Stricter regulations could prevent water pollution from Canadian mining

A call has been made for Canada's Harper government to create tighter rules and regulations to help further prevent water pollution. Environment Canada has suggested that rules regarding water pollution caused by industrial mines need to be tougher, in a bid to reduce pollution and make mining companies accountable.

As well as making water pollution regulations hold more weight, Environment Canada has urged that federal monitoring be expanded so as to include another four substances that can be released through mining activity. The substances that Environment Canada believes should be included in water pollution monitoring are: ammonia, iron, selenium and aluminium.

An internal discussion paper circulated in December 2012 by Environment Canada said of the four substances: "These substances are harmful or potentially toxic, and in some cases potentially fatal to fish, and they are present in effluent from a wide range of metal mines."

The discussion paper was written as the beginning of a review of regulations and the monitoring activities of water pollution from metal mines that were brought into effect in December 2002. According to the document there were around 105 functioning metal mines in Canada in 2010, with an extra 60 being assessed or planned for future operations.    

Environment Canada has also called for the substances already regulated by the government in relation to water pollution from metal mines to be subject to stricter limits, in an attempt to further reduce the possibility of damaging water pollution throughout the country. According to the organisation, the government should also look into imposing regulations on mines that extract non-metal products - such as coal and diamonds - as a further form of protection against possible pollutants.

Mark Johnson, Environment Canada spokesperson, said: "The new regulations need to be updated to consider new substances of concern, new environmental effects information and advances in effluent treatment technologies."

Pierre Gratton, president and chief executive officer of the Mining Association of Canada, has said that many mining companies want the government review of pollutant limits to ensure they have more information about how they can ensure they are working in accordance with Canada's main water pollution law, the federal Fisheries Act.

Mr Gratton said: "We certainly have some pretty serious concerns with some of the proposed limits, but they are a starting point and they have helped inform some new science that is being developed. We're not opposed to regulations. In fact, regulations can often provide the certainty that industry needs to make decision."