After the failure of the earthen tailings dam
There is already considerable concern over the potentially toxic metals released into the environment after the failure of the earthen tailings dam on Aug 4.
The tailings surged into nine-kilometre Hazeltine Creek, which was home to spawning trout and coho salmon, as well as Quesnel Lake, the migration path of more than one million sockeye salmon.
With an estimated 17 million cubic metres of tailings remaining in the storage facility (enough to fill 6,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools), there is urgency in ensuring it stays in place.
Mine owner Imperial Metals must also begin to address the effects of the tailings deposited into Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake.
And with winter rains about to hit soon — and the deep-freeze of winter around the corner — the company has little time to waste.
But a plan of attack has emerged and trucks are once again moving on the mine site, although the mine remains closed.
The plan includes blocking the hole in the tailings dam with an earth and rock dike, collecting water that seeps through the dike (which is not waterproof), repairing roads and bridges to create better access to Hazeltine Creek, and probing Quesnel Lake to determine the effect of the spill.
“We think we are making good progress,” said Steve Robertson, vice-president of corporate affairs for Imperial Metals.