mothballed

Alberta promises close watch on new mines but cuts oversight of coal-polluted rivers

Alberta promises close watch on new mines but cuts oversight of coal-polluted rivers

Alberta government documents show repeated cuts to environmental monitoring despite contaminants in some waterways that exceed thresholds that are supposed to trigger increased scrutiny. The province's 2019 five-year monitoring plan shows stations on two rivers and a creek polluted with selenium from coal mines were mothballed. That was despite more than two decades of readings that Alberta Environment guidelines suggest should have led to closer attention.