Teck Resources has received an Area Based Management Plan Order from the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, providing clarity around watershed protection and mining activities in the Elk Valley of British Columbia. Developing a regulatory basis to deal with impacts of mining on water quality in this region, and will establish a regulatory context for permitting of future mining activity.
The Order, issued under Section 89 of the Environmental Management Act, stipulates the development of an area-based management plan, in consultation with communities of interest. The plan to be developed will address the impact of selenium and other substances released by mining activities throughout the watershed, associated economic and social costs and benefits, and concentration targets and time-frames required to stabilise and reduce levels of these substances.
The Order establishes a long-term selenium concentration target for Lake Koocanusa which Teck expects can be achieved using water treatment technologies described in its draft Valley-wide Selenium Management Action Plan which was submitted to regulators early in the first quarter. Development of the area-based plan in accordance with the Order and the associated public consultation is expected to take up to 15 months. Permitting activities on Line Creek Phase II and other Teck projects are expected to continue in the interim.
Senior Vice President of Sustainability and External Affairs, Marcia Smith said “Teck is committed to maintaining the health of the Elk River and this step by the province provides a path forward to finalizing an Elk Valley Water Quality Plan. This measure recognizes the priority of protecting the environment while also ensuring the economic well-being of local communities and residents.”
As the operator of five steelmaking coal mines in the Elk Valley which directly employs over 4,000 people, Teck is committed to continued work with communities, first nations and other local stakeholders to finalise an area-based plan that achieves the shared goal of protecting the watershed and economic health of the region.
Teck’s Valley-wide Selenium Management Action Plan outlines significant measures to protect aquatic health while supporting sustainable mining activities in the Elk Valley and will be adapted as Teck works with communities of interest to meet the terms of the Order. The plan includes investments by Teck over the next five years of up to C$600 million on the installation of water diversion and treatment facilities, investments in research and development to improve selenium management, and on-going aquatic monitoring.
“We have been taking action on this issue for the past several years,” added Smith. “To date, we have constructed several water diversions to keep water clean, and construction is currently underway on our first water treatment plant at Line Creek Operations.”