CTV News: "Legacy coal mines tied to toxic selenium levels in Alberta lake, as legal pressure mounts for cleanup"
Legal action by Piikani Trevor Bastien commands national attention
Kathy Le, CTV National News
A recently published scientific study is raising fresh concerns about the long-term environmental impacts of coal mining in Western Canada, finding that pollution from a mine closed decades ago continues to contaminate fish in an Alberta lake and could threaten its future.
The peer-reviewed research, released this month by the American Chemical Society, found elevated levels of selenium in fish from Crowsnest Lake in southern Alberta, tracing the contamination to runoff from the Tent Mountain coal mine, which ceased operations in the 1980s.
“This becomes a human health issue,” said Lorne Fitch, a retired fish and wildlife biologist.
“The results were quite striking in terms of levels in fish flesh that are higher than recommended for human consumption.”
The findings come as a legal demand letter, filed by a member of the Piikani First Nation, has been sent to provincial and federal governments, as well as the mine’s current owner, calling for immediate action to stop ongoing pollution and begin cleanup efforts.
The study, led by provincial aquatic scientist Colin Cooke, found selenium concentrations in multiple fish species that exceeded federal and provincial guidelines for safe consumption. Researchers warned that additional coal development in the region could push the fishery beyond sustainability.
Read the full CTV web report by Kathy Le . . .
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