Massive tailings pond spill north of Quesnel Lake said to be toxic; water ban in effect for hundreds
A complete water ban has been issued for the Interior community of
Likely after a mining accident spilled waste materials into a nearby
lake Monday morning.
The Cariboo Regional District enacted the ban following a breach in the earth-filled dam surrounding Mount Polley Mine’s tailings pond.
Debris
and effluent flowed into Quesnel Lake from the tailings pond, where
waste from the mine’s chemical and mechanical operations was being
stored.
All residents living around the open-pit copper and gold
mine eight kilometres southwest of Likely are being urged to use only
bottled water until further notice.
Authorities had previously
said Likely was not directly affected, because it was unclear how many
people in the town used water from Quesnel Lake.
But
since then, the Cariboo Regional District has decided to start
delivering water to Likely because the main supplier of bottled water in
the area, a small grocery store, could not keep up with the demand.
The
ban now affects people living in Quesnel Lake, Polley Lake, Hazeltine
Creek and Cariboo Creek, as well as the anyone who draws water from the
Quesnel and Cariboo river systems. People on the Quesnel and Williams
Lake city water systems are not affected.
Robin Hood, president of the Likely Chamber of Commerce, called it “big disaster” for his community of 300 people.
Hood
said that while the lake’s level hadn’t risen and the debris hadn’t
moved, there was concern the debris might wash out a nearby bridge.
“We’re
a resource-extraction, tourism-oriented little community — plugging
along really good,” Hood said. “I hope that this breach doesn’t wipe out
the tourist side or the extraction side.”
Residents and visitors are advised not to swim or bathe in the waterways nearby.
Hood said the spill also threatens the area’s salmon-spawning grounds.
The
RCMP, Ministry of Environment, Cariboo Search and Rescue and other
agencies were working to determine the extent and impacts of the breach.
Helicopters were dispatched to survey the damage.
Mount Polley Mine was opened in 1997 and is operated by Imperial Metals Corporation.
The regional district emergency operations centre is providing updates about the breach on its Facebook page at facebook.com/CRDEmergencyOperations.
A public information line has been set up at 1-250-398-5581.
