8/11/2019 What You Need to Know About Tailings Ponds

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Adrian Lee  A u g u s t   6 , 

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W h a t     y o u    n e e d      t o    k n o w      a b o u t    t a i l i n g s    p o n d s

Understanding the tailings ponds breach at Mount Polley near Likely, B.C., which has emptied mine w

  O n M o n d a y , a n I m p e r i a l M e t a l s t a i l i n g s p o n d i n B . C . b r e a c h e d i t s e m b a n k m e n t , s p i l l i n g c o n t a m i n a t e d   

  w a t e r a n d w a s t e m a t e r i a l i n t o t h e s u r r o u n d i n g w a t e r w a y s a n d s p u r r i n g a s t a t e o f e m e r g e n c y i n t h e a r e a

  I t ’ s r a i s e d t h e i r e o f F i r s t N a t i o n s g r o u p s , w h o s a y t h e c o m p a n y i g n o r e d a r e p o r t t h a t t h e g r o w t h o f t h e   

  p o n d w a s u n s u s t a i n a b l e . I t ’ s a n g e r e d e n v i r o n m e n t a l g r o u p s , f u r i o u s a t t h e s u g g e s t i o n t h a t w a t e r w i t h   

  a r s e n i c a n d m e r c u r y w a s r e l e a s e d i n t o t h e l a k e s . B u t w h a t e x a c t l y a r e t a i l i n g s p o n d s ? D o e s t h e i n d u s t r y   

  h a v e a n a l t e r n a t i v e ? W e t a l k e d t o S c o t t D u n b a r , t h e h e a d o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a ’ s s c h o o l

  m i n i n g e n g i n e e r i n g , t o e x p l a i n t h e i s s u e s a t p l a y a n d t h e i n s t i t u t i o n a l a t t i t u d e s t h a t n e e d t o c h a n g e s o t

Q: So what is a tailings pond, and how does it work?

 W h e n y o u t a k e t h e r o c k o u t o f t h e g r o u n d , y o u g r i n d i t u p t o p a r t i c l e s a b o u t t h e s i z e o f s a n d a n d s i l t , t h

t h e y c a l l a c o n c e n t r a t i o n p l a n t a n d i t s e p a r a t e s t h e m i n e r a l s o f i n t e r e s t f r o m t h e w a s t e . T h e w a s t e b e c o

u p w i t h w a t e r , a n d i t ’ s p u m p e d o u t i n t o t h i s p o n d . T h e p u r p o s e o f t h i s p o n d , w i t h a n e m b a n k m e n t a r o u

a n d a l l o w t h e m t o d r a i n a s m u c h a s p o s s i b l e . I t ’ s b a s i c a l l y s a n d - s i z e d p a r t i c l e s , b u t t h e r e ’ s a n a w f u l l o t o

t h e m i n e r a l s t h a t g e n e r a t e a l l t h a t c a s h . T h i s w a s t e h a s t o b e d e a l t w i t h . I t ’ s m o s t l y s i l i c a t e s . I f t h e fi l t e r i

u s u a l l y i s , t h e r e w o u l d b e v e r y f e w m e t a l l i c s .   T h e t a i l i n g s p o n d i s e v e n t u a l l y d r a i n e d a n d t h e t a i l i n g s a r e

s a n d . T h e b i g g e s t p r o b l e m w i t h a l l t h i s i s w a t e r – I s u s p e c t t h a t ’ s t h e p r o b l e m h e r e . Y o u g e t r i d o f t h e w a t

 A n d t h e n t h e p o n d i s e v e n t u a l l y r e c l a i m e d ; t h e r e ’ s s o m e p l a n t l i f e t h a t g r o w s o n t o p o f i t a n d o t h e r t h i n

Q: Is there another way to handle the waste?

