On July 30, 2025, the Minister of Environment and Parks approved the 2025 Elk Valley Water Quality Plan (EVWQP) as the Area Based Management Plan (ABMP) for the Elk Valley.
View the 2025 Elk Valley Water Quality Plan here: 2025 EVWQP.pdf
View the Minister’s Approval Letter here: Minister ABMP Approval Letter.pdf
View the Minister’s Reasons for Decision here: Minister ABMP Reasons for Decision.pdf
View the Ministerial Order here: Ministerial Order No. M232-2024
On this page
Project summary
The amendment process began in July 2024 when the Minister of Environment and Parks issued an Order for the B.C. government to amend the EVWQP that was originally prepared by industry in 2014. On July 30, 2025, the Minister approved the 2025 EVWQP as the ABMP for the Elk Valley.
The amended plan:
- Reaffirmed and clarified the plan’s goals, including outcomes, objectives and water quality targets
- Clarified how the plan is being implemented using Environmental Management Act waste discharge permits
- Described how new information may update the ABMP in the future
- Described how the EVWQP and its targets apply to all dischargers in the Elk Valley
The 2025 EVWQP included input from provincial, federal and Ktunaxa First Nation governments. Input from industry was also considered.
What work was done?
The Minister signed Ministerial Order M232-2024 in July 2024. This Order defined the scope of work to be completed and the process for consultation and engagement to seek input on the draft 2025 EVWQP amendment.
The project started with early input, and then a draft plan was reviewed and refined multiple times with input from Ktunaxa First Nations and a broader Advisory Committee including governments and industry in addition to Ktunaxa First Nations. This work was followed by a Public Comment Period and then development of final recommendations for the minister.
The 2025 EVWQP was informed by over 400 comments from the Advisory Committee and 31 submissions from the public.
What changed?
The 2025 EVWQP provides clarity and increases transparency by showing how the ABMP fits into B.C.’s regulatory framework.
Key changes in the amended plan include:
- Structuring the EVWQP as a government-led framework to replace the plan prepared by industry
- Creating a new vision statement for water quality in the Elk Valley
- Clarifying the EVWQP goals
- Updating the calcite target to reflect new science
- Providing an implementation strategy to make progress towards the goals and vision
- Clarifying how the EVWQP applies to all dischargers in the Elk Valley
- Describing the broader regulatory framework for water quality decision-making in the Elk Valley, including how the ABMP works alongside permits
- Providing transparency into how the goals of the EVWQP guide statutory decision making by the ministry to improve water quality
- Describing a process to update the EVWQP to stay relevant as mining continues in the Elk Valley
View the 2025 Elk Valley Water Quality Plan here: 2025 EVWQP.pdf
View documents
Information sheets were developed to describe the ABMP amendment project and to support engagement during the public comment period:
- Information Sheet #1 – History of the ABMP.pdf
- Information Sheet #2 – Regulating Mining in the Elk Valley.pdf
- Information Sheet #3 – ABMP Amendment #1 Process.pdf
- Information Sheet #4 – Highlights of the Draft 2025 EVWQP.pdf
