Ecosystem Monitoring

Flin Flon

The community of Flin Flon is located in west-central Manitoba adjacent to the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. Several significant sulphide ore bodies containing major deposits of copper and zinc occur in the general vicinity of the community. A base metal mining and smelting facility has operated in Flin Flon since 1930. Metal production from the facility has varied over time, but is dominated by copper and zinc, with smaller amounts of cadmium, lead, gold, and silver.

Atmospheric emissions include sulphur dioxide and particulates (dust) of arsenic and metallic elements such as cadmium, copper, iron, lead, mercury, and zinc. While these substances still make up the majority of material emitted from the smelter, the actual composition and amount of emissions has varied over time, depending on the grade of ore used and the volume of ore smelted. Improvements to the smelting process and the installation of more effective pollution control devices have helped to significantly reduce atmospheric emissions over the past 30 years.

Programs to assess the impacts of past and present atmospheric emissions on natural ecosystems in the region include long-term monitoring of tree growth, plant species diversity, uptake of metals by vegetation, and soil and snow chemistry at a series of permanent sample sites in the boreal forest near Flin Flon.

There are areas near these communities with little or no vegetation due to previous deforestation and impacts from long-term industrial emissions. The Green Project is a community wide effort aimed at accelerating the restoration of forests in Flin Flon, Manitoba and neighbouring Creighton SK to their original northern beauty.

Field studies have also been conducted to investigate the concentration of lead and mercury in blueberries to determine if there is a concern for human and wildlife consumption.

A study investigating the accumulation of metals in vegetables grown in private gardens in Flin Flon found that while some vegetables (most notably lettuce) accumulated certain metals, concentrations were deemed to be below what would be considered a health concern for the consumer. For more information on this topic, please visit Manitoba Health.

Results from a soil survey sampling conducted in Flin Flon, Manitoba (includes Channing) and Creighton, Saskatchewan during August 2006, showed that concentrations of several metals and other elements in the surface layer of the soil were often elevated and, in some cases, exceeded Canadian soil quality guidelines. Further investigation is underway to determine if these levels may be a risk to have any potential to affect human health is underway. The full soil survey report [PDF 987 KB] and synopsis [PDF 44 KB] are available on this web site.