In December 2023, the City of Fernie announced it would begin immediately exploring for a new secondary water supply, with workers operating seven days a week until Christmas Eve. In June 2024, it continued its investigations with pumping tests performed on a test well in a Fernie park.
The city’s search for another drinking water supply comes after it found itself in a tenuous situation in 2023. Water quality at its primary Fairy Creek water source received a ‘poor’ and then ‘fair’ rating due to high turbidity from spring snowmelt. Ordinarily in this scenario, it would switch to its secondary water source: the James White Wells. However, last year, steadily rising selenium concentrations in the James White Wells finally breached B.C.’s Water Quality Guideline levels and were deemed unsafe to drink from. As a result, the city was forced to continue using the turbid Fairy Creek water source and issue a water quality advisory.
The selenium in question stems from massive open pit coal mines in the Elk Valley. A recent USGS study calculated that the amount of selenium passing through the Elk River below the mines was 23 times higher than a control site just upstream of the mines. But while the contamination of above ground waterways from these mines is well studied and documented, comparatively little is known about how selenium is spreading through our groundwater.
About 85% of Elk Valley water flows on the surface, mainly in the form of rivers and creeks, with the remaining 15% flowing (at an average speed of just over 300m/year) below the surface in cracks, pores and almost imperceptible gaps between minerals. These shallow groundwaters flow alongside and intermingle with surface waters, allowing surface water contaminants such as selenium to enter the deeper groundwater supply, which provides water to the wells of Elk Valley residents.
A regional problem
Fernie isn’t the only community having issues with selenium in its drinking water. Teck, the coal mines’ former owner, installed reverse osmosis water purification systems for several rural residents throughout the Elk Valley who rely on groundwater wells for their drinking water. One such resident, who wished to remain anonymous, shared water sample data with Wildsight that showed selenium levels in their well water exceeded B.C.’s drinking water guidelines at some times of the year.
The nearby municipality of Sparwood also ran into selenium contamination issues in 2020, resulting in the replacement and relocation of one of its three water supply wells.
Warning bells
This pattern of increasing selenium levels in groundwater isn’t surprising. Selenium levels in surface waters have been increasing steadily due to coal mining, and shallow groundwaters are closely interrelated to surface waters such as rivers and creeks. Sparwood’s contaminated water supply issues should have rung warning bells four years ago that selenium is seeping into the groundwater and posing an even greater risk to human health in the Elk Valley. The fact that Teck has been providing drinking water and reverse osmosis water systems to rural residents with polluted well water should have raised even more concerns; it indicates that selenium contamination is spreading further down the aquifer.
Fernie’s urgent relocation of its secondary water supply is the most recent in a chain of concerning events showing that not enough is being done to solve this mining pollution problem.
Historically, the province has been resistant to taking action against coal mining environmental violations, opting to take it slow and allowing industry to operate largely as usual. These past failures have led us to the crisis we find ourselves in today. Fortunately, more and more attention is being given to this issue.
The federal government recently secured stronger commitments to environmental protection for the mines, including an agreement for the new owners to be responsible for environmental damages up until 2050. Coal mine waste piles continue to leach selenium for many decades after closure, meaning that while selenium will still likely be a big issue after 2050, at least a measure of responsibility is being placed rightfully into the hands of those who profit from the pollution.
What can be done
Earlier this year, after years of mounting pressure from the Ktunaxa Nation, an International Joint Commission (IJC) reference was agreed to by governments on both sides of the border, initiating a multi-year investigation by experts and knowledge holders into this cross-border pollution issue.
Currently, the IJC is forming a Study Board to examine existing data, research impacts and identify possible solutions — read more about the Study Board here. The group will present its findings and recommendations to the six governments involved in this issue by September 2026. While those recommendations won’t be legally binding, the reference is an opportunity to shift attitudes about how we treat these mines.
Proper reclamation bonding that accurately reflects the true cost of what it will take to reclaim the mines and mitigate water pollution is the only way to ensure that B.C.’s “polluter pays” principle is actually upheld. A deep understanding of the breadth and severity of the groundwater contamination will be necessary to figure out how much trouble the Elk Valley is truly in, and the IJC investigation is a great opportunity to shed some light on this pertinent issue.
One way to get involved is to submit a comment to the IJC before its public feedback period closes on August 27, 2024. Comments and thoughts can be emailed to elk@ijc.org, or submitted directly through their website. This is an excellent opportunity to have a voice in an issue that will have lasting impacts on many communities.
