Federal government tells Teck to improve water quality from 2 B.C. coal operations

Teck Resources Ltd. says it has been ordered by Environment and Climate Change Canada to improve the quality of water affected by two of its coal mining operations in B.C.'s Elk Valley.

The company said in a statement the direction to Teck Coal Ltd. from the federal government is under the Fisheries Act and doesn't resolve potential charges it had previously been notified about.

Teck said discussions with respect to the charges continue.

The statement said the measures to improve water quality and prevent calcite deposits from the Fording River and Greenhills coal sites complement the plan Teck is already implementing in the valley.

It says the government direction will require spending of $350 million to $400 million over 10 years, which is beyond its water quality plan.

The statement says two facilities that are under construction should be operating by the end of this year or early 2021, giving treatment capacity of 47.5 million litres of water per day, compared with the current daily output of 7.5 million litres.

Teck's Fording River and Greenhills operations are near Elkford in southeastern B.C. They are two of four Teck steel-making coal operations in the Elk Valley.