A PRELIMINARY
ASSESSMENT OF SUBAQUEOUS TAILINGS DISPOSAL IN BENSON LAKE BRITISH
COLUMBIA
Mine Environment Neutral Drainage at CANMET-MMSL |
MEND Project
2.11.1a-b
March 1990
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
The Benson
Lake Coast Copper Mine operated from 1962-1973, during which 3.6
million tonnes of high grade copper ore was mined. A copper concentrate
mill and, a magnetite recovery plant which operated from 1963-1970,
discharged tailings under permit into Benson Lake. Over the period
of operations, the tailings were discharged into progressively deeper
waters to combat a continuing problem with lake turbidity caused
by colloidal suspension of tailing fines. A flocculating agent was
also added at the tailings pond to assist settlement.
Benson Lake
is a reasonably small, deep, soft watered, and oligotrophic coastal
lake. It is characterized by isothermal conditions during the winter,
establishment of a thermocline over the summer, and a fall turnover.
Field studies by the Environmental Protection Service in 1967 and
1973 found the entire lake bottom was covered by tailings and devoid
of benthic life. In 1967, even the outlet river had a layer of fines
on the bottom, and was populated by turbid-water benthic invertebrates.
A bathymetry map prepared in 1970 showed the depth profile had not
been significantly changed by tailings deposition.
The lake supports
rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and cutthroat (0. clarki)
trout, Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus alpinus) and sculpin
(Cottus asper). Even after the mine was shut down, the fish
concentrated their feeding on drift organisms carried into the lake
by inlet streams. The resident fish were found in 1967 and 1973
to have high levels of zinc in their tissues, but equally high concentrations
were found in a nearby control lake (Maynard Lake).
This study
constitutes the initial stage of a field assessment of the lake's
recovery from tailings disposal. The 1989-90 work included mapping
the lake's bathymetry, and establishing staff and crest gauges and
discharge sites on inlet and outlet streams. Inlet streams include
Raging River, Benson River and Craft Creek, while the outlet is
through the lower Benson River. Bathymetry mapping provided a series
of Iimnological morphometric parameters. Stream profiles were prepared
for discharge site cross-sections.
Benson Lake
is 2.1 km long, with a maximum depth of 54 m (mean depth = 25.5
m), and a surface area of 7.73 x 105 M2. The relative depth (5.4%)
and shoreline development factor (1.7) describe a small and deep
elliptical lake with relatively high stability and only moderate
potential for littoral zone development. Comparisons between present
bathymetry and the depth profile from 1970 suggest the deeper portions
of the lake (>50 m) have been partly filled.
Insufficient
data are available to define hydrographic rating curves for each
of the inlet and outlet streams. A comparison of the net inflow
(9.5 m3/s) and outflow (8.5 M3/s) for November 3, 1989 suggested
gauge and discharge sites with more laminar flows should be selected.
Sites were checked and re-established as required on March 4, 1990.
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