30 — Péorth Shove News - Sunday, November 19, 2000 Metal From pege 15 day. Not only is the effluent highly acidic, it carries a host of heavy metals. Up to half a tonne of copper alone daily enters Howe Sound during peaks flows. This has ieft lower Britannia Creek devoid of aquatic fife and affects about nwo kilome- tres. of sensitive intertidal slmon habitat in Howe Sound. Elevated copper and zinc levels in bivalves, such as clams and oysters, have been noted 18 kilometres from Britannia Beach. Surveys in the Britannia Beach area have shown high levels of copper and zine in crabs, oysters, mussels and shrimp, and reduced numbers - of these species, “Almost every component of fish habitat is adversely affected by acid mine drainage from Britannia Mine,” said Wayne Knapp, senior biologi- cal technologist with Fisheries - and Oceans Canada. “That affects predominant: ly churn salmon, shelifish and “intertidal . vegetation.” The mine effluent is also toxic to : microscopic plants such 2s phy- -- toplankton, essential food for ‘filter feeding animals such es +> mussels. _° Yet given its billing as the effiue continent's worst point source of metals pollution, you'd expect to see at least a few dead fish washed ashere at Britannia Bay. “Many people say, “Why don’t we see more fish kills’,” said Knapp. “If more fish were washed up, action might have been taken by now. “Ir’s very difficult to say how many fish have been lost because of acid mine drainage. But ar least haifof the nine mil- lion chum salmon that come from the Squamish River are at risk. They must either uy to swim through the toxic plume or move around it into the middle of Howe Sound where they're at greater risk of preda- tion.” Knapp said that in DFO tests, chinook salmon smolts suspended in cayes near Britannia Creek died within 48 hours. Despite the continuing damage caused by acid mine drainage, Knapp believes much of the area’s aquatic life could recover if a waste treaument plant is built. “A waste treatment plant would raise the water's ph level and filrer out the heavy metals, so the toxic effects would be reduced significantly and immediately,” said Knapp. The removal of toxic stress would CANADA WEST ANTIQUE CO. “4430 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver Open 7 days a week + Phone (604) 222-9190 ‘Buy UNICEF cards this Christmas “and help children around the world. Visit our new store at.3065 Granville Sc. “or a UNICEF sales kiosk at: “IKEA © .: Oakridge ; Park Royal Pacific Centre Richmond Centre unicef & Unnted Mativas Children’s Fund oe eee ee ee ee ae Se . raemdas ‘4 Coa CMC A Me eer Sk) _ sophisticated,” mean the beach ecosystem could recover, tr: risk to chum try would be subsrantiaily reduced and the lower reaches of Britannia Creck could become habitat for chum salmon and cutthroat trout, he added. The solution sounds simple, but there have been as many studies into treatment plants for Britannia as there are potentially responsible parties for building one. In an upfortunate owist, Montana-based mining com- pany Anaconda, the last owner of the operating mine. was investigating a time-based neu- tralizing treatment plant when it closed Britannia in 1974 because of falling copper prices. Up until then though, Anaconda had been removing copper trom the mine's waste water, much like its predeces- sors, the Hewe . Sound Company and earlier, the Britannia Mining and Smelting Co. . Not fong after Britannia’s varly miners stopped wearing nailed boots, their bosses fig- ured out a way to remove cop- per from the acid mine drainage in order to maximize their = profits. — Britannia Mining's Copper Precipitation Process was a cheap, ingenious system of controlling and chan- nelling the flow of the mine’s waste water into troughs filled with recycled tin cans. As the water passed over the cans, copper replaced the cans’ iron coating. Waste water was temporarily diverted while the copper was then tlushed from the cans before being allowed to dry in a sludge pile. It was then removed for smeiting. “Today’s treatment plant would need to be a little more admitted Britannia Beach Historical: Society director Terry Johnson, “But it worked,” he added. AB ‘a copy of the mine’s 1933 annu- if ; we oh Oe ‘al report proves his point. It gia ate | Slag se shows that the precipitation Process recovered 92 per cent See Remediation following page. HELP CELEBRATE OUR SUCCESS! Mosauito Creek Park INTERPRETIVE Kiosk UNVEILING Please join Mayor Barbara Sharp and Members of City Council, together with Al Jonson of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Engineering, Parks and Environment staff for the Mosquito Creek Park Interpretive Kiosk Unveiling. This interpretive kiosk marks the completion of Phase | of the Mosquito Creek Trail improvements. This event will take place at Mosquito Creek Park 17th Street Trailhead {corner of 17th Street and Fell Avenue), from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m, Thursday, November 23, 2000. Following the event, Fisheries and . Oceans Canada will be offering an informal guided tour of the recently 2 completed Salmonid Enhancement Project. Mayor Barbara A. Sharp’. = Councillor Bill Bell = Councilor John Braithwaite Councillor Bob Fearnley... B Councillor Craig Keating - Councillor Darrell Mussatto::: Councillor Barbara Perrault SPATS,