Mine Tailings Overflow into Campbell River's Drinking Water

Myra Falls mine tailings have overflown into Buttle Lake due to heavy rain fall. The extent of the damage is still unknown however it is expected to be minimal due to the shear size of the watershed.


More from the Times Colonist:

But neither mine owner Breakwater Resources nor the Environment Ministry could say what volume of effluent might have spilled into the lake which supplies drinking water to Campbell River.

An Environment Ministry spokesperson said the mine reported two spill events from the effluent treatment system into Myra Creek, which drains into Buttle Lake. The first was early Monday morning "and there was a similar event late on January 11th going into early January 12."

the Mirror:

However, there’s probably nothing to worry about from the incident that happened during a storm earlier this week , says Ron Neufeld, the city’s general manager of operations.

“One of the benefits of our watershed is that it’s very, very large,” he told council Tuesday night. “There’s a very large diluting factor, and there is time on our side.”

the Courier Islander:

"Our experiences in the past have been that these types of events have not had any impact at all on our drinking water, however, we are working with VIHA staff, with NVI mining staff as well as our own water department to ensure that we're actively monitoring the quality of our drinking water."

Updates to follow.