There go those fish and everything thats coming upstream is dead!

http://www.thetyee.ca/Documents/2014/11/20/Klohn-Cripper-Berger-Tailings-Impoundment-Report.pdf
Tahltan Central Council
Red Chris Mine Site
Review of Tailings Impoundment Design

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is a review of the tailings impoundment design, water quality predictions, and geohazards at the
Red Chris copper/gold deposit in northwestern British Columbia near Iskut on Highway 37. The
project is at an advanced stage of construction. This tailings impoundment review was instigated by
the Tahltan Central Council following the failure of the Mount Polley tailings impoundment which
released pond water and tailings to the environment. Any technical lessons to be learned from
Mount Polley cannot be applied to this facility because the forensic investigation into the cause of
that failure has not yet been completed. At the same time, any failure of the Red Chris impoundment
will likely have a much more significant environmental impact than the Mount Polley failure.

The tailings will be stored in a valley about 400 m lower than and to the east of the mill. This valley is
underlain by over 90 m of permeable glaciofluvial sands and gravels with interlayers of at least one
glacial till unit. The valley is at the headwaters of Trail and Quarry Creeks. The impoundment will be
formed by centreline tailings dams on the north and south and an earthfill dam in a northeast
tributary in the latter stages of mining. These two tailings dams will be nominally 100 m high. Similar
tailings dams have been constructed using centreline construction techniques at several sites in
British Columbia. We consider that this design is feasible and will be stable statically and dynamically
if constructed properly. To date, only the detailed design of the North Starter Dam has been
completed. The detailed design of the North and South Dams has not yet been completed.

A major design issue for the tailings impoundment is the high permeability of the foundation soils.
The designers are relying on a fine grained tailings blanket to limit seepage into the pervious
foundation. This design will likely succeed but there has not been enough work on the potential for
tailings fines piping into the foundation, internal piping instability of the foundation itself, and the
potential for large seepage losses through temporarily unlined (no tailings) pond areas for the
concept to be certain. In our opinion, during the early stages of development before tailings inundate
the more pervious South Dam, the mine and their tailings designers need to monitor the water
balance for the tailings impoundment carefully to prove their design concept.

The tailings dams will be constructed of rough, deͲpyritized tailings which will also be spigotted
upstream of the dams subaerially to form beaches. The pyrite from the rough tailings will be mixed
with clean PAG tailings which will be discharged into the pond. The designers are relying on a pond
water cover to prevent oxidation of the tailings through operation and closure.

All contact water from the mine, mill and waste dumps will be collected and conveyed to the pond.
Tailings transport water and precipitation/runoff will mix with this water in the pond. The water
balance shows that there will be excess water to mill and water cover requirements so pond water
will have to be released to the environment. Red Chris is planning to release water by pumping to the
environment 7 months of the year. With this release, Red Chris contends that a 12 day PMF can be
contained with their intended freeboard.

In order for this untreated water release to be acceptable, the water quality must meet permit
requirements. There is a detailed water quality model that predicts water quality will be acceptable
during, at least, the operation of the mine. While this may be true, detailed documentation of the
measures to be followed in the event that water quality fails to meet compliance is required. This
should include an emergency response, identification of causes, secondary mitigation plans such as
capture and pumping systems and inclusion of short and longͲterm water treatment.

As with any new site, the hydrology has been compiled from limited site information, nearby weather
stations, and regional trends. We consider that another weather station is needed in the tailings
impoundment valley as a minimum. The water balance will have to be updated as site experience is
gained.

Presently, the site lacks an Operating, Maintenance and Surveillance Manual for the tailings
impoundment. This document must be prepared recognizing the role of the observational approach
on the water balance, seepage flows, and water quality. The site also lacks an inundation study for
both the North and South Dams. Emergency preparation and emergency response plans are also
lacking. We understand that both documents are being prepared.

The access road to the site from Highway 37 is through relatively stable terrain and does not require
any attention other than relatively routine maintenance appropriate for this area. At the other end of
the spectrum, the Kluea landslide, whose crest is about 300 m from the eventual pit rim, is poorly
understood. The landslide requires basic characterization using techniques such as field mapping,
bare earth Lidar, and movement estimates from satellite imagery. Then a risk assessment needs to be
completed that considers the effects of the landslide on the project and the reverse.

This summary is intended to highlight the major issues identified in our report. It does not substitute
for our report which must be read in its entirety to appreciate our opinion on site issues. This report
preparation together with a site visit and partial review of a large number of documents was
completed within about a one month. Our opinions in no way relieve Red Chris and its consultants of
their sole responsibility for the safe and regulationͲcompliant operation and performance of the
tailings impoundment.
 
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Un...eblower+protection+during/10396488/story.html

Unions, First Nations seek ‘whistleblower’ protection during Mount Polley dam collapse probes

Investigations underway into cause of tailings dam collapse, possible regulatory factors

BY GORDON HOEKSTRA, VANCOUVER SUN NOVEMBER 19, 2014

2

STORYPHOTOS ( 1 )

Unions, First Nations seek ‘whistleblower’ protection during Mount Polley dam collapse probes

Contents from the Mount Polley mine tailings pond are pictured going down Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely on August 5.
Photograph by: JONATHAN HAYWARD , THE CANADIAN PRESS
Unions representing government inspectors and engineers and Mount Polley mine workers, supported by First Nations, called on the B.C. government Wednesday to provide “whistleblower” protection to workers who provide information to an expert panel appointed by the government.

The three-member expert engineering panel recently made an unusual call for public submission on the cause of Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley gold and copper mine tailings dam collapse.

The collapse on Aug. 4 at the mine in the Central Interior released millions of cubic metres of water and tailings containing potentially toxic metals. The spill, among the largest in the world in the past 50 years, sparked widespread concerns about the long-term effects on the Quesnel Lake watershed and has put intense scrutiny on tailings dam safety in British Columbia.

“Unless your government provides immediate protection to employees to speak freely about the disaster, there is a real risk that the panel will not obtain all the evidence it needs to do its job properly,” the parties said in a letter to Premier Christy Clark dated Wednesday.

The letter was signed by representatives of the B.C. Government Employees Union, Professional Employees Association, United Steelworkers, Williams Lake Indian Band, the Xatsull First Nation (Soda Creek Indian Band) and the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre.

UVic law centre legal director Calvin Sandborn said that workers who fear reprisal in their workplace might not come forward.

The premier’s office referred questions to the mines ministry.

In an interview, B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett responded that he does not believe legislative change is needed for people to be able to freely provide information on the “disaster” without fear of reprisal.

He noted that public service workers are already provided that protection if they go through appropriate channels. In the Mount Polley case, the appropriate channels include the expert panel, the chief mines inspector or the B.C. Conservation Service, Bennett said.

All three bodies are conducting investigations.

And Bennett provided a personal assurance that public service employees who provide information have “nothing to fear” from the government.

Bennett added that mine employees would be able to provide information in confidence to any of the three investigations.

“The presumption that I think is implicit in the suggestion that we need this whistleblower protection for the Mount Polley situation is that somehow or another we are trying to hide something. We are not trying to hide anything,” said Bennett. “I am serious about getting to the bottom of what happened.”

