Science Response 2013/019
Technical review of the Proposed water recirculation scheme of the new Prosperity gold-copper mine project on predicted effects on fish and fish habitat of the fish lake watershed
Context
Taseko Mines Limited (the Proponent) proposes to develop and operate the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project 125 km to the southwest of Williams Lake, British Columbia (BC). The Project would involve the construction, operation, and closure of a large gold-copper mine which would take two years to build and would operate for 20 years. The main project components include an open pit mine, a 125 km power line, an onsite concentrator, a new 2 km access road and a tailings pond.
The proposed mine would be located within the Fish Creek watershed, which hosts several fish-bearing creeks and lakes, including Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake. The Fish Lake supports a population of rainbow trout estimated in 1997 to be 27,000 adult fish. The direct and indirect effects of the mine include an open pit mine immediately downstream of Fish Lake and the development of a tailings impoundment area in upper Fish Creek watershed that will cover Little Fish Lake and the headwaters of Fish Creek. The Proponent proposes to actively capture and pump the discharge from the outlet of Fish Lake to the remaining reaches of headwater streams to retain inflow to the lake. Upon mine closure and for approximately 50 years, it is planned to have water flow freely from the tailings impoundment to Fish Lake to the open pit lake and then downstream to Taseko River.
The New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project is subject to an environmental assessment federal review panel. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) will be invited to attend the public hearings and present its views on the project to the Panel. Specifically, DFO will be asked to present a submission at the hearing related to DFO’s mandate and expertise respecting the effects of the Project on fish and fish habitat, the mitigation and compensation measures, the conclusions reached by the Proponent, and the monitoring and follow-up programs. On June 12, 2013, DFO’s Pacific Region Fisheries Protection Program requested that DFO Science Branch provide an evaluation of the Proponents Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assist in the development of DFO’s submission to the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project Review Panel.
Based on the information contained in the September 2012 EIS, the supplemental information provided in March 2013 and June 2013, and supporting documentation provided historically by the Proponent, the objective of this Science Response is to assess whether the proposed re-circulated closed lake system of Fish Lake, and its tributaries, can feasibly provide the fish and fish habitat attributes described in the EIS, and whether the limitations and uncertainties associated with this recirculated system are accurately characterized.
This Science Response Report results from the Science Special Response Process conducted in June 2013.
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