It appears the effects of the Mount Polley mine tailings-pond spill are not as bad as feared, but the provincial government should still seek a third-party investigation of the incident. It鈥檚 not just about one mine; it鈥檚 about the well-being of sa国际传媒鈥檚 resource industries.
When the tailings dam at the gold and copper mine in sa国际传媒鈥檚 Cariboo region broke on Aug. 4, it spilled millions of cubic metres of water and silt into lakes and rivers that are part of the Fraser River watershed, and that supplied water to many homes in the area. About 300 people were ordered to refrain from bathing with or drinking tap water.
The spill sparked widespread concern and was labelled by some as an environmental disaster comparable to such incidents as the Kalamazoo River bitumen spill in Michigan. Fears were expressed that the spill would harm the annual sockeye salmon run and result in long-term damage to the region鈥檚 ecosystems.
Imperial Metals, the company that owns the mine, insisted that the spill was not likely to result in serious contamination. It immediately began cleanup efforts.
Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the pond had been inspected regularly, which means it was checked once a year by provincial inspectors for structural integrity. He said there had been no cause for concern or warning that the dam would fail.
Yet it was reported that consultants and others familiar with the mine had expressed concerns about the safety of the pond, including that it contained more fluids than it was designed for. The government did not investigate those concerns.
While the dam might have been inspected according to the government鈥檚 schedule, the fact that it failed indicates something was missed.
Bennett acknowledged that there are 20 similar ponds in the province, and he is 鈥渓osing sleep鈥� worrying about the state of those facilities.
That concern should be backed up by feet on the ground 鈥� engineers, geologists and biologists whose duty is to ensure, as much as possible, that mining and other resource-based industries pose no harm to people or the environment, both in the short term and the long term.
The water ban near the Mount Polley mine has been lifted and fish have been declared safe to eat, after health officials said the water and the fish had not been exposed to toxic chemicals. That鈥檚 good news.
That doesn鈥檛 mean the fears were groundless. This was not a 鈥渢he sky is falling!鈥� moment. The danger was real. Laws to protect people and the environment from mining activities were enacted because serious harm has been done in the past.
We know more now. We know that contaminants can get into the soil, into streambeds and into the food chain, and the harm becomes apparent years down the road.
With huge resource-based projects on the near and far horizons, this isn鈥檛 a time to relax vigilance. Yet the Mines Ministry has cut the number of geologists and engineers it employs by 21 per cent since 2004.
Getting public buy-in for resource projects is becoming increasingly difficult. The Supreme Court of sa国际传媒鈥檚 land-title decision means First Nations have become more empowered to block developments they believe are threats to their land and culture.
The Mount Polley incident should be thoroughly and objectively investigated, not just to see how this spill happened, but how inspections and other procedures can be improved to ensure similar incidents don鈥檛 happen elsewhere.
Resource development is important to sa国际传媒鈥檚 economy, but the public should be able to trust that the government puts the welfare of people and the environment ahead of the prosperity of resource companies.