The letter to the premier said rectifying the problem is as simple as providing legal immunity for both civil servants and mine employees who come forward with information.

Those with information need protection from managerial discipline or dismissal, added the letter.

Sandborn pointed to mine worker Larry Chambers, who said he was fired for bringing up safety issues.

And he noted that Mount Polley mine foreman Gerald MacBurney, who came forward with information that Imperial Metals was not safely increasing the size of the dam as instructed by its engineers AMEC, did so only because he did not fear reprisal as he had already quit after winning a significant amount of money playing online slots.

AMEC has declined to comment on the issue, and Imperial Metals CEO Brian Kynoch has been adamant the company followed the advice of its engineers in building the dam and raising its height.

While the B.C. government has resisted whistleblower legislation, Ontario, New Brunswick and Yukon have all implemented some form of whistleblower protection.

ghoekstra@vancouversun.com

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http://www.vancouversun.com/technol...esign+concerns+identified/10392164/story.html

Third-party review of Red Chris mine tailings dam design finds concerns


BY GORDON HOEKSTRA, VANCOUVER SUN NOVEMBER 18, 2014

6

STORYPHOTOS ( 8 )

Third-party review of Red Chris mine tailings dam design finds concerns

An aerial view of the Mount Polley mine near the town of Likely, B.C.
Photograph by: JONATHAN HAYWARD , THE CANADIAN PRESS
An independent review of Imperial Metals’ Red Chris mine tailings dam design, demanded by the Tahltan First Nation after the Mount Polley collapse, has identified several key concerns.

The review by Klohn Crippen Berger — paid for by Imperial Metals — found the Red Chris tailings facility design is feasible if constructed properly.

However, a major design issue is the “high permeability” of the soils the two major earthen dams will be built on, according to the review obtained by The Vancouver Sun.

The high permeability of the soils means if a fine-grained “tailings blanket” does not stop seepage, it could cause stability problems and allow significant water to leak from the storage facility, states the 50-page report.

KCB is recommending that during early stages of building the tailings storage facility in remote northwest B.C., near the tiny community of Iskut, that Imperial Metals’ designers need to monitor the water balance carefully “to prove their design concept.”

KCB also found the historic Kluea landslide, whose crest is about 300 metres from the eventual mine pit rim, is poorly understood. The landslide potentially could let loose and hit the mine site, resulting in an uncontrolled release of acidic and process water, said their report.

KCB has recommended additional investigation, analysis and risk assessment of the slide.

In making 22 recommendations, KCB noted that “any failure of the Red Chris impoundment will likely have a much more significant environmental impact than the Mount Polley failure.”

The Mount Polley tailings dam collapse on Aug. 4 released millions of cubic metres of water and tailings into the Quesnel Lake watershed. It has raised significant questions about long-term environmental effects on the lake, including on salmon, and focused intense scrutiny on the safety of tailings dams in British Columbia.

Unlike the Mount Polley gold and copper mine, whose tailings are considered relatively benign, the tailings at Red Chris are considered acidic and can leach potentially toxic metals into the environment.

The mine will release untreated mine water into a creek that eventually flows into the salmon-bearing Stikine River.

Imperial Metals officials declined Tuesday to comment on the KCB findings, saying in a written statement they were still developing a “work plan” with the Tahltan.

But on Monday, during a conference call to discuss third-quarter financial results, Imperial Metals CEO Brian Kynoch said he didn’t expect the review recommendations to delay start-up of the mine. “We are assuming we are going to get a permit to commission the plant and turn it all on in December,” said Kynoch.

As part of an agreement signed on Aug. 21 between Imperial Metals and the TCC, the company agreed to implement the recommendations from the review.

Tahltan Central Council (TCC) president Chad Day was not available for comment Tuesday.

While the central council has been supportive of the mine project, the elders group the Klabona Keepers had blockaded the Red Chris site for several weeks after the Mount Polley spill over fears of a similar incident.

The review has done nothing to “soothe” fears, according to Rhoda Quock, a spokeswoman for the Klabona Keepers.

Quock said she remains concerned about the potential for a catastrophic collapse but also about the potential for significant leakage. “I’m lost for words. How could our people’s livelihood be jeopardized by this?” she said.

In an interview Tuesday, B.C. Mines Minister Bill Bennett said he has no authority to hold back permits, as those decision are made at a staff level, but expected that Day, the TCC president, will be pushing the company hard to fix “deficiencies” turned up in the report. “It’s up to the Tahltan Central Council and Imperial to make sure that these last items are looked after so the mine can proceed,” Bennett said.

B.C. Environment Ministry spokesman Dave Crebo said in a written statement that “relevant” recommendations from the review will be considered in future ministry decisions. The environment ministry is reviewing a permit that would allow Red Chris to discharge effluent from the tailings facility.

In its report, dated Oct. 10, 2014, KCB also recommended a detailed plan in the event water quality fails to meet B.C. standards, including an emergency response and other measures such as being able to capture the water. KCB also recommended short and long-term water treatment.

The review identified a number of items that were lacking — emergency response plans; an operating, maintenance and surveillance manual for the tailings facility; and inundation studies to detail what would happen if there is a collapse of the dams.

The KCB also “strongly suggested” Red Chris establish a technical review board of independent, senior engineers and scientists who provide a watchdog role on the tailings storage facilities. Some metal mines in B.C. have them, and they are used at Alberta oilsands tailings storage facilities.

ghoekstra@vancouversun.com
 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ement-in-regulation-of-new-b-c-mine-1.2744601

Alaska requests involvement in regulation of new B.C. mine
State asks to be involved in authorization, permitting and enforcement of new KSM gold and copper mine
The Canadian Press Posted: Aug 22, 2014 4:18 PM PT Last Updated: Aug 22, 2014 8:42 PM PT

The proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell gold and copper mine in northwestern B.C. is causing Alaska concern due to its size and proximity to the Unuk River system, which also flows into Alaska.
The proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell gold and copper mine in northwestern B.C. is causing Alaska concern due to its size and proximity to the Unuk River system, which also flows into Alaska. (seabridgegold.net)

Mount Polley mine spill, an aerial view
Mount Polley Mine tailings pond breach called environmental disaster
Mount Polley spill: Testing finds elevated selenium in fish
Mount Polley mine: sediment near spill may harm fish
The state of Alaska has taken the rare step of asking the Canadian government for greater involvement in the approval and regulation of a controversial mine in northwestern British Columbia amid growing concern that the project could threaten American rivers and fish.

Alaska's Department of Natural Resources outlined its request in a letter this week to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, which has been reviewing the proposed KSM gold and copper mine, owned by Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSX:SEA). The project has already been approved by B.C.

Sept 4 New Projects Map
Seabridge Gold Inc.'s proposed KSM Gold-Copper Mine is a large tonnage gold/copper mine in northwestern British Columbia. The proposal consists of a 23 km tunnel and conveyor to convey ore through a mountain to a processing plant, a 2-billion-tonne tailings impoundment area constructed in a valley with a dam at each end, and a short access road and transmission line. (Government of Canada)

"The state of Alaska has important obligations to our citizens relating to the protection of fish, wildlife, waters and lands that we hold in trust," says the state's letter, signed by three senior bureaucrats.

