The research would be carried out by International Joint Commission (IJC), a bi-national organization set up under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty between the US and Canada to prevent and resolve disputes over shared waters.
An IJC request would likely mean the consortium could eventually face stronger regulations and need to put aside more cash to cover future reclamation liabilities, environmental lawyers said.
Selenium, a naturally occurring element that is toxic to fish in high concentrations, has been leaching for decades from the piles of waste rock surrounding Teck’s mines.
Teck has spent more than C$1.2 billion ($889 million) since 2014 to tackle the pollution. Yet the annual average concentration of selenium in the Elk River near where it enters Lake Koocanusa, straddling the US-Canada border downstream, was 5.77 micrograms per litre in 2022, well above the 1 microgram per litre level recommended by Canadian federal…
