A contractor on the Site C mega-dam project has been fined $1.1 million for releasing contaminated drainage water into a fish-bearing waterway.
Peace River Hydro Partners, who hold the main civil works contract for the project, have pleaded guilty to one charge under the Fisheries Act.
It stems from an investigation undertaken by enforcement officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada in 2018.
Roughly 3,300 cubic metres of contaminated drainage had been released into the Peace River during a high-water event that September.
Officers determined that, at the time of the event, the project’s infrastructure had insufficient available capacity to treat the extra drainage.
A sample of the drainage water collected at the time revealed a concentration of aluminum that is acutely lethal to fish.
In addition to the fine, the company has now been added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
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