RAMP Monitoring Approach and Components

The Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP) is a science-based monitoring program designed to further our understanding of aquatic ecosystems in the oil sands region, and to monitor the aquatic environment for potential effects related to industrial development. RAMP collects environmental data each year from the Athabasca River and its tributaries, the Athabasca River delta, and regionally important lakes and wetlands. Sampling and field surveys are focused on six key components of the aquatic environment: Climate and Hydrology, Water Quality, Benthic Invertebrate Communities, Sediment Quality, Fish Populations, and Acid Sensitive Lakes. The monitoring program is designed and overseen by the RAMP Technical Program Committee, comprised of stakeholders from industry, aboriginal communities, government, and environmental organizations. While the core elements of the monitoring program remain consistent over time, RAMP is designed to be adaptive in response to variety of considerations including:

• Changing needs of regulatory approvals;
• Local community issues and concerns;
• Increase in oil sands development;
• Results and conclusions of each monitoring year used to refine and focus the program; and
• Evaluation of specific or new monitoring approaches.

For more information on the design of the monitoring program and the components monitored by RAMP, see:

• Overall Approach
• Monitoring Components