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| For Immediate Release 330-30:ELP2001-150 April 12, 2001 |
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks Ministry of Energy and Mines |
The former Britannia mine site drains polluted water into Howe Sound, 50 kilometres north of Vancouver. The cleanup plan, approved by cabinet, includes provisions for treating the acid rock drainage as well as contaminated soil at the site and sediments in Howe Sound. Treatment is expected to start within a year.
"This landmark agreement means clean water will again flow in Britannia Creek and into Howe Sound," said Waddell. "The Britannia mine has been a source of acid drainage for far too long. Under legislation enacted by this ministry in 1997, parties with corporate links to past mine operators and the current landowner have voluntarily negotiated agreements to fix this problem that has been polluting our environment so badly."
Robertson said he is pleased that government and industry have come together to sort out the complex issues associated with this former mine. "Some people judge today's industry on the basis of past practices, although with B.C.'s current mining practices and regulations, this kind of damage could never happen again. Cleaning up Britannia underscores B.C.'s commitment to environmentally responsible mining. It will protect the environment and help to correct misconceptions about modern mining."
The plan includes a settlement agreement with the corporate parties named as potentially responsible under provincial contaminated sites and mining legislation. The potentially responsible parties will pay $30 million into a cleanup fund in exchange for release from future liabilities with the Britannia mine site.
A key component of the complex plan is an agreement with Copper Beach Estates Ltd., the owner of the property. The province and Copper Beach agree that a treatment plant will be built on site and managed through a partnership. An application has been made to the Canada-B.C. infrastructure program to finance two-thirds of the estimated $12-million cost of building the treatment plant, with the remaining one-third provided from the potentially responsible parties' contribution.
Copper Beach has committed $5 million towards cleaning up the site. The company has also agreed to pay the estimated $1.7 million per year total maintenance and operating costs for the treatment plant in perpetuity. In addition, Copper Beach will build a road to transport treatment sludge, contaminated soils and sediments to the old mine site further up the mountain in an area known as Jane Basin.
If required, additional costs of the cleanup plan will be financed in part by the development of the Britannia mine property. This plan includes levies on future household developments on the site once it is cleaned up.
The plan includes several partners. The Fraser Basin Council is formally the applicant for the infrastructure grant. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District supports the grant application. Environment Canada has helped with technical and scientific assessments valued at about $1 million.
Note: Backgrounders on the treatment process and on the agreement are available at http://www.gov.bc.ca/elp/ on the ministry Web site.
| Contact: Jon O'Riordan, 250-387-9877 Assistant Deputy Minister, Regional Operations Division Victoria |
Betsy Terpsma, 604-582-5306 Communications Lower Mainland Region Surrey |