Mary Polak, Minister of the Environment –

“While full environmental remediation will take years, this first phase of the longer term plan sets a clear path towards the recovery process. We will continue to work closely with the mine, First Nations and local communities to ensure the necessary mitigation plans are in place to restore the land back to its original state as best we can. The first phase of this plan will stabilize the environment during the spring freshet and ensure cleanup efforts remain on track.”

Quick Facts:

• On Aug. 4, 2014, the tailings storage facility at Mount Polley Mine breached releasing approximately 17 million cubic meters of water and eight million cubic meters of tailings into Polley Lake and Quesnel Lake.
• The Ministry issued a Pollution Abatement Order (PAO) on Aug. 5, 2014, under the Environmental Management Act to abate the discharge, undertake an environmental impact assessment of the release, and implement remediation activities. Failure to comply with the PAO could lead to a maximum fine of $300,000 per day and up to six months in jail.
• Ministry of Environment staff have been on the ground since the breach occurred providing support to the impacted community, First Nations and local government.
• The cause of the breach is unknown at this time. Three separate investigations to determine the cause of the impact of the breach are underway.