Celebrating 25 years of Stewardship
Safe and innovative reclamation of the Sullivan Mine keeps ecosystems healthy and a community strong.
Teck’s water treatment efforts and tailings management at Kimberley’s Sullivan Mine protect the region's water resources. — Teck Resources Ltd, with credit to Morgan Turner Photography
For nearly 100 years, the Sullivan Mine — one of the world’s largest underground lead and zinc mines at the time of operations — was a critical part of Kimberley’s social and economic fabric: it was the city’s largest employer and the largest single contributor to Kimberley’s tax base.
Just as the mine’s operation was fundamental in Kimberley’s story, so too is its closure and reclamation — and this year, the Sullivan Mine celebrates 25 years of post-closure site stewardship. Having successfully transitioned from a mining community to a vibrant tourist destination and thriving recreational center, Kimberley provides a model for mine reclamation that maintains community vitality and continually improves ecosystem health.
Teck and its community partners spent years preparing for the mine’s closure in 2001. The closure plan included objectives such as protecting public health and safety, reclaiming land and watercourses to protect wildlife, and managing mine-impacted water — all priorities that continue to guide post-closure improvement efforts today.
This includes water collection and treatment strategies that have resulted in significant improvements to water quality indicators in both Mark Creek and the St. Mary River. Teck’s water management systems contain more than 25 pumps and 30 kilometres of pipeline that convey it to the Drainage Water Treatment Plant, located southwest of Marysville. The plant features a high-density sludge treatment process; at the time of its construction, this innovative process was one of the first of its kind in the world.
Additionally, field studies of aquatic vegetation, invertebrates, and fish began before the mine’s closure, and are still completed periodically to assess changes over time, as water quality improves. Teck's water management and treatment efforts are intended to protect the region's water resources and support their careful stewardship over time.
Safe and effective management of tailings — which are the leftover materials from processing mined ore — is another vital element of Teck’s ongoing remediation work. At the Sullivan Mine, soil cover experiments between 1977 and 1994 tested various cover configurations over a variety of tailings, to determine which would best prevent the uptake of metals, acids, and salts into the growth medium and reduce water infiltration.
Teck’s tailings facilities follow global best practices for safety and efficacy. The Sullivan Mine has five tailings facilities that have been secured with multi-layered soil covers, with water conveyed through collection and diversion channels for treatment at the Drainage Water Treatment Plant.
Decommissioned tailings sites are regularly evaluated and rigorously monitored, and risks are managed through robust design, ongoing stewardship, and engineered solutions. Teck is proud to adhere to the highest standards in tailings management for mining companies, including the Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management.
Ongoing care for the Sullivan Mine site — and the community and ecosystem surrounding it — happens through consistent environmental monitoring, thoughtful management of vegetation growth, maintaining soil cover, regular compliance monitoring, and community engagement. All remediation efforts are designed to ensure long-term safety and environmental protection, and in 2020, the Sullivan Mine was recognized with a B.C. Mine Reclamation Award for Outstanding Reclamation Achievement.
Twenty-five years on, the Sullivan Mine stands as more than a closed chapter: it’s an evolving example of leading-edge restoration and protection. Through ongoing work with local partners, Teck continues to advance innovative approaches to water treatment, tailings management, and environmental stewardship — ensuring that Kimberley remains a global leader in responsible mine closure, and a vibrant, resilient community for generations to come.
Find this full-length story and more in The Trench’s Spring/Summer 2026 edition: