December 6, 1991 84 pages Classifieds $86-6222 Test drive the 1992 Mazda MX-3 Automotives: 27 ~ NEWS photo Terry Peters A NORTH Vancouver man made a grim discovery Wednesday afternoon when he spotted a body in Lynn Creek. Nortn Vancouver RCMP are investigating the death of an unidentified man, age 25 to 45. Police are awaiting autopsy resuits and have yet to determine cause of death. The dead man was wearing jeans and one hiking beot. Environmentalists call for action on Britannia Beach site poisons ENVIRONMENTALISTS calling for a healthier Howe Sound say it’s time for action to stop the flow of deadiy pollutants flushing into the fiord at the Britannia Beach copper mine site. Although the e ceased operation in 1974, acid rock drainage continues to enter the sound, killing life in waters near the site. Said Save Howe Sound Society director Rozlynne Mitchell, ‘We know that there has been an im- pact on the sea life, the lack of anything growing there, the im- pact it’s had on the fish fry, the oysters. All we know is there is an ongoing problem there. There has been an acknowledgement of the By Michael Becker News Reporter problems from Britannia Creek and from the outflow and we know that to this point nothing has been done. We also know that the amount of money put into research could be put into some kind of action.” During the 75-year life of the mine, approximately 45 million tonnes of ore were processed to recover copper, gold, silver and zinc at Britannia. Mine tailings were deposited Straight into the sound through inter-tidal outfalls. Three years ago a study con- ducted by university researchers concluded that potentially dan- gerous metal-rich mine tailings, primarily spread throughout the northern basin floor of the sound, have been rendered chemically in- ert by recent deposits of oxygen- free sediment. Since 1974, about 14° cen- timetres (5.5 in.) of Squamish River sediment has been deposited on top of mine tailing deposits. Said Tom Pedersen, of the UBC Department of Oceanogravhy, “This new layer provides a cover of naturally oxygen-free sediments. Under oxygen-free conditions, sulphide minerals can- not react. Tailings that have iron sulphide or copper sulphide or zine sulphide minerals in them can produce sulphuric acid. They (tail- ings) can only release metals if they are oxidized.”’ But acid rock drainage con- tinues to enter the sound from the decommissioned mine site. Said Pedersen, ‘‘There are about 80 kilometres of mineshaft inside the mountain and at the top of the hill there is an old open pit that acts as a funnel for rain water. It’s just funneling water through and the bacteria are just happily oxidizing the pyrite that’s left. That produces a lot of sulphuric acid as a dyproduct. That dissolves copper and zinc from the remaining traces of cop- per and zinc sulphides. “Not only is it (the water) acid, it has very high concentrations of dissolved copper and_ dissolved zinc. It kills things. The lower reaches of Britannia Creek are sterile. The immediate foreshore is sterile as well,’’ he added. According to an overview report prepared for the Howe Sound Environmental Science Workshop held by scientists studying the sound in October, the problem “will require a well-planned, jong-term remediation program.’ A consultative study on the issue has recently been completed for the provinciai gove ent. But said Mitchell, ‘‘The last thing that we heard, we were told that there was a research project done. Since then nothing has been done. It’s a continuing problem and it concerns us terribly. Our position is that we cannot understand why something has not been done after all of this time.”