Alberta moving forward on two new plans to maintain river water quality
Alberta is proposing two new plans to monitor water quality on the North Saskatchewan, Battle and Upper Athabasca rivers.
Environment Minister Jason Nixon says clear objectives to monitor and maintain water quality are to be established.
Similar approaches are already in place for the Lower Athabasca, Bow, South Saskatchewan, Oldman and Milk rivers.
Nixon says consultations and feedback for a framework will begin immediately and continue until mid-September.
He adds that public input on the water plans will also be given to an ongoing government consultation on coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Nixon says the province will partner with the Alberta Energy Regulator to review the effect of selenium - an element commonly found in coal mines that is toxic to fish in large doses - on water quality throughout the life span of a mine.
“The review will look at Alberta's current approach and regulatory requirements for the application, construction, operation, decommissioning and reclamation of mines, with the aim to identify any findings that could pose a threat to water quality,” Nixon said Tuesday.
He stressed that consultations on a water framework will work hand in glove with the coal review.
“This provides an avenue for Albertans who are participating in the coal consultation process to actually engage with the department that's involved in and in charge of water,” said Nixon.
The province also released a report into the effects of mining operations, now inactive, on the McLeod River watershed in west-central Alberta between 2005 and 2016.
The report found selenium levels immediately downstream of reclamation activities are decreasing overall, but still at elevated concentrations in some spots.
All three mines in the McLeod watershed are in the decommissioning or reclamation phase.
The government says it is currently monitoring water quality at 115 sites across the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.