Doug Watt won91裸聊视频檛 forget the sound of a tailings pond collapsing at the Mount Polley Mine more than 10 years ago, sending millions of cubic metres of waste into waterways in the British Columbia Interior.
91裸聊视频淚 went outside, and you could hear the roar. It was like standing close to Niagara Falls,91裸聊视频� the 74-year-old said in an interview Tuesday.
Fifteen federal Fisheries Act charges have been laid against Imperial Metals Corp. and two other firms after the dam collapse at the gold and copper mine in what would become one of the largest environmental disasters in provincial history.
Watt said he and other residents in Likely, B.C., the closest community to the dam, are pleased charges have been laid and now 91裸聊视频渙nly time will tell whether they actually get found guilty or not.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e always wondering all the time, are they going to walk away with no accountability for what happened?91裸聊视频� he said.
The earthen dam gave way at 1 a.m. on Aug. 4, 2014, sending about 25 million cubic meters of mining waste, including tailings and other materials, into nearby waterways.
A statement from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service issued Tuesday said it worked with the Department of Fisheries and Environment and Climate Change Canada to investigate possible contraventions of the act.
The indictment filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Dec. 6 outlines the charges against Imperial Metals, its subsidiary, Mount Polley Mining and Wood Canada Ltd., an engineering firm.
The indictment alleges the companies allowed a 91裸聊视频渄eleterious substance91裸聊视频� from the mine91裸聊视频檚 tailings pond into several bodies of water 91裸聊视频渇requented by fish,91裸聊视频� including Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, Bootjack Creek, Edney Creek and Quesnel Lake.
It alleges the companies91裸聊视频� work 91裸聊视频渞esulted in serious harm to fish that are part of a commercial, recreational or Aboriginal fishery 91裸聊视频� namely the death of fish or any permanent alteration to, or destruction of, fish habitat.91裸聊视频�
Imperial Metals said in a statement the company received the indictment this week, and as the matter is before the courts it won91裸聊视频檛 be making further comment.
A report from an independent expert panel released in 2015 concluded the key reason for the dam91裸聊视频檚 failure was its design.
It said the engineers didn91裸聊视频檛 take into account the complexity of the geological environment in relation to the dam embankment foundation.
It said engineers failed to recognize that the dam was 91裸聊视频渟usceptible to undrained failure91裸聊视频� when subject to the stresses associated with the embankment.
A three-year deadline for provincial charges in the case passed in 2017.
A spokesman for B.C.91裸聊视频檚 Ministry of Environment referred questions to the Conservation Officer Service91裸聊视频檚 statement and said there would be no further comment 91裸聊视频渁s it91裸聊视频檚 before the courts.91裸聊视频�
In 2022, Engineers and Geoscientists B.C., the provincial regulatory and licensing body, fined two former project engineers a combined $226,500, while a third was temporarily suspended and ordered to complete additional training.
A post from August on the Mount Polley Mine website says more than $70 million has been invested in environmental repair and clean-up efforts, 91裸聊视频渄emonstrating a strong commitment to restoring the affected areas.91裸聊视频�
In September 2023, the Mount Polley Mining Corp. was awarded the Jake McDonald Reclamation Award for its habitat remediation work in Hazeltine Creek and adjacent areas.
The company said in its post that ongoing environmental monitoring has shown steady recovery, and its efforts will ensure the long-term health of the ecosystem in the area.
Jamie Kneen, a spokesman with Mining Watch Canada, said the Mount Polley spill left 91裸聊视频渄evastating environmental impacts,91裸聊视频� including potential damage to the salmon runs in the Fraser River.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 the physical destruction of 25 million cubic meters of material ripping down Hazelton Creek and into Quesnel Lake,91裸聊视频� said Kneen.
He said there are still many questions left unanswered, such as whether contamination from the spill is still active in Quesnel Lake.
91裸聊视频淎side from seeing these charges actually brought forward, our major concern is still the ongoing contamination,91裸聊视频� said Kneen.
91裸聊视频淲hat we don91裸聊视频檛 know 91裸聊视频� and there isn91裸聊视频檛 really enough study being done on it 91裸聊视频� is what the consequences are for the fisheries, or for the salmon runs, and part of that is that those are very complicated systems to study. But also there91裸聊视频檚 not that much investigation being done to try and sort that out.91裸聊视频�
Even 10 years later, Watt said he doesn91裸聊视频檛 drink the lake water because he has safety concerns.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e lived here for like 27 years or more, and we knew what the lake was like before this accident happened, and we see that it deteriorated,91裸聊视频� he said.
The offences under the Fisheries Act listed in the indictment carry fines between $500,000 and $6,000,000.
Individuals guilty of an offence under the act can be imprisoned for up to three years if they are convicted for a second time, however only companies face charges in connection to the dam91裸聊视频檚 collapse.
The Conservation Officer Service said Mount Polley Mining Corp. and Wood Canada Ltd. face the same charges and all three companies are due to make a court appearance on Dec. 18.