Tailings Contaminate Lake

[madmudder]

Now Imperial Metals is suing. This court case should bring out the facts just in time for the coming election.

I would bet my life savings that this will never happen. After the railroad case how can anyone trust this government.

[erinmore3775]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-mining-changes-code-tailings-pond-mt-polley-disaster-cariboo-region-1.3688984
B.C. mining code strengthened to prevent disasters like Mount Polley

"Changes to B.C.'s mining code will prevent another disaster like the Mount Polley tailings pond collapse, British Columbia's Mines Minister Bill Bennett is promising...
"Among the changes are requirements in mine permit applications to declare performance objectives that include programs for prediction, identification and management of physical, chemical and other risks associated with tailings facilities and dams...
"Bennett said the mining code updates can't guarantee small leaks or spills from tailings facilities, but the changes include conditions and requirements that go beyond normal industry standards."

It will be interesting to see what these new conditions and regulation entail. It will also be important to understand who and with whom the province consulted to create these new regulations and the penalties involved if conditions are breached. What is clear in this announcement is that no improvements to the Ministry of Mines inspection programs have been announced. It is also clear that no penalties have been assessed against Imperial Imperial Metals.

"Opposition New Democrat Mines Critic Norm Macdonald remains skeptical about the government's intentions to monitor the mining industry.
"Until we see some intent from government to hold companies to account for failures, we are exactly in the same place we're been since the B.C. Liberals came to power," he said.
"What are the consequences for the company to date? Nothing."

Like Macdonald and many other citizens of BC, I remain questioning and skeptical. It just appears to me that the white wash of this disaster continues.

[Donald G]

*removed*

[maryjane48]

clarks pandering to unions just like jt . wheres your disdain for that ?

[Merry]

Frankly, I have yet to see ANYBODY be held accountable for what happened at Mt. Polley. And that fact alone speaks volumes.

[erinmore3775]

Frankly, I have yet to see ANYBODY be held accountable for what happened at Mt. Polley. And that fact alone speaks volumes.

What also speaks volumes is the fact that the Opposition in the legislature has offered little in proposals to correct or at least ensurethat proper design, documentation, inspection, and reporting procedures. The fact that the Opposition offers nothing means that BC citizens have no alternative policies or positions to consider on resource management.

While we may decry how the present government has handled this disaster, reported, and responded. However, there are no other policy and response alternatives. Coming into a spring election the voters really have few comparions or alternatives. That fundamental lack of comparitve choice speaks volumes about politics and government in BC.

[flamingfingers]

^^It is rather apparent that the Opposition endorsed the expert panel's excoriation of the government's performance with regard to the Mt. Polley catastrophe. What more do you expect them to come up with?

Reality Check: Liberals ignoring the facts when it comes to Mount Polley disaster
February 2, 2015
Posted in: Liberal Mismanagement, Mount Polley

Quote from Norm Macdonald, New Democrat spokesperson on mines:

“You can’t take Minister Bennett at his word anymore. He is ignoring the facts when it comes to the many underlying reasons the expert panel identified for the Mount Polley dam failure, simply to deflect any responsibility for his government’s mismanagement of the mining industry.”

Read the report from the expert panel here:

http://bcndpcaucus.ca/news/reality-chec ... -disaster/

[maryjane48]

Mount Polley mine disaster hits 2-year mark, fallout still causes divisions
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.3706850
Shared via the CBC News Android App

[Merry]

I have always held that this disaster was a combination of both corporate and Government failure. The following article points to the Government's role in what happened, and may explain why the incident was mainly "swept under the rug" rather than dealt with more publicly.

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/1/mini ... ays-docum/

[maryjane48]

and we trusting this same bunch in building a dam ?

[flamingfingers]

^^Clearly points to incompetence, arrogance, ignorance and 'don't give a attitude'!!

[Merry]

The article states that the issue of too much water accumulating behind the dam was discussed with the ministry over a decade prior to the disaster. The company's solution was to have a controlled discharge of treated water on a regularly scheduled basis, but to do that they needed a permit. And, for what I would argue were political rather than environmental reasons, the Ministry dragged their feet and to this day have STILL not issued such a permit.

The fact that the Ministry has not learned from their mistake is summed up perfectly in the following quote:

ministry staff must ensure a permit application is not rushed through without gathering the appropriate expertise to make an informed decision,” ministry spokesman David Karn said

Which SOUNDS like a good answer, until you consider the consequences of their taking an inordinately long time to "gather the appropriate expertise" they apparently felt they needed.

The controlled release of small amounts of TREATED water at periodic intervals over that wasted decade would have been preferable to the uncontrolled rush of millions of gallons of polluted water that occurred when that dam burst. Yet, despite knowing that, the Ministry is still providing excuses for it's own inaction in this matter.

