B.C. Moves to Implement all Recommendations after Mount Polley Tailings Breach

After reviewing the recommendations put forward by the independent panel that investigated the Mount Polley tailings storage facility failure, the government is committed to implementing all of the panel's recommendations.

"We now know the cause of the failure at Mount Polley but the work doesn't stop there. What we learn from this incident and how we respond to ensure it never happens again is profoundly important to British Columbia and to the mining industry here and around the world,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines.

Images from Mount Polley following the breach. (Photo credit: file photo.)

The Chief Inspector of Mines has sent a letter requiring mines to provide information by June 30th, 2015 confirming whether foundation materials similar to those at Mount Polley exist below any of their dams and if so, whether sufficient testing has been completed. As well, the mines must provide information in regards to infrastructure, stating whether or not the dam is designed to account for foundation conditions.

This ruling comes after the panel's finding that the dominant contribution to the dam failure resides in the original design, and that subsurface investigations during the design process were not sufficient to detect unstable materials underneath the dam or understand their nature.

"The panel identified the cause of the failure and also raised other issues around the design, construction and operation of the tailings storage facility. Both the cause of the failure and these other issues are addressed through the panel's recommendations. We will implement all of these recommendations to ensure our mining industry is safe and can continue to grow and create jobs for families,” said Bennett.

Overview of affected area by tailings breach. (Photo credit: Imperial Metals website.)

The provincial government supports the recommendation of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in that guidelines must be developed to support improved site investigations when designing tailings storage facilities.

In addition, the government has confirmed that independent tailings dam review boards will be mandatory for operating mines.

Moving forward, the province will initiate a code of review to determine how to best implement the panel's recommendations regarding best available technology and practices, additional permit application requirements, and safety standards that are tailored to British Columbia. The code of review will include a consultation process in determining how to implement the best available technology and practices in British Columbia.

The panel recommended the adoption of best available technology, including filtered tailings, or dry stack, technology where appropriate. In addition, the panel noted that there are circumstances where other technologies are more appropriate due to the need to neutralize chemicals in the tailings or challenges with dewatering the tailings.

The independent panel made seven recommendations to improve practice and reduce the potential for future failures: implement BAT using a phased approach, improve corporate governance, expand corporate design commitments; enhance validation of safety and regulation of all phases of a tailing safety facility, strengthen current regulatory operations, improve professional practice, and improve dam safety guidelines. The provincial government has accepted all of the recommendations.

Images from Mount Polley following the breach. (Photo credit: file photo.)