A three-member panel will investigate the massive tailings pond breach at the Mount Polley gold and copper mine in British Columbia’s central interior earlier this month.
A dam failure at the mine located near the town of Likely sent millions of litres of waste water into a network of salmon-bearing lakes and streams.
The provincial government announced the panel on Monday. It also ordered other mine companies to conduct safety inspections of their tailings ponds by Dec. 1.
Provincial Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the inspections must be reviewed by outside engineering firms.
Mr. Bennett said the panel of geo-technical engineers and mining experts will examine the cause of the failure at the Mount Polley mine and make recommendations by the end of January.
He said the inquiry will be paid for by Imperial Metals, the owner of the mine.
When the Mount Polley dam breached two weeks ago, Imperial Metals said there was no sign of trouble when the dam breached, but an environmental consultant’s report warned the pond was growing at an unsustainable rate.
The province’s Environment Ministry said this weekend that initial tests on the slurry from the mine show the waste poses no risk to humans but may harm aquatic life.
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