Edmonton Water Utility - Coal Mines At The City's Only Source Of Drinking Water Probably Need Study
The Alberta government should not allow any new coal mines around the North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton’s only source of drinking water, until it completes a “scientifically rigorous” review of all the risks, says the city’s water utility company in a new report. Beginning in the Columbia Icefields in Banff National Park, the river is not only Edmonton’s only source of drinking water, but it is also a vital wildlife corridor.
The report, which is based on a risk assessment conducted by the city’s water utility EPCOR, notes that coal mines are known to affect water quality and contribute to climate change both through deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions from the mines themselves. On Friday, city councillors on Edmonton’s utility committee unanimously recommended to city council that the mayor write a letter to the provincial government underscoring the potentially “serious impact of coal mining on our regional watershed and ecosystems.”
The municipal committee also recommended that council direct the city manager and EPCOR to make a submission to a provincial coal policy committee based on the report, and direct the city administration to report back on both the status of the North Saskatchewan River Regional Plan and the need for a “formal watershed management plan.”
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The directive followed a number of tense months in Alberta starting in the spring of 2020 when Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party government rescinded the 1976 Coal Policy that, among other things, restricted coal exploration and development on Category 2 lands along the eastern slopes of the Rockies and foot, which included the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River. In the wake of considerable public backlash, the province reinstated the policy in early February and announced it would consult before developing “a new, modern coal policy.” Public consultations are underway now and a final report from the provincial coal policy committee is due on November 15.
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https://thenarwhal.ca/edmonton-drinking-water-coal-mines-report/