Elk Valley Area Based Management Plan

The Elk Valley Area Based Management Plan is a unique watershed plan designed to help improve water quality.

The plan informs decisions in the Elk Valley made by a director under the Environmental Management Act (EMA).

On this page

• Amendments to the plan
• Plan development
• Plan overview
• Annexes to the plan

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Amendments to the plan

This will be the first amendment to the plan since it was developed in 2014. The plan is designed to be adaptive and responsive to new information.

The plan will be updated to better protect the environment and align more closely with new information and advances in science.

Two amendments will be developed. The amendments will support ongoing and future environmental management decisions in the Elk Valley.

The ministry will be working collaboratively with Ktunaxa First Nations in the development of recommendations for amendments. Development of the ministry’s recommendations for each amendment will be informed by input from advisory committees for each amendment.

A public comment period for the first amendment is expected in spring 2025.

Plan development

In April 2013, Teck Coal Limited (Teck) was ordered to prepare an area based management plan for the Elk Valley to remediate water quality effects of past coal mining and to guide future development:

• April 15, 2013: A Ministerial Order (PDF, 421KB) was issued to Teck
• July 22, 2014: Teck submitted an area based management plan called the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan (PDF, 41.7MB)
• November 18, 2014: The Minister approved the plan (PDF, 147KB)

Plan overview

The plan was developed with the following objectives and outcomes for the the area it applies to, which includes the Elk River watershed and the Canadian portion of Koocanusa Reservoir:

• Protection of the aquatic ecosystem health
• Management of bioaccumulation of contaminants in the receiving environment
• Protection of human health
• Protection of groundwater

The plan is focused on stabilizing and reducing concentrations of selenium, cadmium, nitrate and sulphate in the Fording and Elk Rivers and the rate of formation of calcite.

Specifically, the plan:

• Sets short, medium and long-term targets for selenium, cadmium, nitrate and sulphate in water and for the reduction of calcite
• Identifies water quality mitigation measures, including water treatment and diversions, and defines a schedule for implementation
• Includes an adaptive management approach to ensure that the plan evolves with monitoring information, outcomes of research and development, and advances in science and technology
• Incorporates ongoing monitoring to assess water quality and aquatic health during the implementation of the plan to confirm objectives are met

The plan provides guidance to statutory decision makers and staff under the EMA as they consider future discharge proposals in the Elk Valley.

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Annexes to the plan

• Annex A Technical Advisory Committee Advice Table (PDF)
• Annex B Technical Advisory Committee Action Item Summary Table (PDF)
• Annex C.1 Phase 1 Discussion Guide and Feedback Form (PDF)
• Annex C.2 Phase 1 Consultation Summary Report (PDF)
• Annex C.3 Phase 2 Discussion Guide and Feedback Form (PDF)
• Annex C.4 Phase 2 Consultation Summary Report (PDF)
• Annex C.5 Phase 3 Discussion Guide and Feedback Form (PDF)
• Annex C.6 Phase 3 Consultation Summary Report (PDF)
• Annex C.7 Ktunaxa Nation Consultation Summary Report (PDF)
• Annex C.8 Consultation Consideration Memo (PDF)
• Annex C.9 Letters of Support (PDF)
• Annex D.1 Water Quality Modelling Methods (PDF)
• Annex D.2 Water Quality Modelling for the Initial Implementation Plan (PDF)
• Annex D.3 Hydrology Report (PDF)
• Annex D.4 Geochemical Source Term Inputs and Methods (PDF)
• Annex D.5 Site Conditions (PDF)
• Annex E Benchmark Derivation Report for Selenium (PDF)
• Annex F Benchmark Derivation Report for Nitrate and Sulphate (PDF)
• Annex G Evaluation of Potential Ecological Effects Associated with Cadmium in the Elk and Fording Rivers (PDF)
• Annex H Integrated Assessment Report (PDF)
• Annex I.1 Evaluation of Phosphorus Loads on Upper Lake Koocanusa Trophic Status (PDF)
• Annex I.2 Modelled Total Phosphorus Concentrations in the Elk and Fording Rivers (PDF)
• Annex J.1 Approach and Methodology to Monitor and Assess Calcite Impact (PDF)
• Annex J.2 Calcite Treatment Technologies (PDF)
• Annex J.3 2013 Calcite Monitoring Program (PDF)
• Annex K.2 Evaluation of Element Concentrations Collected from Lake Koocanusa (PDF)
• Annex L.1 Human Health Evaluation of Current Baseline Conditions (PDF)
• Annex L.2 Elk Valley Groundwater Summary Report (PDF)
• Annex L.3 Regional Approach to Protection of Goundwater (PDF)
• Annex M Elk Valley Water Quality Plan Socio-Economic Analysis (PDF)
• Annex N Teck's Approach to Biodiversity Management (PDF)
• Annex O Management of Uncertainty in the Selenium Ecological Affects Assessment (PDF)
• Elk River Aquatic Environment Synthesis Report Oct 2014 (PDF)
• Appendices Aquatic Environment Synthesis Report (PDF)
• Maps Aquatic Environment Synthesis Report (PDF)