Since day one the claim has been that the tailings flowing from Mount Polley mine’s breached dam were “stopped”, yet one month after the BC Day Disaster occurred, the Ministry of Environment found Mount Polley to be “out of compliance”, and on September 9 – fully 5 days later – issued an “advisory letter” pleading that the company do more to bring the tailings discharge to a halt.

This pattern of misinformation permeates virtually every significant piece of information related to the disaster.

From conflicting data on the status of the drinking water to what exactly the clean up plan entails and how it’s being paid for, plain lies and misinformation seem to rule the day.

Scale of disaster significantly downplayed from get-go

At first, the total release was 14.5 million cubic metres but weeks later, after the story had played out on front pages and was winding down, the company quietly released on its website that in fact the new revised volume is some some 78%larger, making it the largest disaster of its kind anywhere in the world – ever – as first reported here at The Common Sense Canadian the day Christy Clark arrived in Likely with media in tow.

Imperial Metals raises $115 million…but not committed to cleanup

Remarkably however, in mere days, Imperial metals raised 115 million dollars in a “private placement” issuance of a convertible debenture, of which the company’s two largest shareholders purchased near 75% – with an interest rate of at least 6%. Meaning the mine’s primary owners and largest stakeholders are already seeing returns on this disaster, before the tailings even stop flowing! And the kicker?  The money raised is not even committed to clean up as was first trumpeted by the company and media.

The players behind Mount Polley raised 115 million dollars before they even stopped the tailings discharge, and it’s mostly to ensure liquidity to shore up a new mine development known as Red Chris that was relying on the cash flow from the massive increases in production at Mount Polley – until the levee broke. While the toxic tailings flowed, the cash flow to that project ceased.

No real cleanup has started

The company no longer hosts weekly town hall meetings and has now switched to “open houses” with no more dinner for the locals. It’s designed only to keep them updated. On what exactly, no one is sure, as no money has actually been committed to cleanup, no cleanup has started and no cleanup plan has been presented to the public – even though the government received the demanded plan by the due date of August 15th.

The company met this August 15th deadline and, in so doing, avoided any fines or penalties – however, no one knows what was actually submitted to the government, outside of a small circle of ministry bureaucrats.

September 10 is the first of the ” open houses” and there are requests that they be filmed and posted online, as many people impacted are outside of the small town of Likely and unable to attend. These people deserve to know what is happening and be told straight-up facts.

There are many questions left unanswered thus far. The following list is a good start for the September 10 “open house” – or feel free to take these and any other questions you may have directly to the government and company responsible.

Questions for Government and Industry

• How much, if any, of the 115 million dollar debenture is committed to actual cleanup?

• Mount Polley’s two major shareholders purchased 80 million dollars of the 115 million dollar debenture – what exactly is the return on the 40 million dollar investment Mr. Edward’s finance company “Edco” alone will receive?

• How high was the dam when it failed?

• How do you calculate the amount of tailings and water that was released in total?

• Have you broken any laws in BC and Canada as a result of the release of this amount of pollution?

• Are there any laws, statutes or Acts in BC and Canada demanding that you disclose everything that may have been released in this disastrous tailing storage facility (TSF) failure?

• Will you release the results and all related data of the three-year scientific study undertaken between 2009 and 2012 dealing with the bioremediation of your tailings pond?

• How much effluent has been released from this tailings pond prior to the disaster and for how long? What standards did this effluent meet prior to being released?

• Is it true that Imperial is paying for the three member “Independent Review Panel” appointed by the Minister of Mines? Are they also paying for the Conservation Officers’ review, as well as the Privacy Commissioner’s review?

• How many, if any, foreign temporary workers did Mount Polley employ and what were they responsible for?

• What exactly is SNC Lavalin’s role as a “sponsor” of the cleanup “project” as noted on your website, and are they invested in the 115 million dollar debenture the company recently issued?

• Will the company or ministry disclose the letters written by the former employee referred to in this story?

Updated 7 PM, September 2

Volumes of water, tailings and other debris released into the environment by the August 4 breach of Imperial Metals’ tailings pond at Mount Polley Mine were at least 70% higher than initial estimates, the company revealed on its website yesterday.

Now, a report from BC Tapwater Alliance, using satellite imagery from NASA and the US Geological Survey to estimate the size of the containment facility, suggests even the company’s re-estimate may still be significantly underplaying the true scale of the disaster.

