Water We Doing?

Deep Dive: Colton Vessey, Environmental Geochemistry PhD Student, University of Alberta

April 14, 2021 David Evans / Colton Vessey Season 1 Episode 5
Water We Doing?
Deep Dive: Colton Vessey, Environmental Geochemistry PhD Student, University of Alberta
Show Notes Transcript

Did you know that the lands around Alberta's Rocky Mountains could become open pit coal mines? This has become quite the hot topic in the Province of Alberta as it was a decision that the government took without any consultation to the public or any stakeholder groups. This is precious land to not only Albertans but to many Canadians. It is also where Albertans and many people in Saskatchewan get their freshwater from and this is important because of the risk of pollution and contamination from new potential mines in our headwaters.

In this episode we learn about the potential, environmental, economic and social impacts that these mines could impose if they are approved. You will hear from Colton Vessey, an Environmental Geochemistry PhD student from the University of Alberta. Colton is an expert on how mines affect water quality and how future mines might impact everyone in Alberta.

Of course with any type of resource extraction we need to weigh the benefits and the drawbacks. Do you have an opinion on whether the coal mines should go forward or not?

The Alberta Governments has its initial consultation survey that closes next monday April 19th, 2021 and they want to hear from you! Click Here to Fill it Out!

Click Here to learn more about the Alberta Governments Coal consultation program going forward.

Want to learn More?

The Alberta Wilderness Association and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (North and South Alberta Chapters) have lots of great information about this issue!

Click here to read the opinion article Colton Vessey described about water licensing and the potential downstream effects from Benga Minings proposed Grassi Mountain Coal Mine at the headwaters of the Oldman River in Alberta, Canada.

If you want to reach out to Colton Vessey with any questions about coal mining and the effects on water you can email him at vessey@ualberta.ca

Click Here to learn more about the Aquatic Biosphere Project!

Mobile Solar Systems and Solutions!
Go Power! is a trusted, recognized leader in mobile solar power technology and a Canadian company.

The Aquatic Bisophere Project
The ABP is establishing a conservation Aquarium in the Prairies to help tell the Story of Water.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

David Evans:

I don't know about you but I'm so excited as spring comes on to get outside and shake off this COVID winter slumber I feel like I've been in here in the province of Alberta. It's really unique. We have a huge range of different ecosystems in the south, we have the prairies in the Parkland regions. Then as you go further north you have the boreal and even some of the Canadian shield sneaks right into the top corner of the province. As you go from the flatter prairies further and further west, you meet the foothills, these enormous rolling hills, that transition then to the Rocky Mountains. Now the Canadian Rockies they're one of the most protected areas actually in Canada, the entire mountain ranges throughout bc the montane Cordillera over 18% of the entire landmass that they cover, is protected areas, which is really awesome because so many people flocked to these areas, they are iconic of Canada of BC of Alberta. So they're really fantastic that we are actually protecting these areas for future use. But the montane area of Canada is really the standout for the areas that we've protected the most of many areas across Canada, we have not protected very much of the overall landmass or even of the overall ocean area we have within our country. And one area in particular we're going to touch on quite heavily in this episode. The foothills the transition from the prairies are the Parkland to the mountains, the rolling rolling hills that if they were anywhere else in Canada would probably be considered mountains on their own. This area within the province of Alberta is currently a bit up in the air. There are protected areas within it. A lot of it is used for ranching operations. A lot of it is very precious for indigenous cultures. And it's also at the headwaters of most of our rivers and streams throughout the province of Alberta that travel into other provinces in Canada as well. But today, we're really focusing on the foothills because it also sits on top of a really large coal reserve. In today's episode, we're going to be looking at coal exploration, what a potential mine might look like, and what are the impacts to freshwater. We talked with Colton Vesey, a PhD student from the University of Alberta, who's an expert on how mining can impact our freshwater systems. And he helps us to understand what should we be worried about if coal goes forward in the foothills of Alberta? Why water we doing? And how can we do better? your one stop shop for everything water related from discussing water to use and the organisms that depend on it for all the global issues that you really never knew all had to do with water. I'm your host, David Evans from the aquatic biosphere project. And I just want to ask you something. What are we doing? How can we do better? So you may be thinking, coal mining, are we still even doing that? I think many people have the impression of coal mining being a miner with a hard hat goes down deep underground underneath a mountain maybe, and starts to mined coal from these coal seams that run deep, deep underground, they often appear dusty out of the elevators, bringing the coal to the surface of the mine. And that type of mining still does exist. But really what we're talking about today is open pit mining, which we actually have a long history with in Alberta and BC, which might surprise some people. Many people might think of Alberta and open pit mining and immediately jumped to the oil sands region. So around Fort McMurray, we do have open pit mining for bitumen so that we can create petroleum products within the oil sands open pit mines, while being very large are very different than these new proposed mines. So we're going to keep our focus on the foothills for now. So for a little bit background. In 1976, the Alberta government put a coal Policy Act in place. So this limited open pit mining potential in the eastern slopes region, as it's a really sensitive ecological area. And the majority of the provinces freshwater either originates or flows right through these areas, and putting the freshwater in jeopardy is a real concern for everybody in the province of Alberta. Not only that, but we share our river systems with other provinces as well. If anything happens to it at the source, it impacts everyone further downstream. We do have a long history of working with open pit mines. But that doesn't mean that we don't make mistakes and that environmental issues don't arise because of them. So we need to look at all the possible outcomes before approving projects in June 2020. Without any public consultation, the government of Alberta cancelled the provincial coal policy that had been in place since 1976. And suddenly, a huge area of the foothills was up for grabs, companies began leasing different areas, companies have now leased over 186,000 hectares of lands in the foothills of Alberta, to be turned into open pit coal mines. Now this is only including area in what was known as category two lands, these category two lands were previously protected under the previous coal policy. Now, to put this in perspective, this is over three times the size of waterton Lakes National Park. And when you look at a map where all of these mines are distributed, all of the mines are distributed along the weird squiggly line on the left hand side of the province of Alberta map. So basically from the United States border, all the way to where it turns into the straight line going all the way north. This has become quite a hot topic issue right here in Alberta. And due to all of the reaction from the public, the government did actually reinstate that 1976 coal policy. But the companies that have already secured leases are still moving forward with their projects. It's just that no new leases are being rewarded. Now. The government is now going into consultation mode, and trying to get feedback from the public and stakeholder groups on what Alberta's new coal policy should look like. Now, before we dive into all of the potential impacts on water environment, and the social aspects of it as well, we do need to respect that we do need resources and this coal will be used to produce steel, which we are always in need of the question when it comes to resource extraction should always be do the benefits outweigh the negatives. So we need to really understand all of the potential impacts that these resource extraction practices might have before we can make our full decision on whether they should go forward or not. And we also need to take into account Are there other ways that we can get this resource without all these negatives, as well. So to help us understand what some of the negative impacts these mines might have on our landscapes and water systems, we spoke with Colton Vesey, a PhD student from the University of Alberta, who studies how mines interact with water systems, and has a couple ideas of what might be happening once mining begins in the foothills.