They request in the letter that the state be involved in the authorization and permitting process for the KSM mine, the development of enforcement provisions in those permits, and the development of monitoring programs for water quality and dam safety.

Alaska has already been consulted during both the provincial and federal environmental reviews, which is routine for projects that could affect neighbouring jurisdictions, but the vast majority of permitting work occurs after an environmental certificate is issued.

Mount Polley Mine tailings pond breach called environmental disaster
Mount Polley spill: Testing finds elevated selenium in fish
Mount Polley mine: sediment near spill may harm fish
Kyle Moselle of Alaska's Department of Natural Resources said the state has developed a good relationship with Canadian regulators, but he said that shouldn't stop when the environmental assessment process is over.

"As far as I know, we have not sought direct involvement in the permitting or monitoring processes for a large hard rock mine proposed in northwest B.C.," Moselle said in an interview Friday.

"That's really where the enforceable provisions of how the project will be constructed, operated and monitored are laid out. That's the process we want to be involved in."

Environmentalists, aboriginal groups and commercial fishermen in Alaska claim the project poses a risk to rivers that flow into their state, and they've pointed to a recent tailings spill at an unrelated mine in central B.C. to amplify those concerns.

The tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine failed almost three weeks ago, releasing millions of cubic metres of water and silt into the surrounding watershed and raising fears about the potential impact on the environment and fish. The B.C. government says testing has so far indicated water and fish in the area are safe for human consumption.

Mine project near Alaska river

The KSM project would be located near the Unuk River system, which also flows into Alaska, though its tailings facility would be in the Nass River watershed, which empties into the Pacific Ocean in B.C.

While the tailings facility won't be located near the Unuk, treated effluent is expected to be discharged into the river.


KSM gold and copper mine
The $5.3 billion proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) mine, which received BC government approval In July, boasts one of the world’s largest gold and copper deposits. But with big promises of jobs and ore come serious concerns over the staggering volumes of tailings and acid rock drainage the three-pronged mine could produce. (Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska)

Critics of the KSM mine in Alaska have called for the Canadian environment minister to refer the project to a more detailed process known as a panel review, which was used to evaluate the failed New Prosperity mine in central B.C. before the federal government rejected it.

In its letter, the state of Alaska does not take a position on whether a panel review is necessary.

Mount Polley mine spill, an aerial view
"This letter includes the state's request that you carefully consider the numerous petitions for a panel review and how the underlying public concerns might be best addressed, whether through such a review or other processes," says the letter.

Ted Laking, a spokesman for Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, said the government is reviewing a study report from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and that it would be inappropriate to comment.

He referred further questions to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, which did not respond.

B.C.'s environment minister, Mary Polak, noted Alaska has been involved throughout the environmental assessment process, though she wouldn't say whether the state would have any formal involvement during subsequent permitting at the provincial level.

"What I can say is that we always try to involve regions, even when they are outside B.C., if they are going to be impacted by a project that has aspects that cross the border ... but I'm not familiar with the specifics of what they're asking," Polak said Friday.

Seabridge has said it has worked hard to address concerns in Alaska, and the company insisted the project will have no impact on American rivers or fish.

The company notes its tailings facility is located in a watershed that does not empty into the United States, and it says it will be required to adhere to strict water quality standards for any water that is discharged into the Unuk River.

A spokesperson for Seabridge was not immediately available on Friday.

© The Canadian Press, 2014
 
http://www.vancouversun.com/technol...lley+cleanup+cost+million/10389778/story.html

Imperial Metals pegs Mount Polley cleanup cost at $67 million

Industry analysts come in higher, at $100 million to $200 million

BY GORDON HOEKSTRA, VANCOUVER SUN NOVEMBER 17, 2014

5

STORYPHOTOS ( 1 )

Imperial Metals pegs Mount Polley cleanup cost at $67 million

Contents from the Mount Polley tailings pond are pictured going down Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely on Aug., 5, 2014.
Photograph by: JONATHAN HAYWARD , THE CANADIAN PRESS
Imperial Metals has estimated it will cost $67.4 million for cleanup and rehabilitation of the Mount Polley gold and copper mine tailings dam spill.

The collapse of the tailings dam on Aug. 4 released millions of cubic metres of water and tailings containing potentially-toxic metals into the Quesnel Lake watershed, important habitat for Fraser River sockeye salmon.

The company released the cost figure — the first detailed estimate — with its financial results for the three months ending in September, a loss of $49.2 million attributed largely to the loss of profits from Mount Polley.

Imperial’s cleanup cost estimate is lower than those of some industry analysts.

Raymond James analyst Adam Low has estimated a cleanup cost of $100-million. And BMO analyst Aleksandra Bukacheva noted the total scope of remediation costs is undetermined “even as the company reviews options for the resumption of operations.” (Those options include repairing the tailings facility and temporarily using one of the pits to store tailings).

Bukacheva earlier pegged the cleanup cost to the company at $200 million.

Imperial Metals had spent $20.3 million of the $67.4 million by the end of September, and expects to recover at least $25 million through insurance coverage.

The remainder of the $67.4 million is expected to be spent during the next nine months although there will be some future costs for sampling to test the results of the rehabilitation, the company said.

Imperial Metals CEO Bryan Kynoch said the stabilization and recovery phase of the tailings dam collapse is now complete, and the company has started work on rehabilitating the lower third of Hazeltine Creek.

The rush of tailings and water scoured and widened the nine-kilometre creek, home to spawning trout and Coho salmon.

“Our focus is try to do this as quickly as possible and try to be ready for next spring’s run-off,” Kynoch said Monday during a conference call to discuss the company’s financial results.

There is concern among residents in the nearby community of Likely, First Nations and environmental groups that the spring run-off will bring more tailings debris into Quesnel Lake.

Rehabilitation of the creek will include stabilizing banks and planting new vegetation, explained Kynoch.

The company does not expect to have to remove tailings from the creek because most of it ended up in Quesnel Lake along with material from the creek, he said.

In a written statement, B.C. environment offficials said Monday information about the cleanup plan, which must be approved by the province, will be released shortly.

Environment officials said Quesnel Lake will be part of the cleanup plan.

ghoekstra@vancouversun.com
 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...g-industry-with-alaska-visit/article21455738/

B.C. minister aims to calm fears over mining industry with Alaska visit
DIRK MEISSNER
Victoria — The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, Nov. 05 2014, 12:37 PM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Nov. 05 2014, 12:40 PM EST

B.C. Energy Minister Bill Bennett is in Alaska to soothe concerns about the province’s mining industry, which he says is perceived by many Alaskans as a threat to their environment and salmon fishery.

Bennett will address the annual Alaska Miners Association convention in Anchorage, and meet with state officials, commercial and sport fishing organizations and aboriginal groups during his two-day visit.

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“There is this impression in some parts of Alaska that our environmental standards, compliance and enforcement efforts are not as strong as theirs,” Bennett said in an interview. “My purpose in going up there ... is to talk to folks about how our process actually works. How do you get a mine permitted in B.C.?”

