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
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.