PUBLIC NOTIFICATION

Potable water use in the Elk Valley

Permit 107517 Section 6.6.

EVR operates four steelmaking coal operations and has one mine in care and maintenance in the Elk Valley. The company continues to implement the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan, developed in consultation with the Government of BC, the Ktunaxa Nation, scientists, and local communities to address water quality challenges related to the history of mining activities in the Elk River watershed.

Residents who rely on surface water or shallow groundwater from Michel Creek, Fording River, Elk River, or associated tributaries should be aware that seasonal changes may lead to higher concentrations of mine-related substances in their water supply. Interior Health advises testing all private surface and groundwater sources and treating them as needed to ensure safe consumption.

In 2014, EVR initiated the Regional Drinking Water Monitoring Program (RDWMP), which monitors private and municipal drinking water quality across the Elk Valley. The RDWMP also allows residents whose water source has the potential to be influenced by mine-related constituents to have their water sampled upon request. Based on historical water quality results, usage, or user/owner request, EVR sampled 52 drinking water wells and sources for mine-related constituents in 2024.

Drinking water quality was assessed by comparing water quality data for the wells/sources to the applicable British Columbia Source Drinking Water Quality Guidelines (BCSDWQG Maximum Allowable Concentration; BC MoE, 2020). This comparison focuses on mine-related constituents in groundwater as determined through the 2023 Regional Groundwater Monitoring Program Update. If the results were above the BCSDWQG for mine-related constituents, residents were notified, and an appropriate mitigation (alternate source of water or water treatment) was implemented.

The results of the 2024 RDWMP indicated that 9 wells of 52 sampled wells, were above the BCSDWQG for total selenium which is one well less than the 2023 results. The results have been provided to well owners. No other mine-related constituents were above the BCSDWQG during this period. Seasonally elevated concentrations of mine-related constituents in these wells typically occurred during low-flow periods (October to April) as surface water concentrations interact with groundwater aquifers.

EVR has made significant progress implementing the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan (EVWQP). EVR has constructed four water treatment facilities to date with capacity to treat 77.5 million litres of water per day which are removing between 95% and 99% of selenium from treated water, and we expect to further increase our water treatment capacity by 2027 to 150 million litres per day. Selenium and nitrate concentrations have stabilized and are now reducing downstream of treatment.

EVR also has a broad portfolio of research and development projects progressing with a focus on controlling contaminants at the source and implementing in-situ treatment solutions. These projects are focused on managing constituents more sustainably and to control the release of constituents at the source, reducing or eliminating release into nearby watersheds.

Information on groundwater wells can be found at: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/ water/groundwater-wells-aquifers/groundwater-wells

For further information regarding health-related drinking water concerns, please visit Interior Health’s Drinking Water webpage at: interiorhealth.ca/health-and-wellness/environmentalhealth-and-hazards/drinking-water

We work with the Province of B.C. to make monitoring and compliance data accessible. View the most recent data and information at: elkvalleywaterquality.gov.bc.ca

For more information regarding EVR’s RDWMP, or to request EVR sample your well(s) for mine-related constituents, please contact EVR’s toll-free Feedback Line at 1-855-806-6854 and leave a message, or email feedback@evr.com and an EVR representative will respond. Information about EVR’s EVWQP is available online at glencore.ca/en/evr/sustainability/waterquality. For non-mine-related constituents such as bacteria or other pathogens, please contact the Interior Health Authority. [mh20]

PUBLIC NOTICE

DEVELOPMENT OF A PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN

Reference Number: 002

Applicant: EVR Operations Limited

As per the British Columbia Integrated Pest Management Act and Integrated Pest Management Regulation, Elk Valley Resources (EVR) is providing notice of its submission of an integrated Invasive Plant Management Plan (IPMP) which includes a Pest Management Plan, for the purpose of managing industrial vegetation, noxious weeds and invasive plants. This five-year plan will be in effect in May of 2025 to May 2030 and will supersede the previous PMP (914-0001-23-28). This Plan will abide by the principles of integrated pest management within the Plan areas, including the use of pesticides approved by the Federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency, and other mechanical, manual and cultural controls, where feasible.

The pest management activities carried out under this Plan will occur on:

• Permitted Mine Areas – including private and public (Crown) lands within the permitted active disturbance boundaries of EVR’s operations north of Sparwood (Line Creek Operations), northeast of Elkford (Fording River and Greenhills Operations) and southeast of Sparwood (Elkview Operations and Coal Mountain site).

• Permitted Exploration Areas – which includes areas on public (Crown) lands where permitted exploration activities have occurred (e.g. Fording River Extension Project, Road Rehabilitation Project areas in the Fording River valley)

• EVR private lands – freehold lands, railways and rail rights-of-way, or industrial facilities and associated yards (e.g. communication facilities, electrical substations, or other industrial facilities at EVR’s operations southeast of Sparwood (Coal Mountain site), adjacent to Sparwood (Elk View Operations), north of Sparwood (Line Creek Operations), northeast of Elkford (Greenhills and Fording River).

The pesticides proposed for use under this plan include the following:

*Indicates new pesticides not included in the former plan.

The application methods proposed for use under this plan for the herbicides listed above include backpack or handheld sprayer, vehicle mounted sprayer, wick, squirt bottle and injection tools.

Physical copies of the IPMP document with a map of the proposed treatment area are available at:

EVR Social Responsibility Office

116 Centennial Street, Sparwood, BC

Sparwood Public Library

110 Pine Ave, Sparwood, BC

A digital version of the IPMP is available upon request by emailing: feedback@evr.com.

A person wishing to contribute information about a proposed treatment site, relevant to the development of the Pest Management Plan, may send copies of the information through EVR’s Feedback Mechanism via email at feedback@evr.com, in person at 116 Centennial Square, or by calling and leaving a message at 1.855.806.6854 within 30 days of the publication of this notice. The identity of any respondents and the contents of anything submitted in relation to this application will become part of the public record. [mh20]