KAPA calls for better monitoring of old Ajax mine site after report finds water contamination increase

“You don’t want people drinking selenium, arsenic, molybdenum, uranium, cobalt, sulphate — all those things that are really, really bad for you, and they’re also bad for wildlife. You can’t use that water for irrigation, even,” exclaims Pick. “It’s contaminated. So we want the government to do more.”

Hydrogeologist Dr. Kevin Morin conducted the study and says the data he found showed there has been a general increase in contamination in the creek and the groundwater system is being impacted.

“They analyzed water coming out of Jacko Lake upstream from the mine site. And if you think of a creek, it flows along, and it should have the same chemistry below the mine site if nothing is getting in. But what we know is the water upstream is clean and some of the contaminant concentrations are going down,” he says, “whereas when you go past the mine and sample the water there, the concentrations are going up.”

Several years ago, Dr. Morin says the data showed the concentrations rising and now, during peak times, they exceed aquatic life protection standards and sometimes go past human drinking water standards. Given this increase he says the permit requirements are not extensive enough.

“We’re now back to this permit 3904, and it’s not sufficient to keep track of contamination,” explains Dr. Morin, who says the surface-water focused permit was issued in 1976. This was before British Columbia had updated groundwater protection regulations, which only came into effect about four years ago.

“I think once my report and the news release is given to the Ministry of Environment, they now have hydrogeologists, I have no doubt that they’ll say, ‘Oh yes, this is very serious. We have to monitor the groundwater there, too.'”

The report cites the existing requirement to test the surface water twice a year, and recommends increasing where and when they test to properly gauge any issues. The idea is if the monitoring data is improved, a solution to prevent excessive leaching can be identified.

KAPA is now asking the Ministry of Environment to implement the change.

“What we’re asking the government now, what we think, is because of the increase in contaminants, to do it monthly, and do it far more,” says Pick. “There are 20 other wells that they could be monitoring. So not only doing the wells and doing more chemistry to detect different toxins that are leaching out of that mine waste and overburden.”

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment was unavailable for comment about the monitoring. During the election period, all Government of B.C. communications are limited to health and public safety information, as well as statutory requirements. Pick says KAPA knows it will take some time to process the request but is hopeful it will be approved.

“It’s right above a city. A big city of 100,000 people, so they need to be paying attention to this.”

by Dylana Kneeshaw

KAPA calls for better monitoring of old Ajax mine site after report finds water contamination increase

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