Editor;
I noticed the July 25, 2024 Williams Lake Tribune included an “Environmental Protection Notice” (EPN) for Mount Polley Mine’s (MPMC) request for permit amendments to operate for another eight years.
Ten years ago on Aug. 4, 2014, the tailings dam at MPMC burst and poured more than 25,000,000 m3 of tailings and waste water through Polley Lake and Hazeltine Creek into the pristine Quesnel Lake. The reason for this occurrence was thoroughly investigated, but came down to poor engineering practices and inadequate construction technique, including steep tailings pond embankments and insufficient toe buttressing.
Since full operations resumed in 2017, the mine is permitted to discharge up to 10,000,000 m3 annually of effluent at depth directly into Quesnel Lake.
University of Northern BC (UNBC) and Quesnel River Research Centre studies have shown that the tailings deposited on the bottom of the lake are still being re-suspended annually during spring and fall water overturns.
Changes have been noticed visually for years by observant residents as cloudy water, slimy rocks, plugged filters and increased algae growth.
As noted above, Imperial Metals Corp and MPMC have applied to the BC Ministries of Mines and Environment to amend the permits (M200 & E11678 respectively) to operate until at least 2032.
Of course, as in many mines, there is likely significant potential to operate for many decades beyond that as more exploration continues on the property. The July 22, 2024 EPN can also be found on-line (https://imperialmetals.com/our-operations/mount-polley-mine/technical-reports), along with the 9,306 page (1.1 Gb) permit amendment application document.
There has been no public consultation or local input allowed into this application to date, but the public does have 30 days to respond to the mine and ministries if you have any comments or concerns (environmental@mountpolley.com, morgan.dyas@gov.bc.ca).
These plans include raising the tails dam another 17 m (56 ft) above present level (already 3 m above pre-breach), and to continue to discharge their untreated effluent into Quesnel Lake until closure, whenever that is.
This 10-year anniversary of the Mount Polley Mine Disaster, is certainly not a celebration.
Sincerely
Doug Watt
Likely, B.C.
