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Redcorp’s Tulsequah Chief Mine Continues to Pollute the Taku

Chris Zimmer : Oct 23.2007

 Fourteen years and counting. That’s how long it’s been since the BC provincial government issued a pollution abatement order for the Tulsequah Chief mine. It’s also been over five years since Environment Canada issued its own cleanup orders for both the Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull mine sites. Yet, the acid mine drainage pollution (AMD) continues.

During a helicopter trip over the mines last week as part of our study of Redcorp’s controversial proposal to access the Tulsequah Chief site with a "hoverbarge," I noticed obvious signs of ongoing AMD pollution running off the Tulsequah Chief site and into the Tulsequah River flood plain. The river was quite low, and at higher levels the pollution would be running directly into the water.

 

There have been some changes at the site over the last two years and some appear related to cleanup efforts. However, it certainly didn’t look like the efforts were "above and beyond," as described by an Environment Canada official earlier this year. Because Redcorp, the BC provincial government and the Canadian federal government continue to refuse to release any detailed information about the status of the cleanup and the nature of the ongoing AMD discharges, it is impossible for the public to know if cleanup efforts have been successful at all.

What is clearly known is that the AMD pollution continues to reach the Tulsequah River and that Redcorp, by admission of its president this past February, is still in violation of Canada’s Fisheries Act.

Redcorp says it really can’t do anything else for cleanup until they open the mine. The company also has stated several times that they do not have access to the site to bring in cleanup equipment and materials. However, this is quite odd since Redcorp has several times promoted the project development progress made using conventional barges to deliver materials to the mine site in July, and even noted that one barge delivered a water treatment plant. Can’t do anything else…….or just won’t?