Colton Vessey, University of Alberta PhD Student:

So I'm currently a PhD student at the University of Alberta. In Earth atmospheric sciences, I study a field called environmental geochemistry was the field that I studied. It's really this study of integrating biological, chemical, physical and geological processes, trying to understand the different environmental and mining systems as a whole.

David Evans:

Alright, so we found the right person to talk to when we want to learn about how mines might impact different systems. So Colton, do you mind just taking us through what impacts we might actually have to our freshwater systems from these proposed coal mines in exploration in the foothills?

Colton Vessey, University of Alberta PhD Student:

Yeah, I think that's what everyone really wants to know. So there are different impacts depending on what stage these companies and mines are at. So just kind of go through what a mine life looks like. Usually it starts off in exploration, they're making roads so they can get drill holes, so they can figure out certain geological targets that are the resources are based on that if they think it's financially viable. They move forward into environmental impact assessment, which is quite extensive. They contract out consultants who do baseline studies on the area to look and see what the environments like currently, and then they do predictions into the future, what it might look like after mining and during the mining.

David Evans:

So up to this point, we're building roads, we're building well pads, and we're drilling down to see what's down there. But other than these exploratory impacts, we're not having watershed impacts at this point. Sorry to cut in Colton, take it away.

Colton Vessey, University of Alberta PhD Student:

Once that's done, if it's approved to be an open pit mine, they move forward into breaking ground. And that involves moving vast amount of overburden and overburden is its soil and geological material that's kind of overtop of the commodity that they want to get after. So in this case, coal.

David Evans:

Basically, overburden is anything that's between the coal and the surface of the soil. So soil, rocks, trees, plants, you name it, got to put it somewhere else.

Colton Vessey, University of Alberta PhD Student:

What they do is that to move all that overburden, and then store it on site, what happens when you do that you end up enhancing the weathering of the phases and different minerals that are already there. And associated with that is where a lot of the contamination comes from due to a oxygen flow and rainwater being moved through it. It really enhances the weathering, and of particular in some of your viewers might actually know this. But the mineral pyrite, it's iron sulphide mineral that's often collected as a gemstone, it actually that that's the phase that contains most of the contaminants such as arsenic and selenium.

