B.C. mining company fined for polluting Tulameen River
$20,000 in fines dealt after 60,000 litres of mine waste dumped into the river
A B.C. mining company is on the hook for thousands of dollars after discharging waste into a river in the Okanagan-Similkameen region of B.C.
A B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) investigation uncovered Coalmont Energy Corporation's discharge of 60,000 litres of mine waste into a watercourse that runs into the Tulameen River.
The investigation began in 2013 after the public reports surfaced that the Tulameen river was "running black" near a mining site outside of Coalmont, B.C.
The discharge was the result of a mine waste containment area breach, investigators say.
According to the BCCOS, on Sept. 14, representatives from the company pleaded guilty to introducing waste into the environment and introducing waste causing pollution.
Managers are being fined a total of $20,000 in relation to the charges, $19,800 of which will be be issued to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund for fish habitat restoration projects in the Okanagan region.