B.C. tailings ponds mapping encourages critical mineral recovery, clean up – Oak Bay News
December 3, 2024
Geoscience BC is developing a publicly available map of every mining waste site in the province
Snow crunches beneath Gerry Nellestijn’s boots as he walks over a century old tailings pond.
A short drive from the community of Ymir, south of Nelson, the tailings were abandoned after two nearby mines stopped operating in the 1940s. But the land remains polluted — a 2009 report found arsenic, cadmium, lead and zinc in the soil.
Even though the site is in the middle of a forest, trees that surround the perimeter are thin and short. Steps away at Wildhorse Creek, Nellestijn points out erosion on the bank that shows visible tailings he says are contaminating the water.
Read More: https://www.oakbaynews.com/home2/bc-tailings-ponds-mapping-encourages-critical-mineral-recovery-clean-up-7682718
