Risk management |
Right: Mine in northwest BC, Canada. The BC Mine Tailings Map and database provides information about the risks posed by tailings and what can be done to make downstream communities and watersheds safer
References
Morrill, J., Chambers, D., Emerman, S., Harkinson, R., Kneen, J., Lapointe, U., Maest, A., Milanez, B., Personius, P., Sampat, P., and Turgeon, R. (2022), Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management, Earthworks, MiningWatch Canada and London
Mining Network. Report available at
earthworks.org/safety-first and
miningwatch.ca/safety-first
Webinar: Mapping B.C.’s Mine Tailings Threat (September 21, 2022)
https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=kUfd_MOBua0
The webinar was co-hosted by BC Mining Law Reform and POLISWaterProject, as part of POLIS’ ongoing Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series. Panellists: Adrienne Berchtold Ecologist and Mining Impacts Researcher, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust; Dr. Steven H. Emerman Owner, Malach Consulting; Dr. Ellen Petticrew Research Chair, Quesnel River Research Centre; Moderated by: Nikki Skuce Director, Northern Confluence Initiative and Co- Chair, BC Mining Law Reform.
https://miningwatch.ca/ news/2022/9/12/south-africa- tailings-tragedy-shows-need- stronger-regulation-and- effective
https://miningwatch.ca/ news/2022/5/30/mining- industry-standard-failing- make-waste-dams-safe
Emerman, Steven, The Risk of Tailings Dam Failure in British Columbia: An Analysis of the British Columbia Existing and Future Tailings Storage
Database, July 2022. https://
reformbcmining.ca/wp- content/uploads/2022/06/ BC_TSF_Database_Analysis_
Emerman_Revised2.pdf
Explore the British Columbia Mine Tailings Map at https://
reformbcmining.ca/tailings- map/
https://miningwatch.ca/ news/2022/7/14/new- analysis-confirms-high-risk- threats-posed-bcs-booming- mining-sector
j Fifty eight percent of BC’s existing mine sites with
TSFs are officially rated as likely to have high, very high, or extreme consequences in the event of a tailings dam failure. At only 19% of mine sites with TSFs would dam failure not result in a loss of life. Indeed, the death toll following a failure at many of the highest risk dams could be in the hundreds and could irreparably destroy salmon habitat, commercial farms, and vital infrastructure. The analysis also found that one in four mine sites with tailings dams use upstream dam construction methods which has twice as many stability issues than downstream constructed ones. When looking at high, very high and extreme consequences of dam failure categories that include loss of life, 63.2% of sites have upstream dams.
“What’s most disturbing,” Emerman says, “is if we look at the consequence categories in this progression from closed, operated to proposed. For closed facilities 46% are in the categories high, very high and extreme, operating 83% and proposed 100%. In fact, for all proposed facilities the consequence categories are either very high or extreme. That means there is no proposed facility where there would be fewer than ten fatalities in the event of failure.” Furthermore, British Columbia is already at high risk for some of the primary drivers of tailings dam failures globally – earthquakes and high precipitation, which cause flooding. Climate change will compound flooding risks with more frequent and severe rainstorms.
Recommendations To ensure the safety of tailings dams in BC and reduce
the risk to communities and the environment, key recommendations from this research include: ● Committing to a plan to reclaim or otherwise seek safe closure of tailings storage facilities in BC – This includes developing a strategy to reduce
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BC’s active tailings storage facilities by half, as recommended by the Mount Polley Independent Engineering Investigation Review Panel.
● Clarifying treatment of tailings storage facilities in ‘care and maintenance’ and provide clear guidance for management of facilities in this status.
● Align with international best practices and implement a ban on upstream tailings dam construction methods.
● Reverse the trend of more severe consequence ratings at new tailings storage facilities – Reducing the consequences of failure at all new tailings facilities or, alternatively, denying permitting for those that cannot be more safely designed and/or located, puts safety as a top priority.
● Factoring in seismic and climate change risks at all tailings facilities, especially when evaluating proposed mines – BC should update its guidelines to require that all tailings dams be built to withstand the most extreme flooding and earthquake events, and that future climate risks be factored into TSF environmental assessment and regulatory oversight.
● Pursuing strategies to reduce the volume of tailings, especially at new mines.
● Improving accessibility and transparency of information on risk factors for all tailings facilities.
“The Mount Polley mine disaster was a wake-up call to BC’s mining companies and the province. This map and report show that the risks to the environment and communities from tailings dams are still high and growing,” says Jamie Kneen, Co-lead of MiningWatch Canada and Co-Chair of BC Mining Law Reform. “More action is needed to follow through and get BC on a path to zero failures—from cutting the inventory in half, to phasing out certain mine dam construction methods. The government needs to act now to improve safety standards as mining continues to expand in the province.” ●
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