Britannia Mine remediation project : integrating ecological monitoring with reclamation activities

The former Britannia Copper Mine operated from the early 1900s to 1974, during which time it generated more than an estimated 40 million tonnes of tailings. A large proportion of the tailings was deposited in Howe Sound and as fill along the Britannia Beach shoreline. The acid-generating tailings and former mine workings had been leaching dissolved copper and zinc into Britannia Creek and Howe Sound. In recent times the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (MAL) began various ambitious reclamation works intended to intercept, collect and treat metals discharging to the environment. As part of the reclamation works, a monitoring program was initiated to monitor changes in water quality and shoreline ecology as the reclamation program advanced. The monitoring program is structured to measure and report on changes as the reclamation project develops. The data generated will be used to define and support an eventual ecological risk assessment. The monitoring program structure and ongoing implementation is guided by an external Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of local stakeholders, agency staff, and mining industry technical experts.Non UBCUnreviewedOthe