In nearly four months, an extension of Teck Coal’s Elkview Operations will bring mining closer to Sparwood. The Baldy Ridge Extension (BRE) project will extend the overall life of the mine until 2045 and increase the disturbance area of the operation by 862 hectares.
On Tuesday, May 14, Teck provided its annual update on the BRE project, which is slated to begin in October. About 50 people gathered at the Sparwood Leisure Centre for the meeting, which was opened by Elkview Operations General Manager Dan Sander. He recognized fugitive dust as the major issue for the community and said Teck is trialing innovative solutions to try to resolve this and other impacts, as reported by The Free Press.
Teck staff highlighted these solutions as they presented a range of topics, including the work of the Socio-Community Economics Effects Advisory Committee (SCEEAC), which oversees the BRE project.
The SCEEAC’s focus is reviewing and proposing adjustments to Teck management’s plans for blasting and vibration, visual quality and noise, as well as a livability study commissioned by Sparwood.