The minister will be accompanied on his trip by Chad Day, the Tahltan Central Council president, along with senior government environment and energy officials.

Bennett said concerns about B.C.’s plans to expand its mining interests in the province’s north have heightened since last summer’s massive tailings pond failure at the Mount Polley mine in the central Interior.

“All of a sudden we have now a potential issue with Alaska given that many of these [mine] projects are located in B.C. watersheds that ultimately flow into Alaska watersheds,” Bennett said. “They are hearing these stories about B.C.’s standards and they are hearing about Mount Polley.”

Bennett is scheduled to give a presentation Wednesday at the mining convention on the B.C. government’s response to the tailings failure at Mount Polley.

He said he is also meeting with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who has expressed concerns about the province’s mining industry.

Aboriginal groups in Alaska have called for municipalities and organizations there to register concerns about B.C. mining issues and their potential impact in Alaska.

“In a nutshell, the British Columbian government doesn’t give a damn about us over here,” said aboriginal leader Rob Sanderson Jr., in a recent statement. He is second vice-president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

“British Columbia is up for sale to the highest bidder,” Sanderson said. “This is an issue that needs to be dealt with in [Washington] D.C. We live in the most pristine waters in the world, and we share that water with Canada. For Canada to have no regard for us here in southeast Alaska is a shame.”

Bennett said he needs to go to Alaska to build a stronger relationship with the northern neighbour.

“It’s a good time for us to go up there and make sure they understand that we do care,” he said.

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What Mount Polley can teach us about the Red Chris mine
October 24, 2014 | Leave a comment

Photo: What Mount Polley can teach us about the Red Chris mine
Kluea and Todagin Lakes, immediately downstream of the proposed tailings facility of Imperial Metals Red Chris mine. (Credit: Carr Clifton)
By Wade Davis, Honorary Board Member
The highest levels of corporate integrity and responsibility should be the standard for any new mine in Canada, and especially for one with as much potential as Imperial Metals' Red Chris project, situated at the heart of the Sacred Headwaters in remote northwest British Columbia. Imperial Metals has acknowledged that all exploration, regulatory and construction costs will be reclaimed within two years of the mine's anticipated three decades of active production.

If true this immense and certain profitability ought to allow both the company and the government to push the limits of excellence on every front, assuring the public at every step in the process that costs and/or expediency will never deflect them from their goal of building an exemplary mine. It is in the interests of all the mining industry and both Federal and Provincial governments that such high standards be set for Red Chris. Civic and corporate responsibility aside, self-interest alone would suggest that Imperial ought to build a great mine.
Consider the optics of Imperial's immediate dilemma. Todagin Mountain, site of the Red Chris mine, is home to the largest concentration of Stone sheep in the world, a resident population that attracts remarkable numbers of predators. A wildlife sanctuary in the sky, the massif looks west to Edziza, sacred mountain of the Tahltan, north to the Grand Canyon of the Stikine, internationally known as the K2 of whitewater challenges, and east to the Sacred Headwaters, birthplace of the Stikine, Skeena and Nass rivers, and beyond to the Spatsizi, widely recognized as the Serengeti of Canada.

Building an open-pit mine on Todagin, which overlooks the nine pristine lakes of the Iskut/ Stikine headwaters, is the height of industrial audacity, seen by many as being as ill-conceived a gesture as drilling for oil in the Sistine Chapel. In time it may well be considered an act of folly comparable to the building of the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, today widely viewed by all sides of the political spectrum in the United States as having been an egregious public policy decision.

There are other issues to concern the B.C. government. The construction of the Northwest Transmission Line (NTL), the extension of the provincial power grid without which Red Chris could not be developed, perhaps made sense in 2006 when five major industrial projects were being proposed for the remote region. But since then the global economy has endured the worst blow since the Great Depression. In 2012 Shell Canada withdrew from its much anticipated coal-bed methane development in the Klappan. The promising and highly promoted Galore Creek copper and gold project imploded due to fiscal challenges and uncertainties. Fortune's play for anthracite in the Sacred Headwaters has very weak legs, especially in the wake of the recent Supreme Court's Tslihqot'in decision; the Tahltan are universally opposed to the project.

AltaGas's run-of-river hydro project at Forrest Kerr is a going concern. But the public will be hard pressed to understand why well over $700 million of public funds were spent to extend the provincial grid to facilitate a private power company's efforts to sell back electricity to the state. People are especially uneasy to learn that $130 million of this initial funding came from the federal Green Infrastructure Fund, money set aside by Parliament ostensibly to "green" our national economy. The official rationale for the inclusion of these funds was the government's desire to get 350 Tahltan people at the small community of Iskut off of diesel generation to reduce their carbon footprint, albeit at a per resident cost of close to $400,000. This will surely be difficult to sell to anyone, let alone a skeptical public, especially for a government that prides itself on fiscal responsibility.

If the optics of Red Chris were poor before the Mount Polley disaster, the public perception now is truly dreadful. Red Chris would not be feasible without extension of the power grid to Bob Quinn Lake, in total an $886 million expenditure that appears increasingly as a public subsidy for a single mine. In the construction of the power line right of way the equivalent of 14,000 log trucks of wood were simply burned, rather than brought to market, making a mockery of the government's announced goal of reducing Iskut's carbon footprint.
It has also been widely reported that only the personal support and investment of Murray Edwards, owner of the Calgary Flames and Canada's 18th richest man, has allowed Imperial to stay afloat. In the immediate wake of the Mount Polley disaster, he and Imperial's second largest shareholder, Fairholme Capital Management, which together own 53 per cent of Imperial (although the lion's share is held by Edwards and his various financial entities), offered an emergency infusion of $100 million, an investment that held off bankruptcy. For Edwards to have willingly increased his stake in Imperial, even as the company copes with the Mount Polley disaster, suggests that he must have great faith in the value and long-term economic potential of the Red Chris mine.

Then comes Mount Polley. The provincial government and Imperial made a major mistake by not immediately taking responsibility for what anyone with access to the Internet could see was a major disaster. Imperial waited 24 hours to make a public statement. Company president Bryan Kynoch offered to drink the water from the slurry as soon as the "solids come out". Imperial described the collapse of the dam as a "breach" when everyone could see on YouTube that it was a complete structural failure. To refer to the material pouring out of the reservoir as simple sands and sediments, and to suggest that the water was safe to drink, belied what people could readily see online, a massive slurry of toxic sludge roaring downstream toward one of the most celebrated deep-water salmon lakes in the world, the place of origins of fully a quarter of the Fraser River run, which in 2014 was anticipated to be the largest return in the history of British Columbia.
In point of fact the dam failure at Imperial Metals' Mount Polley mine resulted in the discharge of 10 billion litres of industrial water and 4.5 million cubic metres of solid materials tainted with heavy metals. That's enough water to fill 2,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools; enough waste to cover all of Vancouver's Stanley Park with a metre of toxic sludge. In 2013 alone Imperial discharged into its Mount Polley containment pond 406,122 kilograms of arsenic, 177,041 kilograms of lead and 3,114 kilograms of mercury. What possibly possessed Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines, to compare the disaster to one of the thousands of snow avalanches that occur in the province every winter?

