Teck Metals has been fined $3.4 million after its Trail, B.C. operation discharged elevated levels of copper, zinc and other materials into the Columbia River.
The penalty is related to guilty pleas under the Fisheries and Environmental Management Acts and is one of the largest fines of its kind in B.C. history.
From November 2013 to February 2015 there were 13 accidental discharges.
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Reviews after the incidents confirmed there was no human health risk and no indication of long-term impact on fish.
A majority of the fine will be used to help fund local conservation projects in the Columbia and Kootenay river watersheds.
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Teck Trail Operations General Manager Thompson Hickey says, “incidents of this kind are simply not acceptable.”
Teck is also spending $8.1 million on improvements, including construction of an upstream outfall retention reservoir.
Cynthia Mann, with the Provincial Conservation Officer Service, says the incidents were unfortunate and they are satisfied with the fine.
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