David Evans:

pyrite is also known as fool's gold. And for those who didn't have a rock collection when they were younger, I did and I still keep it at my parents house. Thank you, Mom and Dad, pyrite are fool's gold forms into these really cool cubes. And it's a really fascinating mineral to find. But as Colton was saying, it's actually made of iron sulfide, it actually contains a lot of really harmful chemicals as well. Colton also mentioned weathering. And what happens when we pick up all of this overburden or topsoil or rock that's above cool, and we suddenly put it into a pile somewhere. Well, now it's exposed to oxygen and exposed to a rainwater, and all of the contaminants start to leach out of it really quickly. It's also an interesting thing when chemical reactions have air involved as well. So you think of Fire Fire is a chemical reaction. But if you didn't have air, you wouldn't be able to have a fire. But as soon as air enters the equation, all of these new chemical reactions start to happen with the minerals that are now exposed, because the overburden has just been piled up next to the mine. And this is the key point. Now that we have rainwater and air reacting with all of the overburden that's just piled up next to the mine, we're starting to get all of these contaminants that come out. So whatever's inside of that overburden can now get leached out, joins with the water and enters our water system, and ends up in our rivers and streams. This is the key point on how we get some of our biggest contaminants from mining, selenium, arsenic and nitrate into our water systems.

Colton Vessey, University of Alberta PhD Student:

Yeah, when you enhance the weathering and the leaching, you can get very elevated concentrations of these contaminants running off into the ecosystem if it's not properly maintained, or stored on site, which is the case what we're seeing in the valley currently, and have been seeing since the early 1980s. There have been elevated steam concentrations above the water quality guidelines. And just for reference, the water quality guidelines here in Alberta for Selenium is two parts per million. And for nitrate is three parts per million. And the nitrate actually comes from what they use in their explosives to actually move the overburden. And that helps break things up, the nitrate also becomes very toxic and elevated. So that's also another concern tech resources in Elk Valley, they've been seeing concentrations, exceeding 100 parts per billion of selenium and up to 40 to 50 parts per million of nitrate in some cases. Unfortunately, though, associated with the elevated concentrations, there's a lot of risks in there deleterious effects on the native species in those areas. So for example, tech resources, they've seen large impacts on the native westslope cutthroat trout populations in the tributaries of the elk Valley, and the Elk River.

David Evans:

In Canada, we have water quality guidelines for how much of toxic chemicals we can actually have within our drinking water or within our natural water bodies, so that it's safe for aquatic life. So when we have a water quality guideline, that's one part per billion. What that really means is, you can only have one molecule of that chemical for 1 billion molecules of water. And if you have any more than that, then it's deemed unsafe by that guideline. So to put that in perspective, this is a really, really small amount of a toxic chemical that you can have in a water. So one part per billion. That's kind of the same as saying, if you had an entire century, 100 years, one part per billion of that would be three seconds. Let's just put it this way. If you had one part per billion of kool aid in your glass of water, it would not change the color of that water and it would not have any taste to it. But With selenium, if you have three parts per billion of selenium in your water, then you're above Alberta's water quality guideline. And it's considered not safe at that point. So when Colton mentioned the tech mine in Elk Valley, this is in BC, and it's the closest similar mine, that's pretty recent, that we can compare with the impacts of mining in the foothills might be like. So when Colton mentions that downstream of the tech mine, they've recorded Selenium at concentrations of 100 parts per billion, that's 50 times greater than what Alberta says is an okay amount to have in your water. And remember, it's not just selenium, there's many different chemicals that are worrisome that might leach out into the water and affect everyone's drinking water downstream. There's arsenic, nitrate, there's cobalt, and nickel, and other heavy metals, and whatever else might be in that overburden. Now, there are ways that you can manage this. So you could actually put in a water treatment facility, or you could use what are called saturated rock fields to help filter the water. But you also have to think of the amount of water that you're actually dealing with, we're actually talking about entire rivers that need to be treated. And also thinking long term, some of these contaminants are projected to maybe even still be leaching out of the waste rock 300 years into the future. Now, one thing that really surprised me with my conversation with Colton was that they actually wash the coal before they can actually send it to market. Coal

Colton Vessey, University of Alberta PhD Student:

mining is very water intensive, it uses about 250 liters of fresh water per one ton of coal, to actually wash the coal because they have to wash the coal to remove a lot of the dust what's called fly ash. And this water has to be kept on site because it's considered contaminated. Right, it has a lot of different particulate matter. And it's mobilizing those contaminants that are already there. But also they have to use 750 liters of recycled water is a stored water that's already been used for washing. So in total, they use about 1000 litres per one ton of coal to wash the coal initially. And then that has to be stored on site. And then they can reuse some of that water for Washington. But when you add up the amount of water that's been withdrawn, is a lot. So the mind that's closest to being in production is the grassy mountain coal project and the crow's nest pass. And they're estimating about 4.5 million tons of coal per year. for 23 years, they worked out the math a little while ago, I think it was around 3 billion liters of fresh water per year of water withdrawal, just a wash the coal.

