Alexander residents should use caution around the Athabasca River this month after a billion litres of contaminated water from a coal mine pond spilled into it.
Alberta Environment and the Alberta Energy Regulator reported earlier this month that about a billion litres of contaminated water had spilled from the Obed Mountain coal mine about 30 kilometres east of Hinton into two tributaries leading to the Athabasca River.
Alexander First Nation residents have been warned not to draw water from the river or water their cattle in it until further notice as a result.
While the bulk of Alexander is just outside the Athabasca watershed, the band’s lands near Fox Creek are within the river’s influence.
The spill happened at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 when part of a retaining berm around a large coal mine containment pond collapsed, said Darin Barter, spokesperson for the Alberta Energy Regulator. “It’s still open,” he said, speaking on Monday, “but the flow from that pond has stopped.”
About a billion litres of water containing rock, clay, mud, shale and coal fines escaped the pond, said Paula Myson, spokesperson for mine owner Sherritt International. The water flowed into the mine’s main pond and, when that overflowed, into a spillway leading to the Athabasca. There were no injuries from the release. Sherritt has not mined at the site since late last year.
A billion litres is enough to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools or to cover Legal in a little more than a foot of water.
The spill created a large, dark plume of water that passed by Alexander on Tuesday, said Jessica Potter, spokesperson for Alberta Environment. “It’s mud, essentially.”
The province alerted 10 downstream communities of the spill, including Alexander First Nation.
“Initial tests indicate that the water is not health-hazardous,” Potter said, but the province has nonetheless warned residents in those 10 downstream communities to not drink from the river or water their cattle in it until further tests were completed. (Alexander does not draw water from the Athabasca.)
Alberta Health Services has yet to issue any warnings about fish consumption from the river as a result of the spill, said spokesperson Micky Elabdi.
Provincial investigators were now working to figure out what caused the spill and what charges, if any, should be laid, Barter said. “If there are contraventions (of the regulations), there will be consequences.”
There are about seven coal-mine waste storage ponds like the one at Obed Mine in Alberta, Barter said. None had suffered a breach like this in the last five years. “It’s a rare occurrence.”
Alexander officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Call Potter at 780-427-8636 for updates on the spill.
