The Canadian subsidiary of Broken Hill Proprietary has been awarded the 1997 British Columbia Mine Reclamation Award for its work at the Island Copper mine near Port Hardy.
Once the third-largest copper mine in Canada, the BHP Minerals Canada project closed in 1995 after 24 years of operation. About 90% of the 500-ha property has been re-vegetated, with half a million new trees providing a new habitat for bears, deer, geese and cougars.
The open pit, on northern Vancouver Island, was flooded with sea water, creating a 215-ha lake. Drainage from waste rock dumps is discharged deep into the flooded pit. As well, a waste rock landfill at Rupert Inlet has been re-vegetated, with mine tailings discharged at depth. An environmental monitoring program is ongoing, and the company reports that fish stocks, including salmon, perch, cod and crab, are at pre-mining levels.
The award was presented at the Mine Reclamation Symposium, sponsored by the provincial government and British Columbia’s mining industry.
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