Mine plan appears sound to some experts
BUT NOT TO ALL
MARATHON, ONT. — A federal agency examining a proposal for a palladium and copper mine near Marathon said the proponent’s plan to deal with waste rock and other contaminants appears basically sound, if long-term monitoring and other refinements to the plan are applied.
“We are generally satisfied with the waste management plan,” Natural Resources Canada research scientist Michel Houle said Thursday during an ongoing virtual environmental hearing into the Generation Mining project.
Houle said if the proposal for the open-pit mine is approved, potential leachate material from acidified waste rock into adjacent waterways would have to be closely monitored.
The proponent should also be prepared to test for palladium residues in waste water, since new research shows that the precious metal can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life, even though there are no current environmental regulations about that, Houle said.
The 30-day hearing is being convened by a three-member panel of experts, who are to examine the evidence and prepare a report that will either recommend that the open-pit project proceed or be declined.
If the mine plan is approved by the federal and provincial governments, the operation would run for 13 years and create 375 jobs a short drive from Marathon.
In a separate presentation by Thunder Bay provincial hydrogeology expert Alisdair Brown, the company was found to have properly identified the risks associated with its proposed ore-waste (tailings) facility.
The facility is to release treated water into Hare Lake, which is known to be a good place for angling.
Brown said water from a rock storage area will eventually migrate to the Pic River over time after the mine closes, but said that would not cause any “measurable change” in the Pic’s water quality.
Waste particles from the mine site will remain there for at least 100 years, the company said. It will take 17-30 years for the pits to fill with water after they’re no longer being mined.
Brown also noted the new science about the environmental impacts of palladium, and recommended long-term monitoring of waterways around the mine site.
Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks said Generation Mining needs to increase sampling of local fish species.
MARATHON, ONT. — A federal agency examining a proposal for a palladium and copper mine near Marathon said the proponent’s plan to deal with waste rock and other contaminants appears basically sound, if long-term monitoring and other refinements to the plan are applied.
“We are generally satisfied with the waste management plan,” Natural Resources Canada research scientist Michel Houle said Thursday during an ongoing virtual environmental hearing into the Generation Mining project.
Houle said if the proposal for the open-pit mine is approved, potential leachate material from acidified waste rock into adjacent waterways would have to be closely monitored.
The proponent should also be prepared to test for palladium residues in waste water, since new research shows that the precious metal can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life, even though there are no current environmental regulations about that, Houle said.
The 30-day hearing is being convened by a three-member panel of experts, who are to examine the evidence and prepare a report that will either recommend that the open-pit project proceed or be declined.
If the mine plan is approved by the federal and provincial governments, the operation would run for 13 years and create 375 jobs a short drive from Marathon.
In a separate presentation by Thunder Bay provincial hydrogeology expert Alisdair Brown, the company was found to have properly identified the risks associated with its proposed ore-waste (tailings) facility.
The facility is to release treated water into Hare Lake, which is known to be a good place for angling.
Brown said water from a rock storage area will eventually migrate to the Pic River over time after the mine closes, but said that would not cause any “measurable change” in the Pic’s water quality.
Waste particles from the mine site will remain there for at least 100 years, the company said. It will take 17-30 years for the pits to fill with water after they’re no longer being mined.
Brown also noted the new science about the environmental impacts of palladium, and recommended long-term monitoring of waterways around the mine site.
Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks said Generation Mining needs to increase sampling of local fish species.
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