21st Century Design Concepts for Mitigating the Impacts of Metal Mines on Fish and Fish Habitat – a British Columbia Perspective

Mining currently contributes an estimated $5.6 billion to the British Columbia (BC) economy annually and employs 28,000 people from more than 50 operating mines.  BC has an abundance of mineral, water, and fisheries resources and some of the strongest environmental protection legislation in the world.  These three resources overlap each other throughout the Province such that the protection of water and fish populations is a major focus when developing mines in BC.  The purpose of this presentation is to summarize the regulatory and engineering tools used to mitigate the impacts of mine developments on fish and fish habitat within a BC context.  Topics include mining in BC, mining basics, advances in mining technology, fish and fish habitat protection regulations, mine facilities site selection and design, waste and water management, monitoring, mine closure, and BC examples.  The authors’ objective is to present the due diligence used to develop mines in BC and discuss its efficacy in the conservation of fish and their habitats.