While the company boosted estimates from 14.5 million cubic metres of water and tailings to over 25 million cubic meters of combined debris spilled into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake, that may be just the tip of the iceberg.

The BCTWA report pegs the total surface area of the breached tailings containment facility at 225 hectares – or 2.25 million square metres (see graphic below).

According to Wendy Stueck in the Globe and Mail, “The tailings dam was about 35 metres high when it was breached”, meaning that the total volume of water and tailings contained in the facility was closer to 80 million cubic metres – perhaps slightly less, taking into account the dam’s rounded edges.*

Local environmental consultant Richard Holmes tells me that, upon recent visual inspection, much of the actual tailings remain within the containment area – not all of them having washed out of the facility with the release of water. Nevertheless, even these revised estimates from Imperial Metals are likely still on the low side.

Imperial increased production, tailings to fuel Red Chris

The BCTWA report also contains a series of satellite images of the pond itself (see below), which clearly illustrate the massive ramp up in ore production Mount Polley underwent in the lead-up to the disaster. Under pressure to provide cash flow for a major new mine in Northwest BC which Imperial Metals was developing, Red Chris, the company’s increased activity led to a corresponding rised in tailings, as reported by The Common Sense Canadian following the spill.

According to Tadzio Richards of Rivers Without Borders:

[quote]Imperial Metals ramped up daily production of ore from 18,000 tonnes per day in 2009 to more than 23,000 tonnes by 2014, with production escalating in the three months just prior to the breach.[/quote]

This occurred despite at least five warnings from Ministry of Environment officials, on top of concerns expressed by the facility’s original engineer, independent consultants and even a former tailings dam foreman, Gerald MacBurney, who quit over the lack of action from the company.

The selected satellite images below, drawn from the BWTA report – chart the massive influx of tailings into the pond corresponding with the period of increased gold and copper production at the mine.

Satellite images reveal a slight decrease in tailings levels over the summer, corresponding with the deliberate, emergency release of some tailings water after a dangerous incident on May 24 of this year. According to a provincial government backgrounder:

[quote]The ministry issued an advisory to Mount Polley Mining Corporation for exceedance of the height of effluent within the tailings impoundment. The effluent level returned to authorized levels commencing June 30, 2014.[/quote]

Yet, just over a month later, the dam would burst, as this satellite imagery from the USGS shows:

The BC government has yet to respond to Imperial Metals’ increased estimates of tailings debris.

*NOTE: Estimated height of tailings pond revised 

In a Labour Day update on the Mount Polley mine disaster, owner Imperial Metals boosted its estimates of tailings, water and debris released into the environment by the failure of its tailings dam on August 4.

Compared with earlier estimates of 10 million cubic metres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of solid tailings, the company is now figuring the following:

• Supernatant water 10.6Mm³ 
• Tailings Slurry: tailings solids 7.3Mm³; interstitial water 6.5Mm³
• Construction materials 0.6Mm³

Combining supernatant (water lying above the tailings within the “pond”) and interstitial (water trapped within the tailings), an extra 7.1 million litres of water poured forth from the burst dam than originally estimated. At 7.3 million cubic metres of solid tailings, the new estimate is nearly 3 million higher than the original 4.5 million – also making it the largest tailings pond disaster of its kind in history.

Added to that are 600,000 cubic metres of construction materials.

Imperial Metals was also not carrying any proper environmental disaster insurance, though it maintains in this latest update that it will be able to clean up the spill:

[quote]…we believe the costs can be managed over time given the underlying value of Imperial’s assets, the commitments for the additional $100 million financing announced on August 14 and insurance proceeds. [/quote]

Water quality concerns renewed

The revelation comes as fresh concerns surface regarding water quality, human and animal health in the region.

Last weekend, Interior Helath issued a new advisory warning residents of Likely, BC that – despite the lifting of an earlier water use ban – increased turbidity in the water column warranted caution in terms of drinking water from Quesnel Lake.

At the same time, independent biologist Alexandra Morton made waves reporting on a mysterious blue film covering much of Quesnel Lake and the Quesnel River.

The Ministry of Environment was allegedly aware of the situation and taking samples but has yet to report back to the public regarding the issue.

Finally, recently released data from the ministry’s water tests on August 13 reveal a major a spike in total copper levels from its “deep” station at the mouth of Hazeltine Creek –  “two orders of magnitude higher than on August 8th,” according to biologist John Werring of the David Suzuki Foundation. Topping out at 325 ug/l, says Werring, they vastly exceed aquatic life guidelines of just 4 ug/l.

