Water quality is a significant concern

With the lake dumping option now off the table, we can suppose that, with an effective buffer zone around the lake, Bamoos Lake's native stocks of lake trout and brook trout may survive for another 10,000 years, and beyond.

Our experience with Marathon PGM has brought with it valuable lessons in advocacy, environmental science, Canadian law and the best (and worst) practices of the Canadian mining industry. Moreover, we saw how corporate decision making, weighted heavily in the interests of shareholders - in this case the inexpensive dumping of mine waste into Bamoos - can potentially lead to practices that are in sharp conflict with the interests of the local citizens who depend on a healthy environment.

Members of our group will continue to support a rigourous environmental assessment of the operational and closure plans of the mine. We look forward to seeing Marathon PGM's revised proposals for managing millions of tonnes of potentially toxic mine waste.

Angler Creek.

Because the mine site is so close to Lake Superior, discharge from the tailings areas will have a short run - approximately 6 km - over rocky, high-gradient streams (Angler, Hare, etc) with virtually no mixing before entering the big lake. These streams have no capacity to chemically buffer acid run-off. Indeed the stream bed itself could become a source of metal contamination should the pH of the stream flow drop significantly.

The lower reaches of these particular streams are important nursery areas for steelhead, coaster brook trout and other migratory salmonids. Young fish depend on a diversity of aquatic invertebrates - mayflies, midges, caddisflies, etc - species that are acutely sensitive to impaired water quality. In this way, the health of the wider Lake Superior ecosystem is critically connected to water quality in its tributary streams and rivers.

Dragonfly (Cordulegaster maculata) nymphs sampled from Hare Creek
We will work to ensure that, within the environmental assessment process, the value of these streams is appropriately recognized and that Marathon PGM takes appropriate measures to mitigate against harmful effects during and beyond the 11 year life of the mine.

Young brook trout

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Resources:

Learn more about Canadian Metal Mining Effluent Regulations.

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Marathon PGM withdraws Bamoos option

We received an email to our CRM group account from Marathon PGM today. An excerpt from the email is below:

“After consultation with First Nations, government agencies and residents of Marathon and surrounding communities, it became clear that the loss of the fishery in Bamoos Lake was undesirable. Accordingly, Marathon PGM has decided unilaterally to withdraw the North Option [the Bamoos Lake option] from further consideration.

As a consequence of this change in the development plans for the Marathon project, Marathon PGM requested a brief hiatus period in the federal environmental assessment process to re-evaluate potential process solids storage options. The South Option remains technically and financially viable as documented in the mine feasibility study and will continue to be pursued. In addition, the Marathon PGM project team is assessing other potential options, considering the input that we have received through our public consultation program. The company plans to submit an addendum to the Project Description Report to CEAA and MPMO by mid-July 2010, detailing the results of the re-evaluation process. The environmental assessment process is expected to proceed without any significant effect on the overall schedule.”

Hurray! This is a fantastic step in the right direction! At the public information meeting on May 27th, a member of Citizens for a Responsible Mine asked the consultants if they would consider removing the North/Bamoos option from their formal environmental assessment submission. The response at the meeting was ‘no’, MarathonPGM would not withdraw the option. Today’s development indicates that Marathon PGM is wisely responding to expanding public input regarding the development of the mine. We should all take a moment to congratulate ourselves for using our voices to influence the type of community development we would like to see in our region. Thank you to all of you who joined the Citizens for a Responsible Mine group. We are sending an extra thank you to those of you who took the time to write letters to MPs, MPPs and Amy Liu, the Environmental Assessment Coordinator.

We would like to host a ‘hurray and thank you’ gathering in Pic River and/or Marathon. Please take a moment to email us to let us know if you would be interested in joining us so that we can pick an appropriate time/place.

We still have work to do. We need to continue to work with Marathon PGM and participate in the public consultation process to ensure that we achieve the best tailings management scenario possible. The ‘South Option’ that is still on the table involves the loss of 44 ponds and 30 streams. One of the estimated twelve dams required for this option would be approximately 89 meters high – the height of a 24 story building - and half a kilometre wide. We do not yet know what other options will be proposed this month. We also need to ensure that the closure plan and the financial assurances posted, estimated by Marathon PGM to be in the order of $8 million, are appropriate.

Please continue to encourage your friends and colleagues to join our Facebook group.

Thanks for your support. We hope to see you soon!