Teck Trail Operations Resolves Charges for 2019 Environmental Incident
By Teck Trail Operations
Teck Metals Ltd. (“Teck”) this week announced it has resolved charges in relation to the release of low pH solution at an outfall at Teck Trail Operations that occurred on February 25 and 26, 2019.
Teck entered a guilty plea and will pay an agreed-on penalty of $2.12 million for violations of the Fisheries Act and Environmental Management Act and pay $80,000 to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation for fish and fish habitat conservation projects.
The incident was immediately reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies when it occurred. A third-party independent environmental impact assessment has determined the incident did not have any long-term impact on fish or the environment given the duration of the incident and the nature of the discharge.
“We take this incident very seriously and are committed to continuous improvement and enhancing our environmental performance,” said Thompson Hickey, General Manager, Teck Trail Operations.
“An extensive investigation was undertaken immediately following the incident and additional control measures and training have been implemented to prevent a reoccurrence.”
Actions that have been taken following this incident include:
- Additional effluent system training and procedures put in place
- New effluent system preventative maintenance, including additional safety and function tests
- Primary and backup diversion valves repaired and tested to ensure they are functioning as designed
Since 2019, Teck Trail Operations has invested over $10 million on projects to protect the aquatic environment including a new pond at one of our outfalls focused on stormwater management.
About Teck Trail Operations
Teck Metals Ltd. Trail Operations represents one of the world’s largest fully integrated zinc and lead smelting and refining complexes. Trail’s metallurgical operations also produce a variety of precious and specialty metals, chemicals and fertilizer products.
Comments