Teck has four steelmaking coal operations and one mine in care and maintenance in the Elk Valley and has been working with regulators, stakeholders, and communities to address water quality challenges related to the long history of mine activities in the Elk River watershed.
Surface water and shallow groundwater users along the Michel Creek, Fording and Elk Rivers and associated mine-influenced tributaries should be aware that in recent years, concentrations of some mine-related constituents may be seasonally elevated in drinking water. In 2014, Teck initiated the Regional Drinking Water Monitoring Program (RDWMP), which monitors private and municipal drinking water quality across the Elk Valley. The RDWMP also allows residents whose water source has the potential to be influenced by mine-related constituents to have their water sampled upon request. Based on historical water quality results, usage, or user/owner request, Teck sampled 29 drinking water wells for mine-related constituents in 2021.
Drinking water quality was assessed by comparing water quality data for the wells to the applicable British Columbia Source Drinking Water Quality Guidelines (BCWQG; BC MoE, 2020). This comparison is not a complete assessment of water quality, but instead, is limited to mine-related constituents in groundwater as determined through the 2020 Regional Groundwater Monitoring Program Update. If the results were above the BCSDWQG for mine-related constituents, residents were notified, and an appropriate mitigation (alternate source of water or water treatment) was implemented.
The results of the 2021 RDWMP indicated that nine wells were above the BCWQG for selenium and three of these nine wells also had sulphate concentrations above the BCWQG’s aesthetic objective. No other mine-related constituents were above the BCWQG during this period. Seasonally elevated concentrations of mine-related constituents in these wells typically occurred during low-flow periods when surface water concentrations can interact with groundwater aquifers. Through the ongoing implementation of the EVWQP, Teck continues to address potential impacts of mine-related constituents and is making significant progress. Teck’s water treatment facilities are achieving approximately 95% removal of selenium and nitrate from treated water. Teck is increasing water treatment capacity and later in 2022 will be able to treat up to 77.5 million litres of water per day, a four-fold increase from its treatment capacity in 2020. With the additional capacity, Teck expects to achieve one of the primary objectives of the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan: stabilizing and reducing the selenium trend in the Elk Valley.
In accordance with the Ministry of Health’s 1995 Safe Water Supply Vital to Your Health publication, private well owners are advised to regularly check their drinking water systems to confirm they are in good condition, as well as test water for both mine-related and non-mine-related water quality parameters to identify if treatment is required prior to drinking. Additional information on groundwater wells can be found at:
https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/gwells/groundwater-information
For further information regarding health-related drinking water concerns, please visit Interior Health’s Drinking Water webpage at:
https://www.interiorhealth.ca/health-and-wellness/environmental-health-and-hazards/drinking-water
For more information regarding Teck’s RDWMP, or to request your well(s) to be sampled for mine-related constituents, please contact the Teck Communities Office’s toll-free line at 1-855-806-6854 and leave a message, or email feedbackteckcoal@teck.com and a Teck representative will respond. Information about Teck’s EVWQP is available online at www.teck.com/elkvalley. For non-mine-related constituents such as bacteria or other pathogens please contact Interior Health.
