When a coal mine closes, we’re told that reclamation will return the landscape to something close to what it once was: grassy slopes, new forests, wildlife habitat, and clean water. But new research from Alberta shows that even when fully reclaimed, pollution continues to flow. Water downstream of reclaimed Alberta coal mines was shown to still carry the chemical fingerprint of mining, with elevated levels of selenium, nitrate and heavy metals persisting decades after closure.
The lesson for B.C.’s Elk Valley is unavoidable: these mines are not temporary economic engines. They are long-term environmental responsibilities with costs that stretch across generations.
Reclamation of B.C.’s Elk Valley mines
Industry has a history of funding and receiving awards for their reclamation efforts, but patting themselves on the back does not translate to better reclamation outcomes. Elk Valley Resources (EVR) has disturbed over 16,700 hectares of land — more than 40 Stanley Parks — yet less than a quarter has been reclaimed to date. While it’s clearly not possible for an active mine to reach 100% revegetation before it closes, it is very reasonable to expect better. EVR’s Coal Mountain mine has been closed for nearly a decade but still sits at less than 40% reclaimed, and active properties have huge areas for improvement.
EVR is currently in the process of applying for the Fording River Extension (FRX), a proposed expansion of what is already B.C.’s largest coal mine. This mine also has the worst reclamation record of all of EVR’s mines, with only 15% of disturbed land revegetated. FRX would knock down another mountain to scrape out the coal, extending the mine’s life by another 40 years. This would produce an additional 3 billion cubic meters of selenium-leaching waste rock and disturb over 2,000 hectares of land.
Reclamation is necessary, but not the end
Reclamation does have value: it can stabilize slopes, reduce dust, and restore partial habitat and migratory corridors for wildlife, including elk and bighorn sheep. But for water quality, reclamation is not a reset button. Once millions of tonnes of waste rock are in place, the geochemistry of selenium leaching is locked in for centuries. No amount of grass cover changes that.
That means two things. First, reclamation cannot be used as a license to expand disturbance. The idea that “we’ll clean it up later” has been disproven by Alberta’s evidence.
Second, mines must be managed as long-term liabilities. Every piece of waste rock carries selenium, sulphates and heavy metals that will leach into waterways for generations to come. If the rivers will carry the costs for centuries, so must the companies.
The bonding shortfall
B.C.’s reclamation bonding system is designed to ensure that funds will be available for reclamation post-closure by requiring companies to set up funding agreements, similar to an insurance policy. But research has shown that bonds are nowhere near big enough to perform the work needed. Bonding discounts are given to the mining industry by the provincial government to the tune of billions of dollars, including the government covering up to a quarter of a mine’s total bond if it promises to operate for more than 10 years. Just like a grocery store buy-one-get-one-free coupon, these discounts are designed to attract investment. But with disasters like the Mt. Polley tailings dam collapse and the ongoing Giant Mine debacle, can we really afford to be giving industry deals on their cleanup duties?
In EVR’s case alone, this translates into over $900 million in reclamation liability held by the taxpayer. These rules, as well as several other ways industry is able to get their bond amounts discounted, also apply to every other mine in B.C., meaning that B.C. has a severe underbonding issue, putting the environment and British Columbians at risk.
The question for the taxpayers of B.C. is whether regulators will recognize the long-term responsibility and demand greater action now while we still have leverage, or leave future generations to live with polluted waters and a cleaning bill. It will be difficult to convince industry to spend the billions necessary for reclamation and long-term water treatment when the mines are no longer profitable, and coal-free steelmaking technologies are becoming more and more popular by the day.
Coal mining is often sold to communities as an economic driver, but this research is a reminder that these mines are also environmental debts.
Ways forward
Tying mine activity to both water outcomes and revegetation rate could be a way to reduce risk and ensure that environmental protections are upheld meaningfully. No new expansions — including FRX — should be allowed until at the very least water pollution levels reach safe ranges and neglected areas are reclaimed.
Coal Mountain was able to avoid timely reclamation by putting the mine into an indefinite ‘care and maintenance’ mode, bypassing closure requirements and slowing reclamation to a snail’s pace. Putting a time limit on care and maintenance status and requiring that reclamation rates and water quality be tied to mine production would not only produce the jobs that industry and government are so fond of touting, but would also better protect downstream communities, aquatic and terrestrial life, and safeguard taxpayer dollars in the process.
Responsible mining shouldn’t be optional. With the passing of bills 14 and 15, the provincial government has shown a clear desire to prioritize industrial development over Indigenous rights and environmental protections. The call for improvements to how we manage and care for damaged lands has never been more important.