Mount Polley is proud of the major remediation efforts done to-date, including the building of a rainbow trout hatchery on-site in 2018 to raise more rainbow trout for Polley Lake
$70 million has been spent on clean-up, environmental impact and risk assessment studies, and remediation and monitoring of areas impacted by the spill.
Imperial Metals, with support of its shareholders and lenders, has paid for the clean-up and remediation work. No government funding (taxpayers’ money) has been spent on the clean-up or repair work done at the site. Some of the major milestones of the Mount Polley mine’s environmental remediation efforts to-date include:
- Repair of lower Edney Creek, re-establishment of link to Quesnel Lake and installation of new fish habitat for spawners from Quesnel Lake, completed in spring 2015, with evidence of successful spawning by Interior Coho, Kokanee and Sockeye Salmon.
- Completion of construction of a new Hazeltine Creek channel in May 2015, to control erosion and provide base for remediation of the creek itself and the creek valley.
- Ongoing planting of native trees and shrubs in the riparian and upland areas along the creek, now totally more than 600,000 trees and shrubs planted.
- Installation of over 6 kilometres of new fish spawning and rearing habitat in upper to middle Hazeltine Creek. Evidence of successful 2018 and 2019 Rainbow trout spawning in upper Hazeltine Creek.
- Clean-up and repair of 400 metres of Quesnel Lake shoreline, including placement of new fish spawning gravels.
- Re-establishment of wetlands in the Polley Flats area adjacent to the repaired TSF.
There is still work being done to complete the rebuilding of fish habitat in Hazeltine Creek. The rebuilding of the lower part of the creek will be the last part of the remediation work to be done.
Mount Polley looks forward to sharing more progress with you soon!