Canada’s federal environment ministry on Thursday opened a formal investigation into a tailings leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta.
Imperial first found discoloured water seeping from one of its tailings ponds in May
Canada’s federal environment ministry on Thursday opened a formal investigation into a tailings leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta.
Environment Canada is investigating a suspected contravention of the Fisheries Act, which prohibits the “deposit of a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish,” or any place where such substances could enter fish-bearing water.
The probe stems from two releases of toxic oilsands tailings water from the Kearl mine north of Fort McMurray.
The first release was spotted and reported in May as discoloured water near a tailings pond. It was found to be tailings seepage, but no further updates were provided to area First Nations until February, when it was disclosed to the public and federal and provincial environment ministers, along with a second release of 5.3 million litres of tailings.
More to come…