Imperial Metals said it will be moving ahead with raising a tailings dam after a B.C. Supreme Court decision earlier on Aug. 6.
The raising of the dam four metres at Mount Polley Mine in the Cariboo will go ahead despite concerns from Xatśūll First Nation, which had requested an injunction to the move until a judicial review was undertaken.
Since June, Mount Polley had agreed not to raise the dam until the court ruled on this request.
The B.C. Supreme Court issued their ruling Aug. 6 and determined the provincial approvals to increase the height of the dam were fair and reasonable and were done with sufficient consultation with the Xatśūll First Nation before the approvals were given. The court was satisfied with the level of engagement and consultation shown by the company with both First Nations and local communities.
Xatśūll First Nation issued a brief statement to say it is "disappointed with the decision" of the court, noting they will be reviewing it and exploring their options on possible next steps.
In a press call after the decision, Bryan Kynoch, president of Imperial Metals, stated the company is committed to working with both Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) and Xatśūll First Nation, having reached an impact agreement with WLFN. Kynoch said the company continues to work with Xatśūll First Nation towards reaching a revised agreement with them as well.
Kynoch said the company is keen on moving forward together with Xatśūll.
When asked about what the company is doing to prevent any potential of a repeat of the Mount Polley Mine disaster from Aug. 4, 2014, he said many factors will help ensure this dam doesn't breach.
On Aug. 4, 2014, the Mount Polley tailings dam failed, releasing an estimated 25 million cubic metres of tailings and wastewater into Hazeltine Creek with an estimated 18 million cubic metres reaching Quesnel Lake.
"This is the same facility that breached and devastated Xatśūll’s territory in 2014 — the worst mining disaster on record. Its impacts are still harming our Nation’s rights, culture and way of life today," stated the release from Xatśūll First Nation.
Kynoch said the cause of the failure was determined and design regulations have been updated to help ensure the dam's stability.
He said design regulations have been updated and an independent engineering review panel will also be helping to oversee the ongoing dam design.
"A lot more has been put into it," he said.
There will be "way more buttress" added Kynoch. A buttress is the structural support holding up the downstream side of the dam's embankment.
"A lot more work, a lot more review into this dam," he said.
Kynoch said a comprehensive environmental monitoring program has also been put together to continue to gather information on the long term impacts resulting from the previous tailings breach. The mine also conducts monitoring of its ongoing discharge of wastewater into Quesnel Lake. The mine was issued a permit amendment by the province to allow the minewater discharge to continue into 2025.
The Quesnel River Research Centre, operated by UNBC, has been doing some independent research on changes to the aquatic environment resulting from the input of the tailings into the lake ecosystem as well as the ongoing wastewater output from the mine. So far, the research has shown some potential for impacts when sediments are disturbed during seasonal lake turnover, resuspending mine tailings contaminants like copper and phosphorous.
In his press call, Kynoch said the company is still waiting on a permit approving an expansion of the mine into Phase five and six, what the company is calling the Springer Expansion Project.
"We're in line and we're anticipating that permit in the very near future," he said, noting the mine is nearly mined out of the current phase of the Springer Pit.
"While today's decision gives us some clarity, we're not completely out of the woods," said Kynoch.
Mount Polley Mine employs around 390 people and is expecting to produce 25-27 million pounds of copper and 35,000-40,000 ounces of gold in 2025.
Quesnel Lake is a major fishing and recreational destination in the region and province, is home to the community of Likely, B.C. on its southwestern end, a heliski lodge, is one of the deepest fjord lakes in the world and is also an area where industrial logging and other mining activity is ongoing.
The area surrounding the lake is home to a few remaining endangered Mountain Caribou and endangered salmon runs using both the lake and its tributaries.
