A billion litres of coal waste-water from mine spilled into Athabasca River

A billion litres of coal waste-water from the Obed mine
spilled into the Athabasca River Oct. 31 after a storage pond leaked. The Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation said this is exactly the type of environmental issue they’re worried about when considering the construction of new coal mines. The Alberta Energy Regulator is investigating the cause of the incident. Ten municipalities were warned of the contamination, including Hinton, which is upstream from the spill site and uses the river for drinking water. Warnings were given to not draw drinking water from the river, and farmers were warned not to allow their livestock to drink from it. There has been some damage to fish habitat from the slurry spill. The water storage pond contained coal and silt as well as thickening chemicals called flocculants. A full assessment of the damage won’t be available until the spring.