Knowing how many mines we have in this Province, wouldn't it be incumbent on the Ministry to have some of the folks they feel they need to access for expertise in such matters on retainer? Or maybe they should simply hire a few of their own? Either way, it shouldn't take them over a decade to track down and consult such folks.

However, I suspect the truth is that it wasn't a lack of expertise that was the problem, but more a lack of political will. After all, the optics of granting a permit to allow small discharges of mine waste water (albeit treated) to the environment aren't good if you're hoping to get re-elected. Even if, from a practical point of view, the small discharge option would have been the best bet. But the fact is that, until we take the politics out of such decision making, we are destined to see more incidents such as what happened at Mount Polley.

[Glacier]

The mine is dumping waste water directly into the Quesnel Lake, bypassing the full treatment process.

[erinmore3775]

Like Merry I have always believed that there is shared responsibility for the Mount Polley Tailings Pond disaster. The article by Nelson Bennett based on information contained in the 3500 pages produced by a FOI request clearly shows this. It would appear that the government is attempting to bury the truth in a mountain of paper work.

Imperial Metals reopened the mine in 2005. It would appear that the reopening was allowed and based upon pre-existing permits. Discussions with the Ministry of Mines and the Ministry of the Environment about waste water discharge appear to have begun in 2006 with the company being required to make a formal application for a “new” discharge permit in 2009.

The company appears to have chosen Reverse Osmosis to treat the wastewater before it was released into water flowing into the lake. While Bennett quotes Ministry officials as being surprised at the company choosing the costly RO option, I believe that within those documents lies some more troubling questions and remarks.

Reverse Osmosis treatment produces a very clean and safe product. Properly designed and maintained it produces potable or near potable discharge. However, the waste salts produced by the system are concentrated and highly toxic. I believe that careful reading of the documents would find that the MOE was not only interested in the quality of the discharge effluent but where the waste salts were to be stored, maintenance schedule of the RO equipment, and a long term waste management solution that included a plan to cope with increased precipitation and reduced evaporation.

The keys to this entire fiasco are hidden in the final two paragraphs of this article.

“After the dam burst, the reverse osmosis treatment was no longer needed. The company has since repaired the tailings pond, the mine is back in operation, and it has opted for a different water treatment system.

But the company still needs a water discharge permit, and it’s still waiting to get one.”

Basically nothing has changed. Flaming fingers is correct. “Clearly [this] points to incompetence, arrogance, ignorance and 'don't' give a %$@# attitude'!!” Funny how the present government is happy to sweep this all under the carpet and the party that wants to become the next government in the Spring does not have the courage or the where with all to make it an issue. We really are in a sad state of affairs!

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/1/mining-disaster-followed-years-permit-delays-docum/ Vancouver Business Article

For those interested in RO Mining Wastewater Management

https://www.gewater.com/applications/metals-removal#products-learn-more

http://www.ide-tech.com/iwt/mining/tailing-ponds-treatment/

[erinmore3775]

The information below is from the Imperial Metals website.

"Following the temporary suspension of operations on August 4, 2014 due to the breach of the tailings dam, modified mine operations were restarted on August 5, 2015. MPMC received further authorizations from the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) on June 23, 2016 which consented the mine’s return to normal operations utilizing the repaired and buttressed tailings storage facility.

"Following public notification, the public comment period for Mount Polley Mining Corporation’s major permit (Environmental Management Act Permit 11678) amendment application for the Long-term Water Management Plan for the Mount Polley mine concluded on December 23, 2016.
In keeping with the Province’s regulatory process for review, following successful screening of the application, the application has now been referred to the Cariboo Mine Development Review Committee for technical review. Mount Polley Mining Corporation thanks those who provided comments for consideration."

Politics has played a large role in the opening and reopening of the Mount Polley Mine. The mine received its permit to reopen after Minister Bennett released the 200 page report on the tailings pond dam breach. However, I have yet to find any information on the governments acceptance and implementation of the reports 19 recommendations.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mount-polley-mine-1.3650218
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-mines-inspector-makes-19-recommendations-over-collapse-of-tailings-pond/article27818772/

I am beginning to wonder if the significant contributions made by principal officers of Imperial Metals to the BC Liberal Party have an effect on the decisions related to the Mount Polley Mine.

http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SA1SearchResults.aspx?FilerSK=(ALL)&EDSK=0&FilerTypeSK=0&Contributor=imperial+metals&PartySK=0&ED=(ALL)&FilerType=(ALL)&Filer=(ALL)&Party=(ALL)&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay

Official Elections BC figures indicate that well over 70% of the Imperial Metal donations went to the Liberal Party and the donations allocated to the NDP. However, the total donated to the NDP just about equaled the largest single donation made by Lebell and Collwill on behalf of Imperial. Can a favorable political viewpoint and influence of a Ministry decision be purchased in BC?