Canada opens formal investigation into Imperial’s oilsands tailings leak in northern Alberta | CBC News

Canada opens formal investigation into Imperial’s oilsands tailings leak in northern Alberta | CBC News

Edmonton

Canada’s federal environment ministry on Thursday opened a formal investigation into a tailings leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta.

Imperial first found discoloured water seeping from one of its tailings ponds in May

Orange brown industrial wastewater has been seeping out of an oilsands tailing pond since May. Now, leaders from Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Alberta are calling for action. (Nick Vardy for Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation)

Canada’s federal environment ministry on Thursday opened a formal investigation into a tailings leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta.

Environment Canada is investigating a suspected contravention of the Fisheries Act, which prohibits the “deposit of a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish,” or any place where such substances could enter fish-bearing water.

The probe stems from two releases of toxic oilsands tailings water from the Kearl mine north of Fort McMurray.

The first release was spotted and reported in May as discoloured water near a tailings pond. It was found to be tailings seepage, but no further updates were provided to area First Nations until February, when it was disclosed to the public and federal and provincial environment ministers, along with a second release of 5.3 million litres of tailings.

More to come…

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