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initiated. 
In an EA for a hydroelectric facility, there are 
three general areas of impact that must be addressed 
when predicting and assessing potential construction 
and operation effects: 
. reservoir effects (flooding and dam as a barrier) 
. downstream effects (operating regime) and 
. socio-economic effects (direct and indirect) 
These effects are typically analyzed in terms of 
their spatial extent, duration, magnitude, 
significance and irreversibility. Given results of 
the LJR pilot project, it is felt that the accuracy 
and range of effect predictions in an EA can be 
enhanced using remotely-sensed data. Use of these 
data appears most useful in: 
. estimating displacement of cover types/land or 
resource uses as a result of project development 
(e.g., flooded areas); 
. putting this displacement in the context of a 
larger study area or region (e.g., percent of 
total habitat lost); 
. performing retrospective studies (where past 
imagery exists) to establish historical trends of 
land use or cover type succession that may tend 
to complicate, accent or mask project-induced 
effects (e.g., vegetation damage, habitat 
changes). 
The spatial resolution achievable using existing 
LANDSAT MSS imagery (0.5 ha) tends to be somewhat 
limiting in terms of its ability to examine and 
assess certain detailed project impacts. Improved 
resolution (about 80% better) provided by LANDSAT TM 
sensors and the new generation of satellites (e.g., 
SPOT) should progressively improve the utility of 
satellite imagery for detailed project assessment 
purposes. 
The capability of the OCRS system to accept 
digitized data (e.g., reservoir limits) and to 
produce maps with rapid turnaround time, allows the 
EA analyst the freedom to investigate numerous 
alternative project flooding scenarios and derive 
comparative statistical summaries of displaced 
vegetation and other resource uses. Estimates of 
reservoir depths or volumes may also be possible 
(Hathout 1985). Maps produced at a 1:50,000 scale 
were found to be most suitable for analyzing LJR 
project-level impacts using LANDSAT MSS data. 
In addition to providing quantitative information 
regarding the displacement of primary vegetative 
cover and land uses, LANDSAT data can be utilized to 
analyze impacts on certain resource uses. For 
example, some researchers have utilized satellite 
imagery to map potential wildlife habitat (Lunetta et 
al 1985). Habitat evaluation procedures are being 
advocated as a preferred method of assessing and 
quantifying development effects on wildlife. As part 
of the LJR pilot project, attempts were made to use 
generalized land cover maps for the basin to map 
potential moose habitat - moose being the most 
abundant and economically important large game 
species in the study area. Critical moose habitat 
requirements were determined from the literature 
(Cairns et al 1980) and used to establish 
correlations between vegetative cover and habitat 
potential. Although the satellite-derived habitat 
map provides a general picture of where potential 
habitat exists, it gives little information on the 
likelihood of moose being present in any particular 
area, or on the actual habitat suitability for 
moose. Detailed ground-based studies need to be 
integrated with these overview type assessments to 
provide a definitive indication of moose habitat 
quality. The mapped information developed in the 
pilot project can, however, be input to Habitat 
Suitability Index models which quantify the capacity 
of a given habitat to support moose (US Fish and 
Wildlife Service 1981). 
Enhanced LANDSAT data have been used to examine 
near-surface conditions in the aquatic environment 
(Hathout 1985) (Hecky and McCullough 1984), 
including: suspended or floating vegetation 
(chlorophyl, algae), ice and snow cover, and 
suspended sediments. Due to the existence of highly 
erodable banks downstream of the proposed LJR dam 
site, potential changes in sedimentation patterns 
(particularly in Ombabika Bay in Lake Nipigon) are a 
concern for the LJR project. A previous study (OCRS 
1977) established the viability of using LANDSAT 
imagery to study sedimentation in the LJR basin. 
Seasonal and spatial variations in sediment patterns 
within Ombabika Bay were qualitatively assessed. A 
test application conducted during this pilot project 
used LANDSAT imagery to provide a qualitative mapping 
of suspended sediment patterns in Ombabika Bay. 
Quantitative estimates of turbidity will require 
ground-based measurements of suspended sediment 
concentrations to be taken coincident with a LANDSAT 
overpass. The methods for establishing these 
field-satellite correlations are well-documented 
elsewhere (Hecky and McCullough 1984). Provisions 
have been made in the proposed 1986 LJR field study 
program to acquire water-based sampling of suspended 
sediment concentrations for selected future LANDSAT 
passes over the LJR basin. 
3.6 Project follow-up and monitoring 
In Canada, regulatory agencies are putting increasing 
emphasis on the need to follow-up project development 
with monitoring studies. Monitoring objectives 
include: demonstration that EA commitments are met, 
verification of models and predictions developed 
during the detailed impact assessment stage, 
demonstration of facility compliance with regulatory 
standards, and confirmation of the effectiveness of 
applied mitigative measures. Project follow-up can 
also be useful in identifying unforeseen effects 
resulting from project development, and in allowing 
suitable remedial actions to be implemented in a 
timely fashion. 
The routine, repetitive nature of data acquisition 
provided by satellite imagery is ideally suited to 
temporal studies of land use change as well as 
changes in other environmental parameters. LANDSAT 
imagery can potentially be used to monitor a number 
of project activities and effects for hydroelectric 
stations as project implementation moves through the 
construction and operation phase. 
In the short-term, LANDSAT imagery can be used to 
monitor construction progress and related 
activities. For example, downstream sediment 
patterns are likely to change significantly following 
reservoir inundation and these changes can be 
detected using satellite data. In addition to 
monitoring effects, it may also be possible to 
utilize LANDSAT imagery to judge the effectiveness of 
certain mitigative measures. For instance, project 
planning for the LJR development suggests that 
extensive rip rap protection may be required to 
stabilize banks in the lower reaches of the river to 
alleviate potential downstream erosion and 
sedimentation problems. Routine monitoring of 
sedimentation patterns in Ombabika Bay via satellite 
imagery can be carried out over several seasons or 
years, and used in conjunction with hydraulic models, 
to evaluate the effectiveness of bank protection and 
assess the need for operational controls. 
Retrospective studies which examine historical 
turbidity patterns can put project-induced effects in 
context.