Sherritt says Athabasca River safe after coal mine spill

One of the companies behind the Obed Mountain Coal Mine says water coming from the Athabasca River is now safe for use by wildlife, fish and people.

In November, owner Sherritt International reported hundreds of millions of litres of contaminated water spilled from the mine's containment area into the river.

The company now estimates the spill contained about 90,000 tonnes of sediment, and says most of that was clay, mud, shale and coal particles.

Sherritt's latest test results show the plume ofwastewater eroded the river banks of a nearby body of water called the Apetowun Creek. At least five kilometres of the river bank was damaged and some sediment spread into a nearby forest.

ButSherritt says the Athabasca River itself appears to have minimal or no abnormal erosion.

The company's lab tests show trout in the Athabasca were able to survive after thewastewater spilled into the river.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans saysit won'thave any definitive results on the environmental impact on fish stocks until the spring thaw.

Sherritt says it's still investigating what caused the spill,and teams are now vacuuming up the sediment from creek beds near the Athabasca River.

Biologist saysApetowunCreek fish likely killed

GregGoss, a fish toxicologist withthe University of Alberta Water Initiative, says it's too early to say the water is safe.

"I think what we want to say is that for public health consumption, drinking water,if you live in an area that has municipal water, you'resafe to drink that water, but the river itself has some damageand we have to assess that and we can't get ahead of ourselves and make those pronouncements."

Gosssays most of the fish inApetowunCreek most likelydidn'tmake it.

"That had populations ofAthabascaRiver rainbow trout, populations of native small-body fishes and those were most likely wiped out with the force of the sheer flow," he said.

Gosssays sediments will coat the body of the stream and will prevent invertebratesfrom recolonizing. He also says the return of the fish could take a long time.

Gosssaid the water initiative is working with Alberta's Environment and Sustainable Resource Developmentto make sure there is an opportunity for independent assessment by experts at the university.

"It would be an independent assessment where we have the right to to make our own criticisms, to have our own publications, to be able to discuss it, and we will also work with the company (Sherritt) to improve plans we see as deficit from a scientific and from a human and environmental health perspective."

The idea of the independent assessment came out of a public forum about the coal spill held at the university of Albertaon Monday.