Why did Mount Polley failure?
An independent report into the disaster said the dam was built on a sloped glacial lake, weakening its foundation. It said the inadequate design of the dam didn’t account for drainage or erosion failures associated with glacial till beneath the pond.
What happened at the Mt Polley mine?
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?
central British Columbia
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.
Is there gold mines in Canada?
In 2020, mine production increased in Quebec, Manitoba and in the Other P/T category (includes: Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Yukon, Newfoundland and Alberta) while production fell in Ontario, and British Columbia. Ontario and Quebec produced 71% of the gold mined in Canada in 2020.
What is tailings pond breach?
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.
What kind of mine is Mount Polley?
open pit copper/gold mine
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.
Where is the Lost Lemon Mine?
southwestern Alberta
Lost Lemon Mine, a legendary gold deposit reputedly somewhere between the Crowsnest Pass and the Highwood River in southwestern Alberta, discovered about 1870 by prospectors Frank Lemon and “Blackjack.”
What is tailings dams in mining?
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 can be liquid, solid, or a slurry of fine particles, and are usually highly toxic and potentially radioactive.
Why are tailing ponds good?
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.