Grainswest - Fall 2025

Fall 2025 Grains West 30 Fitch also noted the region’s reliance on headwaters. He estimated more than 80 per cent of flows in southern Alberta rivers used for irrigation come from the Eastern Slopes. Native trout are an early warning indicator of watershed condition, acting as the proverbial canary in the coal mine. “When they’re healthy that tells me the watershed is in a high degree of ecological health,” said Fitch. Their disappearance, he added, “should set off alarm bells for downstream water users.” In 2021, the joint review panel raised similar concerns, concluding the proposed project was likely to cause significant adverse effects on westslope cutthroat trout and degrade surface water quality, including from selenium effluent. The panel also determined the project was likely to harm the physical and cultural heritage of the Kainai, Piikani and Siksika First Nations. It concluded the proposal was not in the public interest. An Alberta grain farmer whose land is in the Oldman watershed and asked to remain anonymous, said the concern is about operational continuity. If selenium at an irrigation intake exceeds a limit, would diversions be halted? when would farmers be notified? how long would the interruption last? WHAT REGULATORS SAY The AER said coal applications must include selenium management plans that follow Alberta’s surface water quality guidelines. Reviews consider cumulative effects, and approvals can carry monitoring conditions, inspections and enforcement. In its written replies, the AER did not provide intake specific selenium limits for irrigation intakes or note the actions required in the case of an exceedance. Alberta Environment and Protected Areas pointed to an ambient river monitoring network that includes selenium and said early triggers apply in sensitive systems. Its reply likewise did not provide intake specific limits or action protocols for irrigators. In an email exchange, water quality specialist Janelle Villeneuve confirmed the IDWQ program operated by the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association is ongoing. Though it no longer tests for metals, including selenium, it has continued monitoring southern Alberta irrigation water at sites across the province through 2025. Villeneuve said metals were found to be of geologic origin and at low concentrations that pose little risk for irrigation and livestock use; selenium was detected at low levels and never exceeded Alberta guidelines for those two uses, with a few occasional exceedances of the 2 µg/L aquatic life guideline in water samples prior to 2016. At a July 31, 2025, town hall meeting in Fort Macleod, Premier Danielle Smith reiterated that Alberta will not allow new open-pit or mountaintop removal mines, adding, however, that four “advanced projects,” including Grassy Mountain, remain in process. On selenium, she cited 1.3 µg/L in Crowsnest Lake, which she said is “well below” the 50 µg/L drinking water limit. She acknowledged bioaccumulation can occur in fish and said the Province is following the science. She also argued that metallurgical coal is needed to make steel. “You can’t make solar panels without coal. You can’t make wind turbines without coal,” she said. “You can’t drive tractors without making the steel that is going to allow you to make that kind of equipment.” In contrast with the Premier’s statement about domestic needs, the 2021 joint review record describes the proponent’s product as an export metallurgical coal. At the same meeting, metallurgist Cornelis Kolijn, an expert witness on coal quality during the 2020-21 hearings, raised questions about the project’s viability, describing Grassy Mountain coal as substandard for long-term steelmaking blends. He said most of the deposit is of inferior quality and the blend profile would degrade quickly, concluding that the project was not worth the risk. He further noted that revenue depends on quality, which in turn determines the mining company’s capacity to fund water treatment and reclamation over decades. “The market will focus on high-quality coal, which they don’t have, so they won’t get the price to do a proper mining job.” EVIDENCE STILL NEEDED In his testimonial, Fitch focused on duration. Selenium moves through food FEATURE “You can’t make solar panels without coal. You can’t make wind turbines without coal. You can’t drive tractors without making the steel that is going to allow you to make that kind of equipment.” – Danielle Smith