Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. a subsidiary of the giant miner Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO) (ASX: RIO) (LON: RIO) once again has been ordered to pay a fine for spilling dangerous substances into the Saguenay River.
On Tuesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada announced the $500,000 fine after the company pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Fisheries Act. The money will go into the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund and will support environmental restoration and wildlife and habitat conservation projects.
The spill took place on Sept. 17, 2019, as a result of a boiler malfunction at the Arvida factory operated by Rio Tinto Alcan in Saguenay, Quebec. To cool down the malfunctioning equipment for repairs, it was necessary to spray it with water which then entered a drainage system that ultimately connected to the Saguenay River.
Although Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. said it took immediate action to halt this flow, approximately 351.3 cubic meters of water with an acidic pH level between 4.6 and 5.5 were discharged into the Saguenay River.
“The deposit of a deleterious substance, such as water with an acidic pH, in water which is frequented by fish is an offence under subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act,” reads a statement by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
After this, the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry which contains information on convictions of businesses registered for offences committed under federal environmental laws.
This is the second time the company has been fined for dumping toxic products into a major river in the province. In 2018, the company was charged $100,000 for spilling hundreds of litres of hydrochloric acid into the Seguenay River in 2016.
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Last June, Rio Tinto Fer et Titane Inc. was sentenced by the Court of Quebec after pleading guilty to two spills of harmful substances into the St. Lawrence River. The company was forced to pay two fines totalling $600,000 for spills in June and December 2020 that violated the Canadian Fisheries Act.
In March this year, the company spilled 450 million litres of waste water due to a broken pipeline in the Diavik Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories. However, the spill was not reported until a month later because the company thought ” it was not necessary to report it” because it was within a pond.
Rio Tinto stock fell slightly on Tuesday by 2 per cent to AUD$110.90 on the Australian Stock Exchange.
