the benthic invertebrate community for long-term trends. Further information on the EARMP program can be found at www.EARMP.ca. A 2018 Human Health Risk Assessment looking at the collected information concluded that the risks associated with consuming country foods and drinking water were negligible for all locations, including Uranium City.

In 2022, a summary report was published detailing the results of the program from 2011 to 2021. During that time, the EARMP collected and tested over 850 water and traditional food samples from the Athabasca Region. Results indicate that the measured concentrations in the samples are similar to baseline levels and the regional reference range, and those used in the 2018 Human Health Risk Assessment. Results from 10 years of sampling have consistently demonstrated that water and traditional foods remain safe for consumption, and that they continue to be a safe and healthy dietary choice for residents of the Athabasca Basin. The 10-year summary report, annual reports, and data from the programs conducted to date are publicly available at www.earmp.ca.

Community Based Environmental Monitoring Program (CBEMP)

There is a history of broader environmental monitoring throughout the area. Starting in 2000, the Athabasca Working Group (AWG) Environmental Monitoring Program was in place across all of the Athabasca Basin. In 2018, the AWG program became the CBEMP. As part of this program, each community in the Athabasca Basin has had a specific, focused study every five years that reflects what they eat, how much they eat, and generally where the food comes from. CBEMP results indicate that country foods identified by members of the First Nations of Fond du Lac, Black Lake, and Hatchet Lake, and the communities of Stony Rapids and Wollaston remain safe for consumption.

Finalized in 2023, the Uranium City and Camsell Portage CBEMP report also found that traditional foods and water sampled from locations selected by local residents were safe for consumption. The report also included several recommendations, namely avoiding the use of lead shot, that community members follow the healthy fish consumption guideline for Beaverlodge, Martin and Cinch Lakes, and that community members should not consume fish or drink water from Nero, Marie, Meadow, Minewater, and Greer lakes and from lower Ace Creek between Ace and Beaverlodge lakes.