All mining operations in B.C. with tailings ponds will be required to do a self-exam to determine if their own operations suffer from the same foundational problems that caused the Mount Polley copper-gold tailings pond failure in august 2014.
They have until June 30 to report back. And all mines that don’t already have independent tailings dam review boards will be required to establish one.
These were among the actions announced by Energy and Mine Minister Bill Bennett January 30, on the heels of a report by an expert panel tasked with finding out what caused the Mount Polley tailings pond dam failure.
However, Bennett did not announce any immediate action on one of the panel’s other key recommendations: That safety come before economics in the planning and permitting of all future mines.
However, Bennett said a code review will look at how to implement some of the panel’s other recommendations.
Asked at a press conference about the recommended safety-first approach, Bennett said: “I think that’s a very much valuable insight and will, I’m sure, inform some of the changes that we’ll embrace.”
The panel recommended a higher-tech approach to tailings storage, such as a dry stacking, which is costlier, but which obviates some of the problems associated with storing mine tailings under water in ponds.
“That particular way of dealing with tailings is something that will be, I think, embraced in the future here in the province with new mines, if the circumstances require that,” Bennett said.
The panel concluded that the Mount Polley tailings pond dam was built on unstable glacial material. Bennett has ordered all operating mines to report back on whether their own tailings ponds have similar geological foundations.
Bennett said there are 123 tailings ponds in B.C. That includes both operating and decommissioned mines.
Should any other mines found to have some of the same foundational issues as Mount Polley, Bennett said his ministry will ensure action is taken to address the problem.