David Evans:

Yes, you heard that correctly, 3 billion litres of freshwater every year, just to wash coal. That's the same amount of water that would fill 1,200,000 Olympic sized swimming pools. Or if even that isn't giving you the right picture. Imagine if you collected all of the water that went over Niagara Falls for 11 and a half days. And that's only from one mind. There are multiple minds in the category two lands that are already in the exploration phase. And if the consultation goes forward with the government, and they open the rest of the land backup for development, then we could be seeing mines all along the eastern slopes of the Rockies. I'm bringing this up as a concern. Basically, because we do need our water for other purposes, the prairies are notoriously dry. And as climate change continues to increase, we're going to need more and more water, we already are pretty stressed as it is. Another thing to keep in mind is that this doesn't only impact humans. This will impact our native ecosystems and native species across the province. And that includes threatened species like the westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout as well. Both species are really only found in the foothill regions of the Rocky Mountains, and they're already under a lot of pressure. So adding coal mines to the equation is definitely a concern for these species. And many people may not really be too concerned about a species of fish that is already quite threatened. But this is important to many recreational users of these landscapes. That includes everyday citizens includes anglers includes hunters, and includes anyone who'd ventures into these back country areas and enjoys the nature that's there. I had such a great conversation with Colton, about all of these different implications. And we haven't had time to cover them all in this episode, so be sure to check out the deep dive episode coming out later this week for our full conversation. I wanted to finish off with also acknowledging that there will also be other positive benefits that come out of these mines so they will create many jobs for people. They will actually provide economic stability to different areas of the province of Alberta. We do need steel to build our buildings, and therefore, we need coal to produce that steel. But are there any alternatives to the traditional methods that need so much coal to produce the steel. So there are different ways that we can actually create steel without having to rely on the typical process where we need a lot of this coal to create steel for all of our buildings. Now, these new processes are coming online really quickly. So we have electric arc furnaces. And we also have hydrogen, iron reducing systems, which are really fancy ways of saying that they're new ways that we can create steel, we don't need nearly as much cool, and we can get the same or better product. So now the question that I posed to you is, are these mines worth it? And that's why I created this episode and released it today. By next Monday, April 19 2021. The Alberta government is closing their initial survey where they are looking for feedback about whether or not these mines are worth it. And whether or not the positives outweigh the negatives. The goal of this podcast episode is really to just help inform people on what some of the implications might be from putting these minds in these different areas. I would encourage all of the listeners to check out the show notes because I will leave links right to that survey. And please fill it out with whatever you believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But large policy changes that can affect everyone's health and impact. Our most precious resource freshwater cannot be taken lightly and require consultation with the public and all the stakeholder groups involved before we can go through with any decision. Thanks for tuning into today's episode about coal in Alberta and the potential impacts to our water systems. I'd just like to thank Colton Vesey again for taking the time to speak with me about this really fascinating topic. On Wednesday, our full interview, our deep dive episode with Colton Vesey will be released, so be sure to check that out for all of the stuff that we couldn't fit into this episode. If you want to get involved and make sure that your voice is heard. The Alberta government has just released their initial survey for their consultation process on coal in the foothills. So if you want to fill out that survey, it closes on April 19 2021. There'll be a link in the show notes that will take you straight to the survey. There's many other ways to get involved. Many other organizations are really concerned about this as well and are helping to inform and bring people together about this issue. There will also be links in the show notes to some of these organizations like the Alberta wilderness Association and the Canadian parks and Wilderness Society Cpaws. Al o, there's great groups on Fa ebook, that are also striving ha d to raise awareness and ban pe ple together. I would highly en ourage everyone to go and ch ck out that survey and fill it out for yourself. If you have an questions about coal or an thing at all, you can feel fr e to email the show. You can al o feel free to email Colton an his email will be right in th show notes as well (v ssey@ualberta.ca). I'm the ho t and producer David Evans. An I would just like to thank th rest of the team from the aq atic biosphere project, sp cifically to Paula Polman, So hie cervera, and Anna Be tini. Thanks for all of your he p. To learn more about the aq atic biosphere project and wh t we're doing here in Alberta te ling the story of water. Ch ck us out at ww.aquaticbiosphere.ca. And if yo have any questions or co ments about the show, we'd lo e to hear them. Email us at co servation at aquatic bi sphere.org. Please don't fo get to like, subscribe and le ve us a review. It really he ps us out. Get excited for ne t week when we talk ev rything about wildfire and wa er. Many people are more wo ried about the fire when it's ac ually lit. But it's su prising that even after the fi e, the effects can be felt fo decades, we'll talk all ab ut how fire actually in luences how much water we can ge from a system and how fires ar potentially changing in the fu ure. You'll hear from Dr. Ke in Bladon from Oregon State Un versity, all about the im acts of wildfire on our fr shwater systems. Tune in you wo't want to miss it. Thanks an it's been a splash