B.C.’s chief mine inspector has released his latest review of what caused the tailings pond breach of the Mt. Polley Mine in August 2014.
Chief inspector of mines Al Hoffman concluded that the failure was due to the mine’s design and other geotechnical factors, but he said the damage was compounded by poor safety practices. For example, the report said the company assumed that the foundation soils were strong without doing the proper studies, and site investigations were substandard.
“We determined that while the mine did not contravene any existing regulatory requirements, its management and operational practices failed in a number of areas such as water management and misplaced confidence in the tailings storage facility (TSF) design,” Hoffman said in a statement.
CBC News – Dec 17, 2015.
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