What happened at Mount Polley mine disaster?
What happened at Mount Polley mine disaster?
On Aug. 4, 2014, a four-square-kilometre tailings pond breached at Mount Polley mine in central British Columbia, leaking vast amounts of water and effluent into Polley and Quesnel lakes and Hazeltine Creek. The 40-metre-high tailings dam was built on a sloped glacial lake. That weakened its foundation.
What caused the Mount Polley mine disaster?
Less than two decades after the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia opened, disaster struck. An investigation into the cause of the spill revealed mine engineers failed to account for glacial silt underneath the tailings containment pond, leading to structural insufficiencies that caused the dam’s collapse.
Why do tailings dam failure?
Tailings dams can be huge lakes, with embankments reaching hundreds of metres high. Mining waste is piped into or dumped into the dam. One of the reasons dams fail is due to a lack of monitoring and poor or inadequate maintenance.
When did the Mount Polley disaster happen?
August 4, 2014
Summary. A tailings dam failure at the Mount Polley Mine occurred on August 4, 2014 resulting in the loss of about 17 million cubic meters of water and 8 million cubic meters of tailings/materials into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake having significant impact.
Where is Mount Polley Mine located?
British Columbia
Mount Polley is an open pit copper/gold mine with an underground component located in south-central British Columbia, 56 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake.
What are tailing ponds used for?
Tailings ponds are engineered dam and dyke facilities used for storage of tailings materials. Tailing ponds are also used to enable water to separate from the tailings. Water from the tailings ponds is recycled back into the extraction process, reducing the use of fresh water from the Athabasca River and other sources.
Where do mine tailings go?
Most modern hardrock metal mines dispose of tailings as a wet mud, held in pits lined with clay or a synthetic liner. Many mines put the tailings back into the original mining pit. Some large mines use entire existing valleys sealed off with earthen dams, and others store tailings in natural lakes.
What is a sludge dam?
A tailings dam is typically an earth-fill embankment dam used to store byproducts of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue. Tailings dams are designed for permanent containment, meaning they are intended to “remain there forever”.
Is Mount Polley mine open?
Mount Polley is working toward a reopening in September 2021 to meet the global demand of copper and gold. The Mount Polley Mining Corporation estimates that the reopening of the mine will add 300 local jobs….Mount Polley mine.
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Discovered | 1969 |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Closed | 2019 |
| Owner |
Is Mount Polley open?
Mount Polley Mine owners are aiming to restart the copper and gold mine by September 2021. The restart of the mine, located about 93 kilometres east of Williams Lake, will provide about 300 new, full-time mining jobs in the region once it is fully operational, Kynoch confirmed.
What happens to tailings after mining is finished?
Because tailings originate in slurry form they are dumped in or near water, contaminating the water and destroying aquatic life. Tailings also can be transported by wind or water to contaminate other areas.
What can you do with mine tailings?
Where did the Mount Polley Mine disaster occur?
The Mount Polley mine disaster occurred on August 4th, 2014 near Likely in the Cariboo region of Central British Columbia.
What happened to Polley Lake?
On August 4th, 2014 a four square kilometre sized tailings pond full of toxic copper and gold mining waste breached, spilling an estimated 25 billion litres of contaminated materials into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake, a source of drinking water and major spawning grounds for sockeye salmon.
When does Mount Polley’s water permit expire?
The permit, which expires on Dec. 31, 2022, was amended in 2017 to include requirements for designing and testing “mine influenced water,” but Mount Polley missed several deadlines and was sent numerous letters warning it was out of compliance, according to the new ruling by the appeal board. The Narwhal is coming to Ontario!
What was the cause of the South African mine disaster?
An investigation into the cause of the spill revealed mine engineers failed to account for glacial silt underneath the tailings containment pond, leading to structural insufficiencies that caused the dam’s collapse. No charges or fines have been laid in response to the disaster.
