Whitehorse, YT – A new study from McGill University is raising concerns about how climate change could speed up the movement of pollutants through northern groundwater, including in Yukon, where most residents rely on it for drinking water.
Researchers modelled how warming temperatures and increased precipitation could affect an old contaminated site on Baffin Island. McGill earth sciences professor Jeffery McKenzie says thawing permafrost and wetter conditions can mobilize contaminants once thought to be locked in frozen ground.
“We think this is an effect of climate change. They’re facing more potential for groundwater to get to rivers and streams in the winter. People are also observing increased dissolved solutes like metals or carbon nutrients in rivers, streams and lakes in the Arctic.”
There are between 13,000 and 20,000 legacy contaminated sites across the global Arctic. McKenzie says that matters in Yukon, where about 97 per cent of residents depend on groundwater.
“More than 50 per cent of contaminated sites are fuel-related. A lot of times, they sort of clean themselves up over time slowly, natural bacteria will break down fuel products, but still, it’s definitely a concern,” said McKenzie. “If it does get into your water, it’s really dangerous.”
The Yukon government currently monitors groundwater using 75 observation wells, but McKenzie says governments need to factor climate-driven changes into cleanup and long-term planning of contaminated sites.
