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TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 2, 2016 Vol. 121, $ 05 Issue 17
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PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
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Teck in court over chemical spills
HIGH-FLYING CARNIVAL
Incidents occurred in 2013 and 2014 SHERI REGNIER Trail Times
Guy Bertrand photo
With Rossland’s iconic firehall serving as a backdrop, snowboarders took turns strutting their skills down the man-made slopes on Queen St. For more coverage on the carnival see Page 16.
Motorcycle club president sounds off on noise complaints
SHERI REGNIER Trail Times
The sound of a motorcycle passing through a neighbourhood is fleeting, says the president of a local riding group. “What about a leaf blower or when your neighbour mows his lawn for an hour,” questions Ian McLeod from the West Kootenay
250.364.0202 or 250.231.0202 (cell)
Teck Metals appeared in Rossland Provincial Court on Monday, facing fines following two separate chemical spills into the Columbia River. According to the provincial court registry, the company was expected to plead guilty to multiple counts of depositing deleterious substance as well as failing to comply with a permit and introduction of business-related waste into the environment. Teck Metals was also listed as “FA” (first appearance) on three additional charges stemming from one of the incidents. The company was charged under the Environmental Management and Fisheries Act in May. Teck Trail Operations withheld comment pending a conclusion of court proceedings. Court was still in session at press time, and a continuance was expected through to Tuesday afternoon. Watch the Trail Times for further developments later this week. “We take these incidents very seriously,” Carol Vanelli Worosz, Teck’s community engagement leader, told the Trail Times following the charges. “A full investigation took place immediately following both incidents and changes to equipment and operating procedures took place to prevent reoccurrence.” Both cases date back two years. The
Road Runners. “I just don’t see where people are coming from targeting motorcycles - is there no other loud noises at any other time?” McLeod was referring to recent actions by a group of residents from Kaslo to Nakusp that he says single out those who like to hit the road on their iron horse. “What about the semis going by
your house on the highway, or diesel trucks pulling trailers,” McLeod queried. “Diesel trucks starting up are as loud or louder than some bikes. I mean you are right on the road, I just don’t get it.” Fed up with loud motorcycles passing through their communities, a petition circulated through the West Kootenay region asking local governments to lobby the
first being Dec. 22 (2013) when water containing zinc dust overflowed into a drain then the effluent was released into the river at an outfall point. Teck reported initial sampling indicated 250 kilograms (kg) of the heavy metal was detected compared to the daily limit of 175 kg. That concentration exceeds the maximum permitted level by about 40 per cent. The plant’s monitoring system detected the incident and operations were immediately shut down to correct the source, Vanelli Worosz said at the time. “While the cause was corrected in about 30 minutes, the plants didn’t restart until the following day,” she explained. “We waited for confirmation from our monitoring that the incident had been completely addressed.” One month later, the second spill occurred. On Jan. 28, 2014, up to 25,000 litres of an alkaline chemical solution was discharged into Trail’s domestic sewer line, which leads to the regional district’s sewage treatment plant for eventual released into Bear Creek and the Columbia River. A complete review of Teck Trail Operations’ sanitary sewer lines was undertaken to confirm all piping configurations were accurate, and Vanelli Worosz confirmed the containment area drain system was isolated and permanently disconnected from the sanitary sewer system. Trail operations has three outfalls to the river that are monitored to detect and allow response to abnormal readings. province to enforce or tighten existing noise laws. The document garnered 4,300 signatures before NDP MLA Katrine Conroy brought it to Transport Minister Todd Stone’s attention during a presentation in legislature last year. Then last week, the Regional District of Central Kootenay CONTINUED ON A2 Contact the Times:
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February 8
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