The Free Press, May 15, 2014

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Thursd a y , Ma y 1 5 , 2 0 1 4

Serving the South Country, Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford since 1898

FRE E

Competition heats up at Mine Rescue

FERNIE

Spring Tea at IDES Page 3 ELKFORD

EKCCU holds AGM Page 5 SPARWOOD

Mine Rescue and First Aid Competition - Page 18

Surface mine rescue and first aid teams competed at the East Kootenay Zone Mine Rescue and First Aid Competition in Sparwood on Saturday. For the full story and more photos turn to page 18. Photo by K. Haarstad

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NUIE R E F G IDE FR

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ces • Pla

s vent s • E IVITIES Map T C A MER SUM S TRIP DAY

Stay , Dine, Play & Where to Shop

Mining WEEK

May 11 - MAY 17, 2014

Mining Week Pull-Out

Teck gathers feedback on Water Quality Plan By Nicole Obre Free Press Staff

A

fter holding three open houses and encouraging the public to send in their feedback from April 9 to 30, the second consultation phase for Teck’s Elk Valley Water Quality Plan is complete. The open houses were held in the last week of April and took place in Fernie, Sparwood, and Elkford. Each session ran from 5 to 8 pm, with a presentation at 6 pm, followed by a question and answer period. At the Elkford open house on April

Eye Care Professionals

23, a panel of Teck employees, a member of the Technical Advisory Committee, Lynn Kriwoken, executive director, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch from the B.C. Ministry of Environment, and Judy Kirk from facilitator Kirk and Co. were present. “The second round of consultation on the development of the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan was very successful, with 84 local residents attending open houses in Fernie, Elkford, and Sparwood, generating good discussion and feedback around water quality and the steps being proposed by Teck under the

plan,” stated Nic Milligan, manager, Community and Aboriginal Affairs, Teck. Milligan led the presentation in Elkford, reviewing the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan Phase Two Consultation Discussion Guide. He reinforced that Teck is continuing to work with communities, First Nations, and governments to create a plan that will maintain the health of the watershed and ensure continued, sustainable mining in the Elk Valley. On March 21, 2013, the toxicity levels of the Elk River made front page news across the province as

the results of a report commissioned by the Glacier National Park in Montana linked the effects of open pit coal mining on the water quality in the Elk Valley, including the Fording and Elk rivers and Lake Koocanusa. The Hauer and Sexton Transboundary Flathead River: Water Quality and Aquatic Life Use report published on March 4, 2013 at the University of Montana stated that waterways in the Elk Basin below mine sites had elevated nitrate, sulfate, and selenium concentration levels.

Continued on page 4

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