Leona Adams, Courier-Islander, August 24, 2011

In 1983 the Commission into the Quinsam Coal (QC) mine found if proper care and attention are paid to the environmental aspects of construction and operation of the mine by both the Company and the Government, the mine can be brought into existence and be operated without doing appreciable damage to the surrounding environment. Given the contamination of Long Lake, that did not happen.

The Ministry of Environment has now found QC to be out of compliance and has ordered the collection and treatment of the Long Lake seep. Sulphate is commonly associated with coal mining operations and, as such, is used as an indicator of potential impacts on the receiving environment by mining activity. Sulphate reducing testing by QC went on from 2003 to 2008, while arsenic sediment rose in Long Lake from 224ppm in 2004 to 630ppm in 2010, where the guideline is 17-20ppm. We request that QC demonstrate treatment is successfully working and at full volume before an amendment to Permit C-172 for the 7 South mine is issued.

It has been noted that the 2 South Underground workings and Long Lake were at the same elevation causing a hydraulic connection. In the 7 South area, the No.4 coal seam and the Quinsam River are also at the same elevation. We are told that QC are aware of this and will leave a space between. We are concerned about cracks in the rock providing a hydraulic connection through to the Quinsam River.

Raw coal piles will be placed on the surface at the 7 South Portal Pit and the surface runoff is "assumed" to report through a sediment pond to the Quinsam River. The groundwater in the 7 South Portal area will seep to seasonal creeks and into the Quinsam River. The extreme flooding that occurred last year due to upland logging must be expected to occur again. The plan for the raw coal piles is not good enough. We suggest that a large building be constructed with a solid surface floor where trucks would drive in to pick up the coal piles. Drainage could be collected and treated.

The 5 South mine void water is impacted by oxidation of the underground surfaces. Excess water from the 7S mine will be piped into the 5S mine void. Upon closure it will be flooded and will then seep into the Quinsam River at an expected rate of 48 cubic m/d (meters per day) and upper bound rate of 229 cubic m/d, taking 1.5 years to reach the river. We are concerned about oxidized impacted mine void water seeping forever into the Quinsam River.

A liner for the 2 South Pit is planned to decrease seepage, although a seep of 50 cubic m/d is still expected. A consultant at the Open House explained that one of the walls of the 2 South Pit is made out of loose coarse coal rejects (waste rock) that is not as stable as the other walls and the weight of the liner, the deposit of acid generating waste rock and water for flooding would cause the wall to settle more. The pit has been given a classification of "significant risk of failure". If the pit failed it would have severe environmental impacts.

The 2N/3N Pits will be used for the deposit of 7 South tailings and flooded. With flooding, the seep from these pits will be 220 cubic m/d with an upper bound seep of 1,130 cubic m/d. It will take 1.4 years to reach the Quinsam River. It was confirmed that the upper bound number is to account for subsidence cracks, which are significant in the 2N area. This 1,130 cubic m/d will be forever and should be alarming to all who value the Quinsam Hatchery and the Quinsam and Campbell River system.

There has been no sediment sampling for a base in the Quinsam River as yet, although I am told it is to be done by QC. A report is needed to account for mineral precipitation that will sink and accumulate in the river sediment where in time it will become available to organisms and up the food chain, as it is now in Long Lake.

We believe there must be changes for a better plan before the government issues an amendment to QC Permit C-172 for the new 7S Mine. If the plan cannot be made safe then it should not be permitted.

Please send your concerns to Ed Taje of the Ministry of Mines, e-mail at Eddy.Taje@gov.bc.ca.

Leona Adams,
On behalf of the C.R. Estuary Protection Group

© Courier-Islander (Campbell River) 2011

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