INDEX Celebrations Fashion. Legal wrangling slows Britannia clean up Neville Judd Contributing Writer THE waters of Britannia Bay lock clean but that’s because the pollution is hard to spot. You can"t smell it and it probably wouldn't hurt if you fell in it. Yer according to Environment Canada, this part of Howe Sound is victim to the worst puint source of metals pollution in North America — Britannia Mine. . Every day, up to 50 million litres of toxic runoff flows from the abandoned mine site on ‘fount Sheer into Howe Sound, It comes from tock laid bare by 70 years of copper mining. Two metres of rain a year, five open pits and a net- work of tunnels estimated to be 210 kilometres long provide the perfect conditions for acid mine drainage. When iron sulphide minerals are exposed to water ‘and air, sulphuric acid is generated. The acid dissolves the heavy metals in the rock, such as copper, zine and cadmium, and washes them through the pits and tunnels of Mount Sheer into crecks, streams and eventually Hewe ~ Sound. Lo The results of a three year study by the Department .of Fisheries and’ Oceans into the effects of acid mine drainage on Howe Sound’s aquatic fife are due to be released soon. However, scientists already know that mine waste from Britannia Creek “is one of the most - serious marine pollution probiems affecting fish habitatin B.C. - Deciding who is to blame for the problem is an ‘equally messy business, but essential if the B.C. government's waste management branch is to identify the parties responsible for cleaning it up. Pat the end of August, for the fourth time since it purchased the site, Vancouver-based real estate. developer Copper Beach Estates Ltd. failed to meet ‘a pollution remediation order issued under B.C.’s Waste Management Act. _ While che waste management brancly consid- ers prosecuting Copper. Beach Estates, it has “revived what’s known under the Waste Management Act as the “responsible party process.” Under the process, it has notified other companies 2nd authorities who weré once con- nected with the mine, that they are now poten- _. tally responsible for Britannia’s cleanup. By. the -end- of this month all parties are “expected to have filed submissions commenting _ on remediation requirements, explaining why -they’re not to blame and pointing cut who is. And there’s been no shortage of pointing, which NORTH SHORE NEWS COMMUNITY LIFE SUNDAY FOCUS tet, Wa ay esos, ary eS i? ¥; st photo submitted NOT long after the Britannia mine opened in 1904, workers began to notice that the soles of thelr leather work boots were © falling apart. Gn cleser inspectica, they discovered that th Acid drainage from the mine was the culprit. . is why the growing list of potentially responsible parties currently stands at eight - nelled first into a conduit known as the Jane “Portal, 2,200. feet below the mountain’ top, which empties into Britannia Creek. (Early sur? veyors measured Britannia. downwards irom: 4,300 feet above sea level, the highest point of the mine). Uneas What escapes Jane Portal ends up in‘another *: - pipe. about 4,100 feet below Mount Sheer’s: summit. This empties directly into Howe Sound: at a depth of about 130 feet off the mouth of.” Britannia Creek, . : “ Depending on the time of year, both portals *;, can flush up to 50 million litres: of aci drainage between them into Howe Sound every». See Metil page 3O Waren tour Home for the oliday Seasor New stack arriving daily ready for immediate delivery If you're looking for sefection, service, and quality at honest affordable prices, visit us at Suite Dreams Furniture. Our showroom features over 15,000 square feet of bedroom and dining room furniture, entertainment units, fabric and leather upholstery, art, accessories and much more. We also custom build in pine, suit everyone's décor. «95. ane % OPEN EVERY DAY! Gift Certificates Available oak, maple, birch and cherry co Suite Dreams. Furniture — 1989 Boundary Rd. just minctes over the Second Narrows Bridge ". 320-2577- www.suitedreams.net mine ..’: