INNOVATION September-October 2014

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APEGBC Responds to Mount Polley Mine Incident In the early hours of August 4, 2014, a tailings pond dam breach occurred at Imperial Metal’s Mount Polley Mine, an open pit copper/gold mine located 30 kilo- metres from the community of Likely, BC. According to current estimates, approximately 25 million cubic metres of effluent was released in the breach and dis- charged into Polley Lake and Quesnel Lake, consist- ing of roughly 17 million cubic metres of water, and another eight million cubic metres of tailings and con- struction materials. In response, the Cariboo Regional District declared a state of local emergency. The cause of the dam failure has not currently been identified.

company is required to report on the implementation of action to regulatory agencies and stakeholders. Sediment and water quality testing is ongoing, and as of the time of publication results are being posted to the Ministry of Environment website (www.env.gov. bc.ca/eemp/incidents/2014/mount-polley/). Ministry of Environment conservation officers as well as Ministry of Energy and Mines inspectors are investigating the breach and its impact in separate investigations. Further to this, BC’s Privacy Commissioner is investigating whether the provincial government should have notified the public about potential risk related to the Mount Polley Mine tailings pond. Most recently, the Ministry of Energy and Mines launched an independent geotechnical inquiry into the mine breach, and ordered independent third-party reviews of all 2014 Dam Safety Inspections for every tailings pond at a permitted mine in the province. What Does This Mean for APEGBC and Its Members? As the engineering and geoscience regulator in BC, major incidents with public safety implications such as this are of great concern to APEGBC. Like the public it serves, APEGBC expects resource development projects to be conducted safely and professionally. Furthermore, the significance of such an incident is not lost on APEGBC with respect to the impact it may have on the public’s confidence in engineering and

Visible impacts resulting from the sudden and uncontrolled discharge of the effluent has included erosion and scour of the embankment separating the tailings storage facility from Polley Lake; the deposition of tailings and eroded earth into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, and Quesnel Lake; and the deposition of trees and other woody debris along the erosion path via Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake. What’s Happening Now? The Ministry of Environment issued a Pollution Abatement Order to the Mount Polley Mine Corporation, ordering the mine operator to take immediate action to stop the further release of mine tailings into nearby waterways, and to submit environmental impact assessments and clean-up action plans to the ministry. On a weekly basis, the

geoscience professionals. To which end, APEGBC is mindful of members’ expectations that their association play a leadership role in demonstrating that engineering and geoscience is part of the solution. In the days since the incident oc- curred, APEGBC has been careful to consider where it is appropriate for the association to take action given the involvement of numerous other regulatory authorities. While offer- ing the expertise of APEGBC and its members, the association’s aim has been to avoid duplication while, most importantly, maintaining its regulatory independence. How Has APEGBC Taken Action? APEGBC has been active on a number of fronts. Early on following the dam breach, APEGBC staff prepared a list of members and consulting firms with the capability of carrying out large

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