There is yet another serious concern. By good fortune the deposit at Mount Polley is highly unusual in being alkaline with relatively low levels of sulphide minerals. Most similar deposits are high in sulphide minerals, which make their tailings much more acidic and in the event of leakage or structural failure harmful to aquatic life. In its first two decades of operation Red Chris will generate 192 million tonnes of waste rock, of which 86 per cent will have to be managed as being potentially acid generating (PAG). Another 51 million tonnes of ultra-low-grade ore will also be treated as potentially acid generating, as will the 83 million tonnes of low-grade ore that will be stockpiled during the first decade of operations and later reclaimed and milled in years 11 through 18. Should a failure occur at Red Chris similar to what happened at Mount Polley the consequences could well be far more serious.

Had the Mount Polley disaster befallen a company with a sterling public reputation, it would have been much easier to maintain or regain the public trust. This unfortunately appears not to be the case. I have many good friends in Iskut, and as the owner of the closest private holding to Red Chris, have been involved in the politics of this development since concerns first arose more than a decade ago. In all candour I must say that Imperial has a terrible reputation in the valley, largely due to a series of quite unnecessary and unhelpful decisions and actions taken by its people on the ground. Mount Polley only makes things worse.

The Iskut elders blockaded the Red Chris project for one simple reason. They believe that Imperial misled them, offering false assurances as to the safety of the proposed mine on Todagin. In a public forum and in private meetings they were told by Imperial that the tailings facility at Red Chris would be completely safe, precisely because it was being built to the design and engineering specifications of Mount Polley. They were assured that Mount Polley could never fail.
...continued...
 
Then they saw what happened, as did all Canadians. They heard media reports that employees at Mount Polley had quit high paying jobs because management refused to listen to their concerns about the safety and integrity of the dam. They learned that independent consultants hired by Imperial had expressed similar concerns only to be ignored. They learned too that the insurance policies held by the company were insufficient to cover the costs of the cleanup. Imperial's coverage is a mere $15 million; the cleanup of the two most recent major tailings pond failures comparable to that of Mount Polley, at the Aznalcollar mine in Spain in 1998 and at Kingston in Tennessee in 2008, cost $350 million and $600 million respectively.

The Iskut elders also know that the facility being built today on Red Chris, like that of Mount Polley, has no liner, a cost-saving decision that in the wake of Mount Polley seems negligent and parsimonious in the extreme. They know too that below the Red Chris site lie the nine incomparably beautiful lakes of the Iskut headwaters, among the best trout fisheries in the country. They were shocked to read Imperial news releases issued in the immediate wake of the disaster stating that nothing would impede the construction of the Red Chris mine. The company's first reaction was not to reach out to the public, but rather to reassure the markets.

In short, there is only one way out for Imperial and the provincial government: integrity and transparency, and a sincere apology backed by a firm financial commitment to do everything possible to make Red Chris the safest and most ecologically benign mine ever constructed. Tahltan employees must be treated with respect. Training programs need to be implemented. Imperial must lead with technical and engineering innovations that however costly will reassure the public and guarantee safety at the site.

Second, Imperial needs to come clean as to its long-term plans for the mine. Permits to date have been issued based on a projected production of 30,000 tonnes of rock a day for some 30 years. Yet in messages to its stockholders Imperial flaunts plans to increase production fivefold to 150,000 tonnes a day once the mine is up and running. This would imply a mine of a scale vastly larger than the one originally proposed to the community and currently approved by the provincial environmental assessment process.

To date Imperial has been largely deaf to public concerns. To cite but one example, the plans for Imperial's transmission line from Bob Quinn to Tatogga Lake called for a narrow band of forest to be left standing along the roadside — "leave strips" that would insulate the Stewart Cassiar, one of the most scenic highways in the province, from the industrial right-of-way. Imperial failed to honour this obligation, choosing instead to clear the forest to the very edge of the highway. Explaining the oversight to a stunned government inspector, Imperial cited "contractor error". A simple gesture of leaving 20 to 30 metres of standing trees would have mitigated the visual impact on those who travel or live along that highway. Imperial instead chose the cheaper expedient, knowing full well that government inspectors would express little more than shock and indignation in the wake of the deed, which is just what happened. This attitude, clearly indicative of Imperial's corporate culture, must fundamentally change if it is to recover from what is at the moment a major public relations disaster both for the company, the mining industry and the provincial government.

The Red Chris mine is going to happen. The deposit is significant and Murray Edwards' financial commitment is solid. Once a project is certain to go the question is not if but how. We are at this point with Red Chris so we must work together to ensure that the mine will be an industrial jewel, that its rewards will be shared with the Tahltan people, and that the sacrifice of this mountain will somehow yield for all Canadians benefits as substantial as those that I have accrued over the last 35 years whenever I have walked the flanks of Todagin and watched the eyes of children fill with wonder as they encounter Stone sheep and grizzly, wolf and wolverine, black bear and mountain goat. Above all there must never be a repeat of the Mount Polley mining disaster.
 
http://westcoastnativenews.com/impe...e-sediment-and-tailings-from-hazeltine-creek/

Imperial Metals does not believe it will make sense to remove sediment and tailings from Hazeltine Creek
DERRICK ON OCTOBER 3RD, 2014 7:45 PM - NO COMMENT YET


In part with files from Gordon Hoekstra, Vancouver Sun

LIKELY — With 24 million cubic metres of water and tailings flushed downstream of the Mount Polley gold and copper mine, the company’s biggest challenge now is to keep the remaining tailings and water contained.

There is already considerable concern over the potentially toxic metals released into the environment after the failure of the earthen tailings dam on Aug 4.

The tailings surged into nine-kilometre Hazeltine Creek, which was home to spawning trout and coho salmon, as well as Quesnel Lake, the migration path of more than one million sockeye salmon.

With an estimated 17 million cubic metres of tailings remaining in the storage facility (enough to fill 6,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools), there is urgency in ensuring it stays in place.

Mine owner Imperial Metals must also begin to address the effects of the tailings deposited into Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake.

And with winter rains about to hit soon — and the deep-freeze of winter around the corner — the company has little time to waste.

But a plan of attack has emerged and trucks are once again moving on the mine site, although the mine remains closed.

The plan includes blocking the hole in the tailings dam with an earth and rock dike, collecting water that seeps through the dike (which is not waterproof), repairing roads and bridges to create better access to Hazeltine Creek, and probing Quesnel Lake to determine the effect of the spill.

“We think we are making good progress,” said Steve Robertson, vice-president of corporate affairs for Imperial Metals.

With the water emptied, the tailings storage facility seems like an alien world.

There are large areas of flat, reddish bare ground — where only the recent imprints of some large bird mark its surface.

There are also deep valleys and jagged edges carved out by the rush of the water when the dam collapsed.

These type of mine facilities are often referred to as tailings ponds, but this one is anything but a pond.

Like everything at the mine site, the tailings storage facility is big.

At about four square kilometres, the tailings inside comprise finely ground rock that remains after the milling process. They contain potentially toxic heavy metals that are a concern to human health, animals and aquatic life.

