A piece of correspondence regarding groundwater affected by historical operations of the Sullivan Mine in Kimberley has caused some confusion and anxiety for property owners in Kimberley and Marysville.
The groundwater contains sulphate and other substances consistent with historical mine operations and is generally present five metres or more below the ground surface. The impacted groundwater is not part of the municipal drinking water supply for Kimberley or the surrounding areas.
Teck sent out initial letters to all potentially affected property owners in Kimberley in December of 2020 to inform them of the issue.
Since that time Teck has sought to receive feedback from residents and answer questions. They have held numerous Zoom meetings, throughout 2021 and into 2022, with residents, and a Sullivan Liaison Committee was formed.
What has caused a flurry of new inquiries is a letter sent to property owners from the Ministry of Environment. The letter is addressed to Teck, but as part of the MOE process was sent to all affected property owners.
Ryan Peterson from Teck visited Kimberley City Council on March 28, 2022 to explain further.The response letter from the Ministry is a fairly standard part of the process, he said, which property owners were cc’d.
The problem is that the 15 month delay in the Ministry response caused some confusion, with some people perhaps interpreting it as a change in the groundwater situation.
Peterson told council that Teck has been receiving a lot of inquiries as a result of the Ministry letter. The letter outlined various expectations that MOE has for Teck, which Peterson says they continue to comply with.
“When people received the letter some felt panic,” said Coun. Sandra Roberts.
Coun. Kent Goodwin agreed that some people felt that the letter was directed to the property owners rather than Teck.
Peterson said Teck would continue to provide information through their website and with continued public meetings. The next meeting will be an in person one in June, although a venue hasn’t been chosen yet.
Information from Teck regarding ground water:
Although no longer producing, the Sullivan mine site is still very much an active site, with significant post- closure reclamation, management and monitoring activities undertaken everyday. Sullivan Mine has implemented remediation and reclamation actions under the approved Decommissioning and Closure plan submitted to the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and the Ministry of Environment in 2000. As part of the approved closure plan, affected groundwater is currently intercepted at various locations using collection systems located on the Sullivan Mine property. The collected water is then treated at Teck’s Drainage Water Treatment Plant prior to discharge into the St. Mary River. Discharge from the Water Treatment Plant meets all regulatory requirements.
As part of our efforts to continually improve on our reclamation outcomes and environmental management, we routinely undertake updated assessment work and monitoring programs. Our most recent environmental assessments indicate that groundwater affected by historical operations includes a portion of the aquifer underlying parts of Townsite, Marysville, and southeast of Marysville.
While we do not expect the groundwater poses any issues to current property uses we are writing to notify you as we expect the groundwater is present underneath your property as well as others in your area.
The findings indicated that the affected groundwater consists of variable concentrations of sulphate and some metals. It is important to note that:
• The municipal drinking water of Kimberley is not affected nor is there any indication this presents any health issue.
• This notice will not affect any property water use, as your water is sourced from the City of Kimberley potable water source.
• The affected groundwater would not be encountered during everyday activities on your property as it is below the ground surface and is not used for drinking water.
If you require ore information, Teck has provided the following ways to communicate:
• Phone line 250-427-8425
• email Sullivan.feedback@teck.com
READ: Sullivan Mine-impacted groundwater has migrated below some Kimberley/Marysville properties
READ: Teck will hold further information sessions on ground water issues in Kimberley
carolyn.grant@kimberleybulletin.com
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