It’s been 10 years since the worst mine waste disaster in Canada’s history.
On Aug. 4, 2014, a massive tailings dam at the Mount Polley copper and gold mine in B.C.’s Interior collapsed. The incident about 56 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake sent over 20 million cubic metres of wastewater into nearby Quesnel Lake, Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, and surrounding waterways.
Despite a decade having passed, residents in nearby Likely, B.C., say they’re still struggling with unresolved emotions about what happened and should be held accountable.
“The quality of the lake and the water have been and are continuing to deteriorate,” said Doug Watt, an area resident. “Frankly it’s a very strong feeling of frustration.”
Watt was there when disaster struck, and recalls the moments vividly.
“I was asleep and got a call around 6 o’clock in the morning from Likely Fire and Rescue and they told me that the dam had burst,” he told CityNews.
An aerial view shows the damage caused by a tailings pond breach near the town of Likely, B.C. Tuesday, August, 5, 2014, after the Mount Polley mine disaster a day prior. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
“I could hear it just like Niagara Falls from seven or eight kilometres down the lake.”
Watt says some residents have lived by the lake for over 50 years and are devastated to see what has happened since the collapse.
“The water’s cloudy, there’s algae bloom that never occurred before, there’s slime on the rocks,” he described.
He says many locals have opted to no longer drink the water from Quesnel Lake, which was their main water source. Despite these concerns, the government says the water meets drinking standards.
However, residents aren’t buying it.
“They’re polluting the lake, we are not going to drink it anymore,” said Watt.
In a statement to CityNews, Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation Josie Osborne says “the government has taken significant steps to ensure the company responsible continues restoring and monitoring the impacted areas.”
“They have reformed B.C.’s regulations to establish what they say are some of the world’s most stringent safety and environmental standards,” Osborne continued.
The statement goes on to say “it was clear that B.C. had allowed a regulatory framework to exist that did not adequately protect the environment or people.”
“Economic development cannot happen without responsible management of industry, and we must maintain a world-class regulatory system to bring peace of mind to the mining sector and British Columbians,” Osborne’s statement concluded.
But even with the improvements made, the residents affected by the Mount Polley disaster are wary of the potential for things to go wrong.
“There are many mines in B.C. with very, very large tailings ponds. Every one of them is a liability,” said Watts.