On Mount Polley independent expert panel findings

By Bill Bennett

Kootenay East MLA

1. On January 30, the independent panel appointed to investigate the cause of the Mount Polley tailings storage facility failure announced its conclusion that the dam failed because its original design did not account for a layer of complex glacio-lacustrine soil underneath the dam. This layer became overstressed, causing the dam to collapse.

2. Government will act on the recommendations of the independent panel to ensure a similar failure never happens again, starting with a letter to all operating mines to confirm whether similar soils exist underneath their dams and if so what measures have been taken to ensure their design accounts for those conditions.

3. Government will also make Independent Tailings Dam Review Boards mandatory, as recommended by the panel and will initiate a code review to determine how to best implement the panel’s remaining recommend

– Submission funded by MLA Bill Bennett

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