Quintette-Mesa Mine—Deputy Pit Effluent Permit Amendment
Application for a Permit Amendment Under the Provisions of the Environmental Management Act.
We, Conuma Mining Services Ltd., intend to submit this amendment application to the Director of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV) to commence non-point source discharge of effluent seepage to M20 Creek from Deputy Pit and the East Waste Rock Dump. The amendment application is proposing amendments to Environmental Management Act (EMA) Effluent Permit 6540, issued June 14, 2005, and last amended December 16, 2022, which authorizes the discharge of effluent from the Quintette-Mesa Mine. The Quintette-Mesa Mine ceased operations in 2000; its operating status is defined as Closed.
The land upon which Deputy Pit and East Waste Rock Dump are situated, and the discharge occurs, is the Peace River Land District and Quintette Coal Lease #389287, located at 23097 Murray Forest Service Road, Tumbler Ridge, BC, V0C 2W0, within the District of Tumbler Ridge and Murray River Watershed.
The amendment requests that the following Permit 6540 conditions be changed:
Clause 1. will be updated with a subsection (Clause 1.5) including authorized discharge from Deputy Pit and the East Waste Rock Dump into M20 Creek, thence to the Murray River.
1.5. Non-point Source Discharge
This section acknowledges NON-POINT SOURCE discharges of mine contact water to ground from waste rock dumps and open pits located on the mine footprint. The quantity of these discharges are not directly measurable, and are therefore regulated through regular groundwater monitoring.
1.5.1. The authorized sources of the discharge are the East Waste Rock Dump and Deputy Pit areas approximately located as shown on Site Plan A.
1.5.2. The location from which the NON-POINT SOURCE discharges originate is Coal Lease #389287 within the District of Tumbler Ridge and Murray River Watershed.
Clause 4.1. change to:
The characteristics of the effluent defined in Section 1 of this Permit are applicable to the effluent quality at sampling site locations which have the mutual agreement of the permittee and the Director to provide samples which are representative.
No sampling is required during no-flow or unsafe conditions.
A copy of the permit application, including supporting documentation, is available electronically upon request. Any person who may be adversely affected by the proposed amendment and wishes to provide relevant information may, within 30 days after the last date of posting, publishing, service or display, send written comments via email to the applicant (contact details below), with a copy to Erin Rainey, Senior Environmental Protection Officer, Mining Operations, Environmental Protection Division, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, at erin.rainey@gov.bc.ca.
The identity of any respondents and the contents of anything submitted in relation to this application will become part of the public record.
Applicant Contact Information:
Nadia Haider
Vice President, Regulatory Strategy,
Innovation & Environment
Conuma Mining Services Limited
Email address: nhaider@conumacoal.com
