Teck announced today (Oct. 4) that the restart and re-commissioning of the West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Facility has now begun, following the completion of upgrades to the facility.

The West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Facility, located at Teck’s Line Creek Operations (LCO), was constructed to remove selenium and 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.

The re-commissioning process commenced August 30 and is expected to take approximately four months. A new advanced oxidation process (AOP) has been incorporated into facility operations to address a challenge related to selenium compounds in the treated water. The AOP will also be incorporated into future water treatment facilities.

“Teck is committed to supporting the environmental and economic well-being of the Elk Valley,” said Robin Sheremeta, Senior Vice President, Coal. “We are committed to taking the steps necessary to achieve the objectives of the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan, including major investments in ongoing research, monitoring, and water treatment facilities such as the West Line Creek facility.”

West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Facility:

•  Treats up to 7.5 million litres of water per day;

•  Selenium concentrations are reduced by about 96% in treated water;

•  Nitrate concentrations are reduced by over 99% in treated water.

In May 2018, Teck announced the start of construction of a second water treatment facility in the Elk Valley, the Fording River South Active Water Treatment Facility, located at Fording River Operations.

For more information on the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan.

Lead image: Line Creek Operations. e-KNOW file photo

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