Scientists warn the environmental damage from the Mount Polley mine disaster continues to impact British Columbia’s waterways over a decade after the catastrophic tailings dam collapse.
Last week, 15 charges were laid against Imperial Metals and two other companies for the 2014 disaster that released 25 million cubic metres of contaminated water and tailings into Polley and Quesnel Lakes.
Greg Pyle, an aquatic toxicologist at the University of Lethbridge, says parts of Quesnel Lake remain unsafe for consuming fish.
Phil Owens, an environmental science professor at UNBC, adds that the lake’s twice-yearly water turnover stirs up toxic sediments, perpetuating the contamination.
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