Mining operations in B.C. store wet waste in tailings 'ponds' shored up by a dam. A dam failure could be catastrophic for watersheds and communities.

Shannon Waters, The Narwhal

The Mount Polley mine in B.C.’s Interior is home to the most notorious tailings dam in the province. But it’s far from the only mining waste storage facility raising concerns.

Dozens of tailings dams like the one that failed in 2014 at Mount Polley still dot B.C., and little has been done to change the way the companies that own them store their mine waste, according to MiningWatch Canada co-founder Jamie Kneen.

Kneen said a tailings dam map, published by a coalition calling for reform to B.C.’s mining laws, shows a number of “high-risk sites.”
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