Representatives from Teck made a presentation to Kimberley Council this week, updating them on ongoing reclamation work.
The update included noting an incident that occurred on March 18, 2024 where mine-affected water was released into the St. Mary River. The incident happened during the start-up of the Drainage Water Treatment Plant.
Mine-affected water is stored at Teck above ground and underground in the mine. Twice a year, the water is sent to the Drainage Water Treatment Plant and treated before release into the St. Mary River.
As soon as the untreated water was released into the river, alarms were triggered and the problem was identified. Regulatory authorities were also notified immediately and the spill is under investigation.
Teck’s Ryan Peterson told council that initial water quality results indicated a increase in “constituents of concern” in the are immediately adjacent to the release area. Further monitoring indicates concentrations have now reduced to historical ranges. It was estimated that repair work, which involved upgrading the section of pipe, would be completed by April 19.
Reclamation work in Kimberley has been ongoing since the Sullivan Mine closed in 2001 and will continue in perpetuity. Teck has paid bonds to the provincial government to ensure the work goes on.
Teck in Kimberley will be hosting a Sullivan Mine Information Session at the Kimberley Conference Centre on May 11, 2024 at 10 a.m. You can register for the event, which includes a tour of reclamation sites, at teck.com/Sullivan.
READ: Sullivan Mine-impacted groundwater has migrated below some Kimberley properties