Uncertainty Upstream Potential Threats from Tailings Facility Failures in Northern British Columbia June 2015 BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council 1764 – 1959 Marine Drive North Vancouver, BC V7P 3G1 Canada Photo by David Nunuk Cover photo: Taku Headwaters Cover photo credit: David Nunuk GIS provided by Spatial Support Systems All content is © BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council Table of Contents Foreword . 3 Executive Summary . 4 Introduction . 6 Primary GIS Analysis . .10 Summary of Findings . .11 Appendix I: Tailings Pond Facilities — Number and Type . .14 Appendix II: Waterways, Watersheds, and Tailings Ponds . 15 Appendix III: First Nations Communities and Tailings Ponds . 18 Appendix IV: Settlements and Tailings Ponds . 20 Appendix V: Anadromous Fish and Tailings Ponds . .26 Appendix VI: Regional Detail Map Series . .29 Endnotes . .38 Page 1 Photo by David Nunuk Page 2 Foreword Many look to the landscapes of British Columbia and see vast, unoccupied lands rich with resources that are free for the taking . However, for First Nations in British Columbia, these lands have been occupied since time immemorial and their riches cannot be counted tree- by-tree, fish-by-fish, or stone-by-stone . Instead, the wealth of these landscapes can only be known through the relationships between the people, the lands, and the waters . It is because of the knowledge of these relationships that First Nations in British Columbia assume a responsibility in deciding how the lands and resources in British Columbia are to be used . Unfortunately, capacity to participate as equal partners in decision-making is low among British Columbia’s more than 200 First Nations communities . However, lack of capacity can no longer be an excuse for governments and industry to exclude First Nations from the decision- making table . Nor can we as indigenous peoples afford to watch from the sidelines as others make decisions that will affect our communities, lands and resources both today and in the future . Perhaps nothing better illustrates this than the catastrophic failure of the tailings dam at Mount Polley . Expected to last in perpetuity, the tailings dam breach released 25 million cubic metres of mine waste into the receiving environment . The disaster not only devastated communities living downstream but also triggered anxiety in government, industry experts, shareholders and, most especially, communities living downstream of major tailings facilities across the province as everyone wondered, “Could a similar event happen again?” Following the investigation into the Mount Polley disaster by an expert panel, we now know that without significant changes to the current mining practices, in British Columbia alone we can expect two tailings dam failures every 10 years. With this latest disaster occurring on August 4, 2014, the clock continues ticking down reminding us we no longer have the luxury of time . We do, however, have an opportunity to make lasting change and ensure that no community will ever face the same devastation experienced by the communities downstream of Mount Polley . This will demand a commitment to work together with government and industry in order to change past practices that can impact, sometimes irreversibly, the homes and livelihoods of First Nations . Page 3 Executive Summary Since the failure of the Mount Polley tailings facility in August, 2014, there has been increased awareness of the long-term risks from potential failures of tailings facilities to the fish, wildlife, and general ecology of downstream rivers and lakes and the communities that depend on them . This GIS-based analysis of northern British Columbia and southeast Alaska (starting at Mount Polley and extending north to the Yukon border) shows the streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands that would be impacted by a failure in existing tailings facilities, the special habitats for salmon and other fish and wildlife within the potentially impacted areas, and the First Nations communities and other cities and settlements that could be affected by future tailings failures . The analysis includes 35 tailings ponds at 26 mine site locations in northern British Columbia (from Mount Polley to the Yukon border) . The mines encompassed in this area are listed in Appendix I and include Red Chris, Endako, Mount Milligan, Yellowjacket, and others . A total of 8,678 kilometres of streams, rivers, and lakes lie downstream of the flow paths of contaminants that would result from failures in the 35 tailings ponds facilities within the selected area . Of this total, 3,275 kilometres are immediately downstream of these tailings facilities and 5,403 kilometres are further downstream where the contaminants could eventually reach . Within the selected area, there are 33 First Nations communities in watersheds that could be impacted by failures in the 35 tailings facilities, including 17 (52%) that would be within watersheds impacted by immediate flow paths of contaminants . Additional First Nations communities further upstream of potential contaminant flow paths may also be affected because of impacts to migrating fish that could be impacted downstream of a tailings facility failure . There are 208 additional cities and settlements within watersheds that would be impacted by downstream flow from failures of tailings facilities — 69 in watersheds that would receive immediate contaminant flows from failures in tailings facilities and 139 in watersheds that would receive eventual contaminant flows . Page 4 The amount of identified important anadromous fish habitat potentially impacted by a failure of the 35 tailings ponds is significant . The total kilometres of habitat downstream of tailings pond facilities is listed by species, along with additional habitat upstream of potential contaminant flow paths (access requiring migrating through potential flow paths) . • Chinook Salmon: 2,575 km (10,238 additional km upstream of flow paths) • Chum Salmon: 1,229 km (1,207 additional km upstream of flow paths) • Coho Salmon: 2,184 km (6,123 additional km upstream of flow paths) • Pink Salmon: 1,512 km (2,015 additional km upstream of flow paths) • Sockeye Salmon: 2,735 km (5,910 additional km upstream of flow paths) • Steelhead: 1,229 km (3,085 additional km upstream of flow paths) Because mining activities take place on Indigenous peoples’ traditional lands and disproportionately impact Indigenous communities, the principle of free, prior and informed consent must be applied in advance of mining operations, from exploration through all phases of development, including post-closure . Project planning must engage and be led by the communities which are most connected with these landscapes . A high priority should be placed on protecting entire river, lake, and wetland ecosystems from industrial activities and impacts . A renewed focus on establishing headwater to mouth watershed protected areas for river systems with full complements of migratory fish is needed to compensate for freshwater habitat and biodiversity lost and impaired in other watersheds . Protected areas should encompass watersheds and waterways to ensure that rivers remain unfragmented and hydrological flows remain unimpaired . Mining companies and government entities should ensure that communities impacted by mining activity secure lasting, long-term economic benefits that enhance community health and sustainability . Communities and the public should be protected by funding mechanisms against unanticipated post mine-closure impacts or financial burdens for clean-up and remediation . Page 5 Introduction Northern British Columbia is one of the most visually stunning and ecologically vibrant regions in North America . From dramatic snow-capped mountains to lush river valleys and majestic lakes, this still largely pristine region harbors a rich variety of wildlife that has sustained indigenous peoples for thousands of years . Rivers such as the Stikine, Nass, and Skeena — the origins of which form what is often called the Sacred Headwaters — as well as many others provide large networks of salmon and steelhead spawning habitat that have not been heavily altered, blocked, or degraded by human activities .1 These migratory fish provide sustenance and income for many northern First Nations communities and provide a healthy supply of fish for the major fisheries in southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia . These fish populations also constitute a critical food source for the grizzly bear and form an integral part of the biological food web . Anadromous fish like salmon and steelhead have been found to reallocate considerable amounts of sea-born nutrients to the inland aquatic communities upstream where they breed as well as to the terrestrial environments in those watersheds via predatory birds and mammals 2. And although the British Columbia interior has witnessed heavier industrial disturbance levels than northern regions of some provinces, the intricate networks of rivers and lakes throughout the region continue to provide critical spawning habitat for the well-known Fraser River salmon run . Northern British Columbia is also increasingly being viewed as one of North America’s next great mining boom regions . The opening of numerous large mining projects as well as the construction of the Northwest Transmission Line, which was built primarily to provide energy for large industrial projects in northwestern British Columbia,3 has led to projections of as much as a 300 percent increase in mining output in northern British