Mines Assessments

 
While with Environment Canada, SciWrite's founder, Lee Harding, led environmental assessments at mines throughout the Northwest Territories and the length of the British Columbia coastline.  In NWT he managed the section that assessed the impact of proposed, existing and abandoned mines on freshwater and marine environments and developed federal input to NWT water licenses.  These included extensive environmental sampling programs for contaminants including heavy metals and radionuclides. In B.C. he managed the section that assessed the impact of mines on the marine environment, developed special Fisheries Act regulations for the Kitsault Mine at Alice Arm and administered the Metal Mining Liquid Effluent Regulations for other base metal mines.  

Since founding the firm in 1997, Dr. Harding has advised a consortium of coal mines on the impact of contaminants on waterbirds in the Rocky Mountains.  Following are some examples of mining projects for which Harding has led environmental assessments. His mine-related publications are listed here.

Gold mines in N.W.T.: Lupin, Polaris,  CanTung, Giant, Con, and numerous abandoned mines.   Effects of metals on fish and benthos; water license issues.

Uranium mines: Echo Bay, Great Bear Lake and an abandoned mine on Marten River. Effects of metals on fish and benthos; concentrations of radionuclides in fish; effects of road development; water license issues.

Lead/Zinc Mines in N.W.T.: Pine Point, Great Slave Lake; Polaris, Little Cornwallis Island; Baffin Bay, Baffin Island.  Effects of metals on fish and benthos; water license issues.

Molybdenum mine: Kitsault Mine, Alice Arm, B.C.  Impact on marine environment using research vessel-based benthic sampling, SCUBA surveys and water column turbidity surveys.  Special regulations under the Fisheries Act.

Island Copper Mine (copper), Rupert Inlet (Quatsino Sound), B.C.  Impact on marine environment using research vessel-based benthic sampling, SCUBA surveys and water column turbidity surveys.  Administration of Metal Mines Liquid Effluent Regulations.

Wesfrob (iron/copper), Tasu Sound, Graham Island, B.C.  Impact on marine environment using benthic sampling, SCUBA surveys and water column turbidity surveys.  Administration of Metal Mines Liquid Effluent Regulations.

Brittania Mine, Howe Sound, B.C.  Impact on the marine environment using traditional benthic sampling equipment and a manned submersible.   Administration of Metal Mines Liquid Effluent Regulations.

Dr. Harding has a number of mine-related journal and technical report publications.

From 2001 to 2011, SciWrite has assessed the effects of selenium (a highly embryotoxic element often associated with coal mine runoff) to river birds and marsh birds. The studies were conducted at Line Creek, Elkview, Fording, Greenhills, and Coal Mountains mines in the Elk Valley, British Columbia; and the Wolverine Mine near Tumbler Ridge, B.C. See Toxicology for more details.

Wolverine Mine, B.C.
Lupin Mine, Contoyoto Lake, N.W.T.
 
CanTung, N.W.T.
 
Canex Placer, N.W.T.
 
Alice Arm, B.C.
 
Howe Sound, B.C.
 
Rupert Inlet, B.C.

 

Line Creek, Sparwood, B.C
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Wesfrob, QCI