Study says Alberta’s coal mine reclamation standards failing to protect water and fish
Global News
A study of old Alberta coal mines says regulations to keep them from polluting water systems are failing, and high levels of contaminants are having grave outcomes on aquatic life.
Alberta regulations meant to keep old coal mines from polluting streams and lakes are failing, suggests a study by government scientists.
The study says high levels of numerous contaminants are having grave outcomes for aquatic life and their ecosystems.
One of the authors, a former Alberta government scientist in charge of environmental monitoring, says the paper speaks to “regulatory inaction.”
“These results suggest current reclamation practices and regulatory requirements for water quality and aquatic ecosystems are not meeting the desired objectives,” the authors write at the end of the report.
The peer-reviewed study is by three Alberta government scientists and the former government scientist, who is now an environmental consultant.
They took samples from rivers near three old coal mines south of Hinton, Alta., which are four kilometres from Jasper National Park at their closest point.
The mines closed in the early 2000s.
The authors discovered some improvements to water quality since mining activities ended, but in rivers downstream, they found high concentrations of several pollutants in the water.
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