CEO Kynoch: Thanks for understanding

Imperial Metals CEO Brian Kynoch included a personal message in his company’s update. “We thank all our employees and stakeholders who very quickly responded to offer help following the August 4 breach at our Mount Polley mine,” Kynoch says.

[quote]We also appreciate the offers of support from our colleagues in the mining industry and residents of BC and beyond, who understand the complexity of responding, planning and working toward mitigating the effects of this event.[/quote]

When a tailings pond broke at the Mount Polley gold and copper mine in south-central B.C., spilling millions of cubic metres of waste into a salmon-bearing stream, B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett called it an “extremely rare” occurrence, the first in 40 years for mines operating here.

He failed to mention the 46 “dangerous or unusual occurrences” that B.C’s chief inspector of mines reported at tailings ponds in the province between 2000 and 2012, as well as breaches at non-operating mine sites.

This spill was predictable. Concerns were raised about Mount Polley before the breach. CBC reported that B.C.’s Environment Ministry issued several warnings about the amount of water in the pond to mine owner Imperial Metals.

With 50 mines operating in B.C. — and many others across Canada — we can expect more incidents, unless we reconsider how we’re extracting resources.

Lower-grade mines generating more tailings

Sudden and severe failure is a risk for all large tailings dams — Mount Polley’s waste pond covered about four square kilometres, roughly the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park. As higher-grade deposits become increasingly scarce, mining companies are opting for lower-grade alternatives that create more tailings. As tailings ponds grow bigger and contain more water and waste than ever before, they also become riskier. The average height of a Canadian tailings dam doubled from 120 metres in the 1960s to 240 metres today. Alberta writer Andrew Nikiforuk likens increasing mining industry risks to those of the oil sands.

Tailings ponds not the best technology

Open ponds of toxic slurry aren’t the best way to manage mining waste. Although there’s no silver-bullet solution, and more research funding on alternative technologies is needed, smaller underground mines are finding safer ways to deal with waste by backfilling tailings.

Drying tailings or turning them to a paste before containment are two other options. Safer solutions cost more, making them less popular with profit-focused corporations. But surely B.C.’s $8-billion mining industry can afford to pay more for public and environmental safety.

Imperial Metals lacks insurance coverage

The government allows the mining industry to choose the cheapest way to deal with waste, and companies often lack adequate insurance to cover cleanup costs when accidents happen. Imperial Metals admits its insurance will likely fall far short of what’s required to repair the damage at Mount Polley.

Weak monitoring and enforcement to blame

The mining industry and provincial and federal governments must do a better job of managing risks. But how can this happen when we’re facing unprecedented dismantling of Canada’s environmental regulations and decreased funding for monitoring and enforcement?

Although the B.C. government rightly appointed an independent panel of three top mining engineers to review the cause of the Mount Polley breach and report back with recommendations, the lack of an environmental or cultural perspective on the panel makes it unlikely we’ll see meaningful industry reform. And even the most thorough reviews remain ineffective without implementation commitments — a point made clear by the federal government’s failure to act on the Cohen Commission’s 75 recommendations on the decline of Fraser River sockeye.

First Nations hold power to confront risky mines

Canada’s mining industry must also work more closely with First Nations, some of which are challenging industrial activity in their territories. The Tahltan blockaded Imperial Metals’ nearly completed mine in the Sacred Headwaters, and the Neskonlith Indian Band issued an eviction notice to an Imperial subsidiary, which proposed an underground lead-and-zinc mine in Secwepemc Territory in the B.C. Interior. With the Supreme Court’s Tsilhqot’in decision affirming First Nations’ rights to land and resources within their traditional territories, we’re likely to see more defending their lands against mining and other resource extractions.

The Mount Polley tailings spill threatens two of B.C.’s most valued resources: salmon and water. As one of the largest sockeye runs enters the waterways to spawn, we must wait to find out the long-term repercussions for Polley Lake, Quesnel Lake and aquatic life further downstream.

This disaster has eroded public trust in the mining industry and regulations governing it. If risks are too high and long-term solutions unavailable or too expensive, the only way to ensure that toxic tailings are kept out of our precious waterways and pristine landscapes may be to avoid mining in some areas altogether.

As the government rallying cry of “world-class safety standards” echoes in our ears, it’s time we lived up to our self-proclaimed reputation.

Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Communications Specialist Jodi Stark.

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