Most tailings dams are made of dirt/rock..."earthen" dams. Unfortunately, there were early warnings that seem to have been ignored. Terrible tragedy. No one knows what the impact will be on the fish, but there's a good chance it ain't gonna be good. This is a great example of why mines should not exist at headwaters of vital fish systems that support numerous communities.
One positive, this will serve notice to the Pebble Partnership that thinks they are going to build one of the world's largest gold/copper mines in the entire world at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay river system. The EPA is watching, and they have already stacked the deck against the Pebble Mine ever being built.
I work in the industry - tailings impoundments easily pose the biggest risk to the environment and the safety of communities. Great care, engineering and monitoring must go into each dam...and that means not placing these things at the headwaters of salmon bearing streams - our keystone species is too important for even a shred of risk. I believe in the industry, and the necessity of the industry, but as a fisherman and a general water baby and nature lover, I couldn't ever work for a company with such projects.
"However, in 2002, Schedule 2 was added to the Metal Mining Effluent Regulation (Schedule 1 lists the regulation's "Authorized Officers"). Schedule 2 essentially allows for re-classifying any natural water body that gets listed on it as a “tailings impoundment area.” Once a lake or river gets listed, it is no longer considered a natural water body and no longer protected by the Fisheries Act. A mining company can use then it as a dumping ground for millions of tonnes of tailings and waste rock."
"In response to a request by Aur Resources, EC added the two lakes to Schedule 2 of the MMER. Water bodies listed on Schedule 2 are re-defined as tailings impoundment areas; they are no longer considered to be lakes and, therefore, are no longer protected under the Fisheries Act." - See more at: http://www.watershedsentinel.ca/con...ines-dump-canadian-lakes#sthash.BF0aDQXj.dpuf
[h=1]Residents calling it an environmental disaster: tailings pond breach at Mount Polley Mine near Likely, BC[/h]A breach of the tailings pond on Mount Polley Mine sent five million cubic metres of toxic waste into Hazeltine Creek, Quesnel Lake and Polley Lake, with fears it could spread far and wide in the coming days. Follow link below for a detailed report
[h=1]Pierre Lebel is named Mining Person of the Year for 2012[/h][h=2]The chairman of Imperial Metals has been contributing to, building and supporting B.C.’s mining industry for more than 30 years[/h]
[h=3]How have you worked to grow the understanding of the mining industry in society?[/h]We must be focused as much on the social acceptance of our projects as on the projects themselves. As much as I’d like to think the benefits of resource development in a country like Canada are self evident, the ever-changing political and social landscape in which we live means that our messages of responsible resource development, community benefits, jobs and environmental stewardship must be constantly renewed and demonstrated. Opposition to development is ever present and increasingly effective. We won’t ever achieve unanimous acceptance of our projects, and so we must be ever more effective in delivering our message to society’s true decision-makers: the people who hold down jobs, raise families, pay taxes and volunteer in their communities. http://www.miningandexploration.ca/..._is_named_mining_person_of_the_year_for_2012/
"BC has the safest mining regs in Canada", followed by "jobs, jobs, jobs - in the clean-up".
The link you gave, GLG: "Several employees of the mine, who wished to remain anonymous to protect their jobs, said the same tailings pond had a minor breach three months ago.
Common minerals and elements found in tailings – which is the waste material left over from the extraction of metals – can include: arsenic, mercury, sulfur and cyanide."
What a mess - this will make it to the Fraser in some quantities - and for years to come.
More recent mine development work includes substantial tailings dam raises during 2007, 2008 and 2010 for Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley Mine, situated just outside of Likely, BC. This work included the stripping of borrow pits, as well as the load, haul and placement to specified compaction requirements of glacial till to facilitate the raise. The construction schedule for the major works spanned over 6 months in each of the three years. During 2010, Lake Excavating performed earth works for the 3 m dam raise. This included the loading, hauling, placing and compacting of 120,000 m[SUP]3[/SUP] for the Till Core Dam. In addition, Lake Excavating also provided the loading, hauling, placing and compacting of 25,000 m[SUP]3[/SUP] for the filter and transition zone materials.
We have these tailings ponds everywhere, my question is how many of the older ones that where done in the era of "no problem" Are disasters waiting to happen.
Yesteryear's good times coming back for their dues.
We are making more stringent regulations on this and still there are problems to deal with now we are having to answer to the past.
Kind of what we have , or are setting up for our grand children, that was set up by our grandparents.
[h=1]Mount Polley mine tailings pond breach followed years of government warnings[/h]
[h=3]Imperial Metals issued with latest warning in May due to height of wastewater in tailings pond[/h] The B.C. Ministry of Environment says it warned Imperial Metals about the Mount Polley mine tailings pond levels repeatedly before this week's devastating breach. [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In an email to CBC News, a Ministry of Environment spokesperson said it gave the firm its latest of five warnings in May, this time for exceeding the permitted height of wastewater within the tailings pond.[/FONT] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...llowed-years-of-government-warnings-1.2728591
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So there you have it... totally preventable disaster if the MOE would have stopped "warning" and simply place a "stop work order" on this company. Someone needs to check how this company had influence on our "leaders" to carry on business as usual when clearly we new this was going to happen. Wonder how many other warnings are out there. Time-bomb is ticking and we have clowns pulling the levers of power.[/FONT]
It seems to me that the only way to get the attention of the corporate leaders responsible for the decisions that lead to these kinds of disasters is to charge them personally with a criminal offense. No fines against the corporation will make as big an impression on the corporate officers than the possibility of spending a few years in jail. You make the decisions, you personally pay the penalty.
Remember corporations get to do what they want because they are buddies with the ruling party. In this case we all don't know that facts. But I think you are all going to find out a lot of this was a combination of government and the company. Something went wrong...But if you watch closely in last few days the government is very clever its shifting blame slowly to distance itself.... I don't think anyone should buy that story. The job cuts across government agencies are widely known. Do it cause this no one know, but it doesn't help. "We gave warning they didn't comply". Come on you give multiple warning and do nothing?
Remember corporations get to do what they want because they are buddies with the ruling party. In this case we all don't know that facts. But I think you are all going to find out a lot of this was a combination of government and the company. Something went wrong...But if you watch closely in last few days the government is very clever its shifting blame slowly to distance itself.... I don't think anyone should buy that story. The job cuts across government agencies are widely known. Do it cause this no one know, but it doesn't help. "We gave warning they didn't comply". Come on you give multiple warning and do nothing?
exactly, seems they (moe, government) knew the company was putting the dam at risk of breach by filling to overcapacity... we'll give them warnings and then that'll show we did our "due diligence" due dilligence should have been to shut down the inflow or shutdown the mine until they came into compliance. they should never be allowed to exceed the dams capacity. not by 1 inch..... I blame both parties equally. it's too late, even after one warning. unless you can effect there bottom line significantly (warnings aren't going to do it obviously) these companies will push as far as they think they can get away with. unfortunately it's costing us all now with a destroyed environment that may never recover.
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