Write Now! Time to ban all tailings dams in BC
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- Published on Thursday, 06 August 2015 17:15
- Written by editor
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We can't afford another Mount Polley mine disaster
Hello PAOV,
This week is the one-year anniversary of the Mount Polley mine tailings dam failure, which spewed over 25 million cubic metres of a metal-laden slurry of tailings mixed with water into Hazeltine Creek and salmon-rich Quesnel Lake.
The company that owns the mine, Imperial Metals, has spent the past 12 months trying to clean up the mess, but it will likely be decades before the true extent of the damage is understood.
To prevent further disasters, the Wilderness Committee is demanding a complete ban on building new tailings dams in BC.
Tailings dam failures happen frequently, and have been responsible for mine disasters that have caused loss of life and severe environmental damage all around the world. It’s time for regulators to require mines to develop their plans using the best available technology, such as the dry stacking method of tailings storage.
For example, the Greens Creek mine in south Alaska uses the dry stacking method to store tailings, which does not require a dam or impoundment area. The area where this mine is located is similar to BC in topography and weather.
The Mount Polley disaster was a huge wake-up call for British Columbians about the risks posed by mining. Now is the time to take steps to improve the industry’s practices, to ensure that such a disaster never happens here again.
Please write now to demand an end to tailings dams in BC >>
For the wild,
Joe Foy | National Campaign Director
Wilderness Committee
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