Who owns Mount Polley mine?
Mount Polley mine is owned and operated by Mount Polley Mining Corporation (MPMC), a subsidiary of Imperial.
What happened at Mount Polley?
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.
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.
When did Mount Polley close?
It consists of two open-pit sites with an underground mining component and is owned and operated by the Mount Polley Mining Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Imperial Metals Corporation….Mount Polley mine.
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Discovered | 1969 |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Closed | 2019 |
| Owner |
Why are tailings ponds problematic?
There are several environmental concerns that are associated with the existence of tailings ponds. The main problem with the ponds is that they include toxic and harmful chemicals such as ammonia, mercury, and naphthenic acids. The water containing these chemicals is toxic to animals, particularly aquatic organisms.
Are tailings ponds safe?
Tailings ponds are enormous human-made reservoirs the size of lakes in which the toxic byproduct of oil extraction from tar sands are stored. They contain dangerous chemicals such as ammonia, lead, mercury, benzene and naphthenic acid.
What is tailing dam failure?
The mine tailings is used to create a barrier. The dam gets higher as more tailings are stored behind them, increasing the risk of collapse. Upstream dams can become unstable and leak if the mine waste behind the dam gets too wet. This will damage the dam and may cause it to collapse.
Are tailings ponds toxic?
Are tailings toxic?
Tailings aren’t “toxic.” They are a natural byproduct to be kept in a lined facility and returned to the pit at closure. All pyritic tailings will be backhauled to the pit for permanent underwater storage. They will present no failure risk and offer no threat to downstream habitat.
Are tailing ponds man made?
To dispose of the waste, industry pipes it off to what engineers call “settling basins” or “tailings ponds.” With a little luck the water will separate from the slime and become fish-friendly within 150 years. These ponds aren’t really ponds; they are man-made earthen dams.
What is the purpose of a tailings dam?
Tailings dams are used to store water and waste that come as by products from the mining process. It is estimated there are at least 3,500 tailings dams around the world.
Why have so many tailings dams failed in recent years?
Abstract. The number of tailings dam failures has doubled in the past 20 years. Advances in mining technology have made it possible to exploit lower grade deposits despite decreasing commodity prices, which means disposing of more rejects and putting more pressure on tailings facilities.
Why do tailing dams fail?
In the literature on the topic, the majority of the tailings storage-facility failures discussed can be attributed to a few factors – in particular, the lack of management continuity and inadequate resourcing (especially financial) for the facility.