It has taken nearly two months, but workers called back after the collapse have completed a 500-metre dike to keep the tailings from washing away in rain or snow melt into Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake.

The earth and rock dike is only a temporary structure, but will be in place until an investigation into the dam failure is complete, and when Imperial Metals has determined how the original dam might be fixed or rebuilt. (Robertson declined to discuss reasons for the failure while the investigation is underway).

The temporary dike is porous, which is why a water collection pond system has been built downstream and another is under construction inside the tailings facility itself.

The collected water from the ponds will be pumped back up to the mine site into one of the large holes dug out to get at the ore, commonly called pits.

The company has also been draining Polley Lake (adjacent to the mine site) with pumps because its level was raised when water washed into it from the dam breach, and the lake’s outlet was plugged by tailings.

Enough water has been drained now that it has been deemed safe enough for work to start below the breach in the lower reaches of Hazeltine Creek.

The company and the province were concerned that heavy rains could have released another rush of water, tailings and sediment if the plug had let loose.

Once Polley Lake has been returned to its normal level, a new channel will be created to provide an outlet to Hazeltine Creek.

Work on the collection ponds was visible on a recent tour of the mine site, but Polley Lake and the area below the breach were off limits due to safety concerns.

The Cariboo Regional District has also kept a state of emergency in place to keep the public away from the mine site because of safety concerns.

The general thrust of Imperial Metals’ creek rehabilitation plan is to create a series of collection pools along Hazeltine Creek so that sediment can be filtered out before water reaches Quesnel Lake.

The province’s environment ministry has not given approval to that rehabilitation plan, saying it must first review data from a series of samples of tailings and sediment taken along the creek by the company.

The original five-metre-wide creek — scoured by the millions of tonnes of water, tailings, timber and other debris — is as much as 30 metres wide now and much wider at the delta at Quesnel Lake.

Imperial Metals does not believe it will make sense to remove sediment and tailings from the creek, an expensive proposition that the company says could create more damage.

The company’s belief is predicated on its position that the tailings are relatively benign and will not produce acid that would release heavy metals into the environment. While the rock that has been milled in its mine does contain acid-generating pyrite, the acid-generating potential is neutralized by the significant amount of carbonate in the rock, says Robertson.

ALSO READ: Imperial metals covers up exposed tailings with fast germinating grass

“It’s the same thing when you think of your stomach acid and Tums. Well, we don’t have one Tums, we have a whole box of Tums — so it’s a very, very neutralizing environment,” he said.

Vancouver-based SRK Consulting, in a 2012 review for the company of years-long lab tests of mine samples, found that it would take decades to produce acid drainage in most of the rock at Mount Polley.

Nevertheless, Robertson acknowledges that continued testing will be needed. “We are going to make sure we do the scientific testing and have the data to be able to demonstrate over a long period of time that things are safe,” he said.

The province’s environment ministry has also said as much, noting that samples of tailings have shown low but “potentially significant” arsenic and selenium concentration that will need monitoring.

While it’s possible it may make sense to leave some tailings in place, others may need to be returned to the mine site, said Hubert Bunce, an environment ministry director appointed recently to head the Mount Polley file.

And while Bunce noted historical data suggests the mine does not have an acid-generating problem, he said one of the concerns is how the material will evolve over time.

“Will it leach in the future? And will that occur in the next year or in the next 10 years or in the next 100 years? And what does that mean for plants, both terrestrial and subaqueous, that may colonize it, and the animals that might eat that?” noted Bunce. “So, that’s what the long-term monitoring programs will attempt to ascertain. But obviously it’s premature at this point to make any guesses as to what that may be.”

There is also the issue of Quesnel Lake.

Imperial Metals does not have a cleanup plan for the lake, or know whether it will be necessary.

To determine what needs to be done in Quesnel Lake, the company is awaiting results from its consultant Tetra Tech EBA, which has a 37-foot research boat on the lake carrying out bottom sampling and water testing, Robertson said.

Tetra Tech EBA is part of a coterie of consultants — including SNC Lavalin and Golder Associates — hired by Imperial Metals to work on a cleanup plan.

Bunce said the environment ministry is also waiting for the results of the lake tests.
 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ction-says-b-c-environment-ministry-1.2847474

Mount Polley mine spill cleanup requires pressing action, says B.C. environment ministry
Tailings pond breach sent torrent of mine water and waste into several B.C. lakes, rivers and creeks in August
The Canadian Press Posted: Nov 24, 2014 1:15 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 24, 2014 1:15 PM PT

Contents from a tailings pond is pictured going down the Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely, B.C. Tuesday, August, 5, 2014. The pond which stores toxic waste from the Mount Polley Mine had its dam break on Monday spilling its contents into the Hazeltine Creek causing a wide water-use ban in the area.
Contents from a tailings pond is pictured going down the Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely, B.C. Tuesday, August, 5, 2014. The pond which stores toxic waste from the Mount Polley Mine had its dam break on Monday spilling its contents into the Hazeltine Creek causing a wide water-use ban in the area. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

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Four months after a torrent of mine water and waste gushed into two south-central B.C. lakes, the province says the mine's owner is only at the forefront of a clean-up that is expected to take years.

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The B.C. environment ministry released its first progress report Monday into the Mount Polley tailings pond breach, identifying a number of pressing actions that are required to restore the water and land.

Returning the outdoor surroundings to their original state will take years, not months, said Environment Minister Mary Polak as she laid out the long-term goal the government has set for Imperial Metals Corp.

"This is the very, very beginning. And it's not to downplay the efforts that have been made by Mount Polley," Polak said in a conference call with reporters.

"But the scale of the initial disaster is tremendous. We are at the very beginnings of this. It is going to take a long time."

The now-closed gold and copper mine is located about 600 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, near the town of Likely, in the province's Cariboo region.

Polak said she has recently toured the area, and already observed big efforts involving the installation of a stone dyke and "sheer amount of earth" that has been moved to address the breach along Hazeltine Creek.

The dam burst on Aug. 4, 2014, sending a cascade of effluent into a series of salmon-bearing lakes and streams and initially affecting upwards of 300 residents with a water ban.

Water quality tests prompted the warning to be rescinded in the days after the dam burst.

A tailings pond for the Mount Polley mine in B.C. had its dam break on Aug. 4, 2014, spilling its toxic contents into Hazeltine Creek. In this aerial view, the contents from the tailings pond are seen flowing from Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely on Aug. 5.
A tailings pond for the Mount Polley mine in B.C. had its dam break on Aug. 4, 2014, spilling its toxic contents into Hazeltine Creek. In this aerial view, the contents from the tailings pond are seen flowing from Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely on Aug. 5. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)
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Imperial Metals has reported to the government that about 17 million cubic meters of water and eight million cubic meters of tailings materials discharged into Polley Lake and Quesnel Lake, a substantial increase from its original estimates.

The report identifies as a key concern the upcoming spring snow melt, also known as the freshet, which will boost the water flow that could potentially push additional mine sediment into the lakes.

Hubert Bunce, the Environment Ministry director for Mount Polley, said the system in place now wouldn't be able to handle what may come this spring.

