| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
The Mount Polley Mining Corporation (MPMC) has retained AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, a division of AMEC Americas Ltd. (AMEC), to provide a hydrogeological assessment of the Mount Polley mine site. The mine site is located approximately 60 km northeast of Williams Lake B.C. and approximately 20 km southwest of Likely B.C. The purpose of this assessment is to address concerns expressed by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment (MOE) regarding changes in groundwater quality at the mine site and to characterize the hydrogeologic setting at the mine site. The main objectives of the hydrogeological assessment are to; _ Provide a data gap analysis and attempt to resolve gaps in the data _ Characterize the local hydrogeological conditions at the mine site and develop a site specific conceptual model; _ Identify the surface water receptors of local groundwater flow and potential water quality changes related to surface/groundwater interactions; _ To determine infiltration rates into the Springer Pit and identify potential groundwater impacts related to the Springer Pit development; _ Identify areas of potential environmental concern and potential contaminants of concern. To achieve the stated objectives, the following scope of work has been performed: _ An in-depth data review and compilation of relevant groundwater information collected by MPMC and from the public domain; _ Resolve identified data gaps with the installation of ten (10) monitoring wells at five locations; _ Groundwater monitoring and the collection of number(#) groundwater samples for chemical analyses; _ Development of a conceptual site model and the identification of wells exhibiting significant changes in either baseline static water levels and/or water quality; _ Hydrogeological mapping to define discharge and recharge areas; _ Decommissioning of one (1) monitoring well. This report is organized into the main text with supporting figures, tables and appendices. The main text provides a discussion of the regional setting, a summary of the field program, characterization of the hydrogeological setting, potential impacts and conclusions and recommendations. |