N o , s h o r t o f p r o c e s s i n g i n s i t u – i n o t h e r w o r d s , d o n ’ t m o v e t h e r o c k i n t h e fi r s t p l a c e , j u s t p r o c e s s t h e r o

b e d o n e f o r t h e s e c o p p e r a n d g o l d m i n e s t h a t a r e i n o p e r a t i o n , t h e m i n e r a l s a r e j u s t t o o t i g h t l y b o u n d u

h a v e t o e x t r a c t , c r u s h a n d g r i n d t h e r o c k . I f y o u c o u l d d o t h a t — a n d t h i s i s r e a l l y f u t u r i s t i c — w i t h a s w a r

m o v e t h e m a t e r i a l o n t h e g r o u n d , y o u c o u l d e l i m i n a t e i t . B u t o t h e r w i s e , i t ’ s a f a c t o f l i f e .   

I w o u l d n ’ t s a y

d i r e c t i o n . I n s i t u m i n i n g a n d p r o c e s s i n g i s d o n e i n s o m e c a s e s , u r a n i u m i s o n e e x a m p l e , b u t n o t i n o t h e

C a n a d i a n m i n i n g u s e s t a i l i n g p o n d s .   Q What’s in the runo? I n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r c a s e , I t h i n k t h e c o n t a m

p r e s i d e n t s a i d y o u c o u l d a l m o s t d r i n k t h e w a t e r . F r a n k l y , I ’ m m o r e c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e t a i l i n g s t h e m s e

c u b i c m e t r e s s p r e a d a l l o v e r t h e c o u n t r y s i d e . T h a t ’ s g o i n g t o b e a b i g g e r p r o b l e m . T h e w a t e r ’ s g o n e , a n d

a l r e a d y , a n d I d o n ’ t t h i n k t h a t ’ s g o i n g t o b e a p r o b l e m . T h e y ’ r e g o i n g t o h a v e t o g o o v e r a l l t h e a r e a a n d l

p l a c e s a n d s a y , “ D o w e k e e p i t h e r e , o r d o w e h a v e t o m o v e i t . ” T h a t ’ s g o i n g t o b e a l o n g a n d t e d i o u s e x e

e v e r y s q u a r e k i l o m e t r e w i l l h a v e t o b e l o o k e d a t . I t ’ l l d e p e n d o n t h e s i t e , a n d h o w c l o s e i t i s t o t h e r i v e r .

m u c h g o o d , b e c a u s e i t c o v e r s u p t h e r i v e r b o t t o m s a n d a l l t h a t . M a y b e t h e s y s t e m c a n t o l e r a t e t h a t , b u t

Q: What about the reports of arsenic and mercury in the water?

 A : I d o n ’ t t h i n k t h o s e a r e g o i n g t o b e a p r o b l e m . T h e y ’ r e d i l u t e q u a n t i t i e s — i t i s a l m o s t d r i n k a b l e , a n d n

l a k e s , i t ’ s e v e n m o r e d i l u t e d . I d o n ’ t t h i n k c o n t a m i n a t i o n i s g o i n g t o b e a m a j o r i s s u e h e r e . T h e p r o b l e m

t a i l i n g s d o . W h a t ’ s i n t h o s e t a i l i n g s c a n b e a n i s s u e , b u t a s I u n d e r s t a n d i t , t h e r e ’ s a l o t o f b i o l o g i c a l a c t i v

o f t h e m e t a l s i n t h e p o n d .  

Q: The president of Imperial Metals has made headlines for claiming that you could “drink” the wa

resources minister/current Finance Minister Joe Oliver called it a “fact” that we’re going to be able

ponds. And yet you see photos of the area that have been described as “like a lunar surface,” with

do you reconcile those things?

I m p e r i a l M e t a l s a c t u a l l y h a d a n a p p l i c a t i o n i n w i t h t h e m i n i s t r y t o t r e a t a n d r e l e a s e t h e t a i l i n g s p o n d w

d e l a y e d . I d o n ’ t t h i n k I w o u l d d r i n k i t — i t ’ s a l k a l i n e , i t ’ s a w f u l l y s a l t y . I t h i n k i t ’ d b e u n p l e a s a n t t o d r i n k .

E C T I O N S A U T H O R S S U B S C R I B E      

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8/11/2019 What You Need to Know About Tailings Ponds

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