If you ever wondered what an ecological disaster looks like

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ceemes
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If you ever wondered what an ecological disaster looks like

#1 Unread post by ceemes »

wonder no more.
Mount Polley Gold and Copper Mine Tailings Pond Breach.



Some 10 Billion Litres of waste water and 4.5 million cubic metres of metals-laden fine sand was released into the BC river and lake system on Monday when a dam holding back the tailing pond breached. Apparently there were concerns raised about this tailing pond and it dam back in 2011, but both the Government of BC and Imperial Metals shrugged them off. Profits first and foremost it seems.

Imperial Metals president Brian Kynoch made the following statement when asked about the impact the breach would have on local drinking water, he insisted the water quality is good, even saying he would drink it.

"It's very close to drinking water quality, the water in our tailings," he said. "There's almost everything in it but at low levels.... No mercury, very low arsenic and very low other metals."

His idea of "very close to drinking water quality", the assessment Mount Polley mine on-site disposal into its tail pond in 2013:

Arsenic (and its compounds): 406 tonnes
Lead (and its compounds) 177 tonnes
Nickel (and its compounds) 326 tonnes
Vanadium (except when in an alloy): 5,047 tonnes
Zinc (and its compounds): 2,169 tonnes
Cadmium (and its compounds): 6 tonnes
Cobalt (and its compounds): 475 tonnes
Phosphorus (total): 41,640 tonnes
Copper (and its compounds): 18,413 tonnes
Antimony (and its compounds) 14 tonnes
Manganese (and its compounds): 20,988 tonnes
Mercury (and its compounds): 3 tonnes
Selenium (and its compounds): 46 tonnes

(note: a tonne is a metric ton, which is approximately 2.2 standard tons.)

To make matter even worse, these lakes feed into the Fraser River system and the breach happened just in time to meet a record number of Sockeye Salmon who will be traveling up the river system to spawn....lord knows what is going to happen them them.
Always ask why.

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blues2cruise
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Re: If you ever wondered what an ecological disaster looks l

#2 Unread post by blues2cruise »

The water is so safe that fish in the Quesnel River are dying.

People are seeing floating dead fish and there is most likely...in Likely...an evacuation order due to the toxic waste.
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