Groundwater Remediation

Historical activities at Trail Operations have affected groundwater beneath the site and some affected groundwater has migrated to surrounding areas.

Over the past 30 years Teck has undertaken a series of studies to identify the scope and impact of the affected groundwater and has implemented remediation measures to manage the affected groundwater. To date, Teck has invested more than $70 million in addressing historically affected groundwater. 
 

• The affected groundwater is not used for drinking water and studies conducted to date have found that the fish populations in the river are not affected by the groundwater and the water quality of the river meets drinking water standards.
   
• The affected groundwater consists of variable concentrations of ammonia, sulphate and some metals, and is located directly beneath Trail Operations, under the Columbia River, and a portion of East Trail and Annable. The substances are believed to have originated from historical operations and storage of materials prior to the 1980’s.
   
• Remediation   projects have been implemented to collect and/or treat the affected groundwater:
  • At the Trail Operations site adjacent to the Columbia River, groundwater is intercepted using a series of wells and is conveyed to the Groundwater Treatment Plant for removal of metals and ammonia. The treated groundwater meets all regulatory requirements and is discharged into the Columbia River. The remediation system is being implemented in two phases. Phase 1 became operational in 2017 and captures approximately 80% of the affected groundwater. A second phase, consisting of additional  wells and higher treatment capacity, is in the implementation stage. The remediation plan outlining the approach to addressing groundwater was developed under an Environment and Climate Change Canada Inspector’s Direction. Download the Plan. (Note: This file is 284MB and will take time to download) 
     
  • In the Annable area, groundwater is intercepted and conveyed to Trail Fertilizer Operations where it is recycled in the fertilizer production process. The remediation system is being implemented in two phases. Phase 1 became seasonally operational in 2020 and captures approximately 50% of the affected groundwater. A second phase, consisting of an additional well and higher treatment capacity, is in the implementation stage.
     
  • In the Haley Creek area, two remediation projects have been implemented. One project addresses groundwater affected by metals using a “permeable reactive barrier”. This is a below-ground trench filled with material which removes metals from the groundwater as it flows through.  The second project captures metals-affected sediment.
     
  • In the Stoney Creek area, several remediation projects have been implemented. Groundwater in the Upper Stoney Creek was affected by historical waste storage. Projects implemented in the 1990s and 2000s included waste consolidation and capping and the installation of groundwater interception systems. These groundwater interception systems are currently being expanded to further improve water quality. 
    Lower Stoney Creek was identified as having impacted sediment where the creek meets the river. To address this, work was undertaken to prevent impacted sediment entering the creek and improve habitat in the creek.