Mount Polley Mine will continue to mine the Cariboo Pit until June and shipped out 2,921 dry metric tonnes of copper gold concentrate in the month of February alone, said general manager Dale Reimer.
Work at the mine to dredge the Springer Pit is also underway to remove materials placed there after the 2014 tailings impoundment breach completely destroyed the mine’s tailings impoundment.
“We are just finishing commissioning the dredging system,” Reimer said Thursday. “It’s kind of up and down. It’s a commission in process and they are working the kinks out of it.”
A second dredge in the Springer Pit should be operational some time in the next two weeks, he said, noting MDG Contracting Services from Alberta is doing the work.
There is almost 46 centimetres of snow covering the site and the de-watering systems in place are functioning properly, Reimer said.
“So far we have seen no issues in any of the sumps or ditches and so far it is going well.”
Water continues to be discharged into Quesnel Lake from the mine site through a direct 6.5 kilometre buried pipeline from the water treatment plan that was completed in November, and the water is being monitored constantly, Reimer said.
The pipeline separates Hazeltine Creek from the diffuser ports and the treated water is no longer deposited into Hazeltine Creek.
In January Reimer announced the mine was embarking on a series of staged layoffs that would impact 78 full-time positions by the end of the year.
Presently there are 309 people still employed at the mine, down from 337 people at the beginning of 2018.
The summer’s wildfires impacted the mine, forcing a shutdown and loss of production.
“It hurt our employees that we had to lay off and hurt us financially,” Reimer said.
Copper prices have been dropping and this week fell from $3.18 a pound down to $3.04 a pound for copper concentrate.
In the concentrate from Mount Polley there is a “fair amount” of gold mixed in, Reimer confirmed.
“The amount of gold varies, depending on where we are mining. Parts of the ore body have higher gold content than others.”
According to the company’s website, in 2017 the mine produced 19,071,000 pounds of copper, 48,009 ounces of gold, and 36,626 ounces of silver. The target for 2018’s annual production is 17 to 19 million pounds of copper and 44 to 47,000 ounces of gold.
When the mine was given the go-ahead in June 2016 to resume operations after the breach, the company was given a five-year permit.
“We have about three and a half years on that mine plan, although we also have a 10-year mine plan in place,” Reimer said.
Rehabilitation work in Hazeltine Creek saw channel re-orientation and habitat installation work completed.
On Oct. 2, 2017, Stephen Monniger joined Mount Polley when he was hired as the Environmental Superintendent. A U.S. citizen, he has lived and worked in Canada for the last six years.
A passionate fly fisherman, Monniger purchased a house in Likely close to the Quesnel River and hoping to glean from locals who share his passion for fly fishing.