"The company is aggressively looking at their options to repair the breach, that the failed portion of berm, such that it will be able to hold back the freshet flows that would come to it in the spring," he said.

Human health and environmental risk assessments must also be conducted, he said, which involves charting out pathways of potential contaminants for humans or fish.

Polak said she believes the company will deliver on its promises, but said the province hasn't fully handed over trust in the company to do its work without government auditing and a strict call for reporting back.

Mount Polley mine spill
Residents near the Mount Polley mine spill say they remain concerned despite assurances from government that the water is safe to drink. (CBC)

"We're not shy about telling them when they're deficient and when they have to provide us with further information."

A spokesperson for the mine wasn't immediately available for an interview.

Imperial Metals has said it may make an application at some point to re-open the mine, which Polak said would be fully reviewed by government.

Outstanding risks would be weighed in the process of making the tough decision, she said.

"It's a difficult thing to balance. The communities are very conflicted," she said.

"On the one hand there's certainly an importance that they place above all else on their health and the safety of their environment.

"But at the same time, you have people that are out of work and they're hurting."

Mount polley mine spill before and after

Slide your cursor across the image to see how the spill affected the landscape in August 2014.


© The Canadian Press, 2014
 
Then comes Mount Polley. The provincial government and Imperial made a major mistake by not immediately taking responsibility for what anyone with access to the Internet could see was a major disaster. Imperial waited 24 hours to make a public statement. Company president Bryan Kynoch offered to drink the water from the slurry as soon as the "solids come out". Imperial described the collapse of the dam as a "breach" when everyone could see on YouTube that it was a complete structural failure. To refer to the material pouring out of the reservoir as simple sands and sediments, and to suggest that the water was safe to drink, belied what people could readily see online, a massive slurry of toxic sludge roaring downstream toward one of the most celebrated deep-water salmon lakes in the world, the place of origins of fully a quarter of the Fraser River run, which in 2014 was anticipated to be the largest return in the history of British Columbia.
Click to expand...
From:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/pa...polley-can-teach-us-about-the-red-chris-mine/

I understand what the author is trying to relay and I don’t really disagree with his concerns; however, his commentary is missing some balance and some information that could assist his readership understand what has been going on since the breach in regards to monitoring. First, he makes no mention of the information that has been readily available for the general public by MOE on their website regarding Mt. Polley. It includes sampling and monitoring (including raw data), progress reports, sampling sites and other information. Secondly, all results to date have been shared with area First Nations, Interior Health, DFO, university academia (i.e. UNBC) and the Cariboo Regional District. The First Nations Health Authority conducted their own fish sampling project and hired their own independent toxicologists which not only provided expert opinion on the fish samples collected in the project, but also examined the results of the water and sediment samples collected by MOE and Imperial Metals.

The fact is that water outside of the impact area remains safe to drink according to provincial guidelines. The fact is that there was no evidence of a big fish kills immediately following the breach, major structural failure or whatever the author wants to call it. Everything that swam upstream (referring to salmon) didn’t go belly up following the breach. The ministry openly admits to the fact that there are some exceedances in some metals. These are all provided in the raw data and memos, but with context. The ministry also discusses the sediment plume and the exceedances of metals in the area directly adjacent to Hazeltime Creek. This is going to be a long endeavor which where answers are not going to be coming in a few weeks or a few months. Monitoring is going to go on for some time. There are valid concerns (such as juvenile rearing), but it appears likely that any potential impacts won’t be acute as once believed. Now while it may be true that some individuals (i.e. politicians and industry officials) made some insensitive statements regarding the nature of the tailings it does not serve any purpose to swing the pendulum the other way and should not take away from the good monitoring that is going on right now – involving more than just government agencies. What one can readily see online, whether it be in the media, an internet blog, or YouTube may not be the whole picture.

http://www.fnha.ca/about/news-and-events/news/mount-polley-mine-communique-7
http://www.fnha.ca/about/news-and-events/news/mount-polley-mine-communique-8
 
VERY well written post, Shuswap! Couldn't agree more. The only thing I would add is that the WQ Guidelines are not an appropriate metric to gauge chronic levels of contaminants that bioaccumulate. That's the real problem I see after the dump of tailings in the lake. Those levels of so-called "heavy" metals - such as mercury, chromium, cadmium, etc - will bioaccumulate in the aquatic ecosystem - all the way up to the fish flesh - and beyond. As you say: "This is going to be a long endeavor which where answers are not going to be coming in a few weeks or a few months"
 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141125111851.htm

Mining can damage fish habitats far downstream, study shows
Date: November 25, 2014
Source: Michigan State University
Summary: Anglers across the nation wondering why luck at their favorite fishing spot seems to have dried up may have a surprising culprit: a mine miles away, even in a different state. Scientists have taken a first broad look at the impacts of mines across the country and found that mining can damage fish habitats miles downstream, and even in streams not directly connected to the mines.

In this image, acid is seeping from a Kentucky coal mine.
Credit: Wesley Daniel, Michigan State University

Anglers across the nation wondering why luck at their favorite fishing spot seems to have dried up may have a surprising culprit: a mine miles away, even in a different state.

Scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) have taken a first broad look at the impacts of mines across the country- and found that mining can damage fish habitats miles downstream, and even in streams not directly connected to the mines.
The work is published in this week's issue of the journal Ecological Indicators.

"We've been surprised that even a single mine in headwaters might influence larger rivers miles downstream," said Wesley Daniel, a research associate at Michigan State University. "Mines have a much stronger influence on fishes than has been assumed. It's important, when considering the location of a new mine, to not just look local -- but look way downstream."

Mining occurs in every state for a variety of natural resources -- such as coal, precious metals, pebbles, sand and salt. Mining disrupts the environment around it, Daniel said. It can add sediments and chemicals to rivers, alter the flow of streams, lead to fewer forests in headwaters, and compact soil -- all of which can change fish habitats.

And what happens to the river or stream near the mine flows downstream and can wreak havoc on populations of trout or bass and the smaller fishes that they prefer, far from the mine's location. The study looked at areas throughout the eastern United States typically known for mining, such as Appalachia, but also included areas where little mining research has been done, such as Iowa and Illinois
Daniel works in the lab of Dana Infante, associate professor of fisheries and wildlife who studies the way landscape and land use affect water. Colleagues in her lab recently developed an algorithm capable of crunching the mountains of data that tell the connected stories of the nation's streams and rivers.

That algorithm has allowed Daniel to take a long look at how extensive the effects of mines on rivers can be. His conclusion calls mines a "regional stress" and cites the example of pollutants from a mine in a headwater stream in Kentucky disrupting the breeding grounds of bass in Tennessee rivers.

While large rivers can dilute the damage a mine may do, the small streams that feed into a watershed may be much more fragile.
"The quality of headwater streams will determine quality of rivers," Daniel said. "The condition of small streams that flow into larger rivers will affect downstream fish communities. Everything is cumulative -- again and again we can see that the effects of one mine can be associated with altered fish communities."

Along with Daniel and Infante, "Characterizing coal and mineral mines as a regional source of stress to stream fish assemblages" was written by Robert Hughes at Amnis Opes Institute; Yin-Phan Tsang, Daniel Wieferich, Kyle Herreman, Arthur Cooper and William Taylor at MSU; Peter Esselman at the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Lizhu Wang of the International Joint Commission Great Lakes Regional Office in Detroit.

