Canadian mining company Teck Metals has been fined $2.2 million for illegally dumping sewage into the Columbia River, which crosses the United States and Canada.
British Columbia’s Provincial Court released its ruling Tuesday after the company previously pleaded guilty to two counts under the Federal Fisheries Act and one count under the Environmental Management Act, Environment and Climate Change Canada to the provincial government, Canada said in a statement with.
In February 2019, Teck Metals employees reported a spill from the company’s Trail, British Columbia operations.
After an investigation, it was determined that the release of approximately 2.5 million liters of low-pH wastewater into the Columbia River was the result of numerous operational errors
“The company’s lack of due diligence contributed to the duration and scale of the oil spill. In this case, the low pH effluent was caused by an acidic solution leaking from the company’s fertilizer plants in Warfield, BC. Much of the wastewater discharged had a pH below 4, which is harmful or harmful to fish,” the statement said.
In addition to violations of the Fisheries Act, the company pleaded guilty to failing to comply with its permit, which sets acceptable pH levels for discharges and prohibits discharges of acutely lethal effluents.
The $2 million federal penalty will be paid into the Canadian government’s Environmental Damages Fund. In relation to the provincial fees, Teck Metals was ordered to pay a total fine of $200,000.