New Prosperity Panel Hearing Update #7: Day 8 •Quote of the day •Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada agrees with Taseko’s Plan •Taseko Addresses Water Quality Concerns Quote of the day: “We all agree that the overarching goal is to maintain Fish Lake as an ecosystem” – Ron Smith, Panel Member Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) agrees with Taseko’s Plan In presenting to the Panel yesterday during the topic specific hearing session on the Aquatic Environment DFO’s concluded: • DFO generally agrees with the Proponent’s characterization of the effects of the project including the mine footprint impacts and downstream flow impacts, and is of the view that conceptually, the direct and indirect project effects can be offset through mitigation and compensation. • Should the project proceed to the regulatory stage, DFO would work with the proponent on the required regulatory requirements and technical details pertaining to feasibility and habitat assessments to support a fish habitat compensation plan consistent with DFO’s policy objectives. • DFO has reviewed the proposed recirculation of flows in Fish Lake and has identified risks associated with its effectiveness that raises substantial uncertainty in the long-term regarding fish habitat values and ecosystem functioning, which have the potential to reduce fisheries productivity of Fish Lake. • Any adaptive management program designed for the project should include monitoring of potential downstream effects in the Taseko River, uncertainties regarding the lake recirculation system, mitigation for Fish Lake tributary streams, and actions to ensure any required mitigation is applied appropriately. Taseko Addresses Water Quality Concerns During the Aquatic Environment session, concern was expressed by some presenters regarding active management to ensure water quality noting the practices proposed are unproven at the scale planned. In response, Scott Jones, Taseko VP Engineering, made the following comments (paraphrase) to the panel: • While no other project may have been required to do what we are proposing, each of the components of the system is proven. The mechanical components, pumps water lines, valves, and discharge points are obviously routine components of our business, as well as many others, and it is standard practice to have installed spares in place in areas critical to continuous operations. • The mitigation measures proposed are not unique. All the components of the system have been proven at this scale. They just haven’t been put together for this purpose before. • The panel should note that water quality guidelines are typically well above the level at which aquatic effects are noted. This is intended to account for a number of factors, including single to multiple contaminants and other stressors. • Lake aeration (if required) is a standard proven method. Pump back wells are commonly employed measures. Monitoring systems are used in many industries including the mining industry.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 17:47:55 +0000
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