Infante, Tsang, Esselman and Taylor are affiliated with the MSU Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, an interdisciplinary research center that works in the innovative new field of coupled human and natural systems to find sustainable solutions that both benefit the environment and enable people to thrive.

The research was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Michigan State University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference: Wesley M. Daniel, Dana M. Infante, Robert M. Hughes, Yin-Phan Tsang, Peter C. Esselman, Daniel Wieferich, Kyle Herreman, Arthur R. Cooper, Lizhu Wang, William W. Taylor. Characterizing coal and mineral mines as a regional source of stress to stream fish assemblages. Ecological Indicators, 2015; 50: 50 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.10.018
 
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overflight of the tailings pond dump:<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M1YgX2jXnpA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
SkyTruth uses satellite imagery and digital mapping to call attention to the impact of existing mines, demonstrate the potential impact of proposed projects, and enable citizens in mining-impacted areas to monitor pollution and take action to protect their environment. - See more at: http://skytruth.org/issues/mining/#sthash.tVKrGSwE.dpuf
 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north...threats-from-mines-in-northwest-b-c-1.2858845

Alaskans fear environmental threats from mines in northwest B.C.
Alaska Conservation Council concerned about what they consider loose mining regulations
By Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press Posted: Dec 03, 2014 9:51 AM CT Last Updated: Dec 03, 2014 10:28 AM CT

A tailings pond breach near the town of Likely, B.C., last summer released 10 billion litres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of metals-laden sand, contaminating lakes, creeks and rivers in the region. Alaskan conservation and aboriginal groups cite the accident as an example of the dangers posed by mining in northern B.C. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

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Full coverage: Mount Polley mine tailings pond spill
British Columbia's ambition of opening new mines in the province's north has raised fears in neighbouring Alaska where environmental and aboriginal groups say the industry's unchecked development threatens their salmon and tourism industries.

Tribal leaders and salmon-protection advocates gathered at a Bureau of Indian Affairs conference in Anchorage Tuesday, and high on the agenda was the impact of B.C. mineral developments on the multibillion-dollar Alaskan industries.

Conference delegates called on the U.S. State Department to use the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty to activate the International Joint Commission, hold boundary dispute hearings and discuss the important salmon waterways, the communities they support and the risks they face from potential mine contamination.

"We're asking the U.S. federal government to elevate this issue to the International Joint Commission," said Guy Archibald, a spokesman for the southeast Alaska Conservation Council.

Archibald said conservation and aboriginal groups have formed the Salmon Beyond Borders coalition to lobby their government to pressure Canada and B.C.

He said both Canada and the U.S. must formally request the International Joint Commission hearings.

"We see this region for its salmon and cultural benefits, and it seems like northwest B.C., in the same region, looks more towards mineral development as being the best use of the land, so we see there's kind of a conflict going on here," said Archibald in an interview just prior to his convention address.

The Alaskans say rapid, industrial mine developments in B.C. threaten the headwaters of some of southeast Alaska's prime salmon rivers, including the Taku, Stikine and Unuk rivers, which flow through Canada's most-western province.

The Alaskans say the rivers are some of the most productive salmon rivers on the entire North American west coast, and have ecological, cultural and recreational uses and values.

Mount Polley spill raised concerns

Archibald said the Alaskans are deeply concerned about what they consider loose mining regulations in B.C., especially since last summer's tailings pond breach at the Mount Polley mine near Williams Lake, in B.C.'s central Interior.

Millions of litres of mine water and waste gushed over the landscape near Likely, B.C., last August and shut down operations at the Imperial Metals open pit, copper and gold mine.

Archibald said a visit to Alaska last month by B.C.'s Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett did not alleviate concerns about potential, future disasters in B.C.'s northwest.

"He was trying to tamp down some of the bad press over the Mount Polley tailings disaster," said Archibald.

"He basically equated what happened at Imperial Metals Mount Polley mine to a large avalanche. That's the kind of rhetoric that really worries people in southeast Alaska."

Bennett was not immediately available for comment.

Bennett travelled to Alaska, spoke to the annual Alaska Miners Association convention in Anchorage and met with state officials and fishing organizations.

Bennett said he was accompanied by Chad Day, president of the Tahltan Central Council, along with senior government environment and energy officials.

The Tahltan of northwest B.C. have explored mining developments with the province.

Bennett said he also met with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who has expressed concerns about B.C.'s mining industry.

© The Canadian Press, 2014
 
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http://westcoastnativenews.com/tailings-spill-poisons-creek/
Tailings spill poisons creek

derrick on December 12th, 2014 7:05 pm - No Comment Yet




A tailings spill at Copper Mountain Mine near Princeton has prompted a water ban for residents near Wolfe Creek.

Interior Health has issued a Do Not Use order for water from Wolfe Creek immediately downstream from Copper Mountain Mine to the mouth of the Similkameen River following a Dec. 10 tailings line spill at the mine.

This advisory covers anyone drawing water from Wolfe Creek below the mine to the mouth of the Similkameen, Lorne Lake, as well as residents using water drawn from wells adjacent to Wolfe Creek.

Karl Hardt, communications officer for Interior Health said “It was the tailings line, not the whole pond.”

Under a Do Not Use order, residents should not use water for drinking (even boiled), bathing or recreation.

Interior Health is currently awaiting further assessments and water sample data, and will advise residents as soon as more information is available.

The Ministry of Environment could not be immediately reached for comment.
 
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2014/12..._campaign=Feed:+aprn-news+(APRN:+Alaska+News)

Canada Approves Controversial Mine Near Southeast Alaska’s Border

By Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska - Juneau | December 19, 2014


A controversial mine near Southeast Alaska’s border won approval from Canada’s federal government on Friday.

The Kerr-Sulphurets – Mitchell project’s environmental protection plan got the OK from the nation’s Ministry of the Environment.

The project, known as the KSM, is in northwest British Columbia, northeast of Ketchikan and east of Wrangell.

Brent Murphy, of mine owner Seabridge Gold, says the federal action is an important step.

“It means that the project can proceed,” Murphy said. “We’ve received both the provincial and Canadian governments’ approvals.”

“Essentially, it’s an approval in principal and now we move forward in the permitting phase.”

He says the project has about 100 of the 150 permits it needs. It’s also seeking investors to develop the proposed $5.3 billion mine.

The KSM is a copper, gold and silver deposit upstream of two rivers that enter the ocean within about 50 miles of Ketchikan.

Fisheries, tribal and environmental groups in Southeast Alaska oppose development, saying the mine would pollute those rivers and harm salmon and those who eat them.

Canada’s action disturbs Carrie James, who co-chairs Southeast’s United Tribal Transboundary Mining Working Group.

“I’m just really disappointed in the decision; it doesn’t surprise me. We’re not going to stop. We’ll keep fighting and we can’t stop,” James said.

Opponents are asking the Obama administration to pressure Canada to use more stringent permitting standards. They’re also pressing British Columbia to give the project a higher level of review.
 
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