As part of the Ecological Risk Assessment conducted at Teck Trail Operations, Teck identified an area of groundwater affected by the site’s historical activities. Since then, Teck has undertaken a series of studies to identify the scope and impact of the affected groundwater. Following an Inspector’s Direction, Teck Trail Operations submitted a final remediation plan to Environment Canada, including construction of a $46 million Groundwater Treatment Plant. The plan has been accepted by Environment Canada. The following outlines background information and a summary of the remediation plan.
- The 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. The substances are believed to have originated from historical operations and storage of materials prior to the 1980’s.
- The plan includes a remediation system to collect and treat the affected groundwater. Groundwater is intercepted using a series of wells and is conveyed to the Groundwater Treatment Plant for removal of substances of concern. 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.
- While the focus of the remediation plan was on the affected groundwater, additional environmental studies were carried out in three other isolated areas. These smaller, localized areas are located outside of the main area of affected groundwater. One of these areas, Lower Stoney Creek, was identified as having impacted sediment where the creek meets the river. To address this, the affected sediment was covered in order to isolate it from the creek, as well as to provide additional habitat improvement. Second, material related to a historical residue deposit in a localized area between Trail Operations and the riverbank was assessed and remediated. Third, the Columbia River adjacent to downtown was assessed for potential impacts related to sediment and the risk assessment recommended ongoing monitoring through the Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program.
Download the Plan. (Note: This file is 284MB and will take time to download)
