First Elk Valley water treatment facility begins full operations in Sparwood, B.C.

The West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Facility was constructed to remove selenium as well as nitrate from mine affected water. — Photo courtesy Teck.com

Teck announced on Wednesday, February 17th,  that its first water treatment facility in the Elk Valley has completed commissioning and is now achieving 100% of its design target for reducing selenium concentrations in water. The West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Facility, located at Teck’s Line Creek Operations (LCO), was constructed to remove selenium as well as nitrate from mine affected water as part of Teck’s work to implement the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan.

The goal of the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan is to stabilize and reverse the increasing trend of selenium and other substances to ensure the ongoing health of the watershed, while at the same time allowing for continued sustainable mining in the region.

“Teck is committed to responsible resource development that supports both the environmental and economic well-being of the Elk Valley,” said Robin Sheremeta, Vice President, Coal. “This water treatment facility is part of our work to implement the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan, which was developed with input from communities, governments and First Nations to maintain water quality while supporting continued responsible mining.”

The West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Facility treats water drawn in from Line Creek and West Line Creek at the LCO site. Biological treatment technology is then used to precipitate selenium into a solid form that can be extracted from the water and safely disposed of in a secure onsite waste facility.

West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Facility by the numbers:

• Treats up to 7,500 m3 of water per day – enough to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• Selenium concentrations are reduced by about 96% in treated water, to below 20 parts per billion.
• Nitrate concentrations are reduced by over 99% in treated water, to below 3 parts per million.
• Total construction cost of approximately $120 million.
• First of the water treatment facilities planned for Teck’s Elk Valley mines, in support of achieving the goals of the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan.

For more information on the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan, go to www.teck.com/elkvalley