Alberta government knew bighorn sheep contaminated with coal-mine selenium: scientist

Some herds of bighorn sheep, Alberta's provincial animal, are heavilycontaminated with selenium from old coal mines, says researchfrom aretired senior government biologist.

Jeff Kneteman said Alberta Environment has known about theproblem for years. But it has yet tocommission anystudies about the effects on the three herds and how far thecontamination has spread through thelocal ecosystem.

"There was no interest," said Kneteman, who left government inMarch 2020. "Why wasn't any of this stuff ever followed up?"

The research comes to light as the United Conservative government tries to persuade Albertans that its regulatory andmonitoring systems are capable of ensuring a safe expansion ofcoal-mining in the RockyMountains.

An Alberta Environment spokespersonsaid the government is aware ofthe issue.

"Alberta Environment and Parks has engaged with researchers andmining companies and their consultants in the [area] regardingselenium levels in bighorn sheep," John Muir said in an email.

Research was for a master's degree

Kneteman's work dates from 2015. It was his thesis for a master'sdegree and not provincially funded.

He was investigating selenium, a naturally occurring elementassociated with coal mines that is healthy in small dosesbut toxicin excess.

His study looked at what levels of selenium werenormal for animals, including bighorns, deer, elk and caribou, byconsidering 85 herds from across North America.

Two herds in northwest Alberta stood out those on the sites ofthe Smoky River, Gregg River and Luscar coal mines.

Both herds averaged well outside the safe range for selenium. Oneof them almost doubled that level.

"They're getting it from the coal mines," Kneteman said. "Wefound no evidence of elevated selenium in Alberta in any oftheother populations that we sampled."

The Rockies are naturally low in selenium. As well, when bighornsfrom one of the coal-affected herds were transferred toNevada,their selenium levels dropped to normal within a year.

Muir said a consultant found selenium levels to be high but belowthose that would produce toxic effects.

Selenium is known to damage reproduction. "The sheep on the mines have the lowest reproductive potentialand reproductive output that we've ever measured inCanada," Kneteman said.

The province's 2015 draft management plan for bighorns found thatthe ratio of lambs to ewes was lower at coal mines than native rangeevery year from 2008 to 2013.

Referring to unpublished government data, the plan says: "Highselenium levels in blood samples from bighorns feeding inreclamation areas associated with a coal-mine site ... are ofconcern to sheep managers.

"No examination of possible population effects attributedexclusively to selenium toxicity has been undertaken to date."

Research suggests selenium is widespread in the ecosystem inquestion.Kneteman previously found elevated levels in dippers, small birdsthat feed on aquatic insects. Other studies have found excessiveselenium in at least three area waterways.

"[Selenium] is throughout the system," Kneteman said.

'Why would we expect it to have changed?'

Although his data is years old, there's little reason to believethings have improved, he said.

"The assumption could be made it's the same today as it was in2015. Why would we expect it to have changed?"

The province's 2019 five-year monitoring plan mothballed all thearea's water-monitoring stations.

Since last spring, Alberta has sold tens of thousands of hectaresof exploration leases for new coal mines along thesummits andeastern slopes of the Rockies.

In response to public concern, Energy Minister Sonya Savage haspaused all work on the most sensitive landscapes, stopped furtherlease sales and struck a panel to hear concerns from Albertans.

She has asked Albertans to have faith in the province'sregulatory agency and monitoring programs and has referred to Alberta Environment's "stringent environmental protections."