Obed coal spill: almost two years later, impacts still a mystery to First Nations – Northern Journal
August 24, 2015
Almost two years after a billion litres of coal slurry flooded the Athabasca River, First Nations in the delta say they are no closer to knowing what contaminants were released and what the long-term health impacts could be.
Around 670,000 cubic metres of coal tailings poured into the Athabasca on the night of Oct. 31, 2013 near Hinton and would spend the next month traveling as a massive plume down the river before settling out in Lake Athabasca and the delta around Fort Chipewyan.
Since then, the mine’s owners – originally Sherritt International, but now Coal Valley Resources Inc. (CVRI) – have been required to complete numerous impact reports and long-term monitoring plans, including the most recent to be published, a human health risk assessment.
