De Beers Canada Inc. Snap Lake Diamond Mine Water Licence Renewal - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

December 13-15, 2011 Yellowknife

De Beers Canada Inc. Snap Lake Diamond Mine Water Licence Renewal Fisheries and Oceans Canada Intervention

Overview

• DFO’s Mandate
• DFO’s Recommendations

– Term of Licence – Adaptive Management Plan – Best Available Technologies – Incorporation of FA Conditions (TDS and DO) – AEMP – Closure

DFO’s Responsibilities

• Management and protection of fish

and marine mammals and their habitats;

• Developing and implementing

policies and programs in support of Canada’s scientific, ecological, social and economic interests in

• ceans and fresh waters.

Recommendations

• The licence term should

be 5-8 years.

• De Beers has proposed

an 8 year term.

Issue: Term of Licence

Recommendation

• An adaptive management/response

framework plan should continue to be required for the Snap Lake Diamond Mine.

• DBCI

seeks guidance from the MVLWB on how to best accomplish incorporating Adaptive Management / Response Framework into the

• perations of the Snap Lake Diamond

Mine.

Issue: Adaptive Management Plan

Recommendations

• To harmonize the FA and WL, we recommend that the

AEMP include:

– monitoring of TDS concentrations in close proximity to fisheries compensatory habitat sites within Snap Lake. – TDS sampling once per month under ice and at least two times per year during open water conditions – Results of TDS monitoring provided in the water quality chapter

• f the AEMP annually, including a plain language summary.

Issue: TDS limits around Fisheries Compensatory Habitat Sites

Recommendations Cont.

– Results of TDS sampling from SNAP 05, 12, 28 and 29 in the monthly SNP report. – Incorporating the intent of Condition 5.6.5 of the Fisheries Act Authorization SC-00-196, into the water licence under adaptive management, where the 350mg/L limit is an action level.

Issue: TDS limits around Fisheries Compensatory Habitat Sites

Recommendations

• DBCI assess

alternative solutions to reduce the TDS concentrations at the source(s).

Issue: TDS limit

De Beers Response

• DBCI agrees with DFO’s

recommendations regarding TDS.

• DBCI has proposed to incorporate

monthly TDS sampling “four times per year under ice”.

• This is acceptable to DFO; this issue

is resolved.

Issue: TDS limits around Fisheries Compensatory Habitat Sites

Recommendations

• To harmonize the FA and WL, we recommends the AEMP

should include: – Dissolved Oxygen (DO) profiles from deep areas in Snap Lake monthly from February through May, throughout the mine life. – monitoring for changes in the deep water benthic invertebrate community in conjunction with DO monitoring.

• Incorporating the intent of condition 5.7.3 of the Fisheries

Act Authorization SC-00-196, into the renewed water licence, as part of the adaptive management response framework.

Issue: Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring

De Beers Response

Issue: Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring

• DBCI agrees with our recommendations regarding

incorporation of DO monitoring into the WL; this issue is resolved.

Recommendation

• Re-evaluation of Best Available Technologies for the

treatment of the effluent should be required in the renewed water licence.

• DBCI maintains that constantly monitoring developments

in technologies is enough.

• DFO continues to recommend that re-evaluation of BATs

should be maintained within the water licence.

Issue: Best Available Technology

Recommendations (Regarding the Update)

We recommend that the AEMP be reviewed, updated and approved by the MVLWB, at an appropriate frequency (3 years).

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

Recommendations (Annual Report)

The Annual AEMP report should:

• show and describe trends over time.
• incorporate a chapter that analyzes the interactions between the

different components within the aquatic ecosystem.

• report against the adaptive management/response framework

action levels approved by the Board.

• Include a more detailed, rigorous report should be provided every

three years.

• Provision of electronic data for both the annual and three year

report.

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

De Beers Response

• De Beers agrees with DFO

recommends regarding the AEMP just discussed. This issue is resolved.

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

Recommendation (Invertebrates)

DFO agrees with DBCI that invertebrates do not need to be sampled for trace metals, provided that the effluent sampled and sediment quality do not show an increase in trace metals. However, if an increase is detected the need for invertebrate sampling should be re-assessed and a recognized sampling protocol should be followed.

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

De Beers Response

• DBCI is of the opinion that the “need for invertebrate

sampling should be re-assessed only if a substantive increase in trace metals is detected in the effluent sampled and sediment quality.”

• DFO maintains that the need to conduct trace metal

analysis of invertebrates should be re-assessed as part

• f the response management framework.

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

Recommendation (Cyanobacteria)

• Microcystin-LR continue to be monitored at an

appropriate frequency (eg. every two weeks).

• DBCI agrees to continue to monitor microcystin-

LR, and is proposing to conduct the sampling monthly.

• This is acceptable to DFO.

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

Recommendation (Chlorophyll-a)

• Chlorophyll-a continue to be monitored.
• DBCI agrees to continue to monitor

Chlorophyll-a; this issue is resolved. Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

Recommendation (Fish Community Monitoring)

• To harmonize the FA and WL, we

recommend that standardized fish community assessment methodology (e.g., nordic or BSM protocols) be required as a component within the AEMP.

• DBCI agrees with this

recommendation; this issue is resolved.

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

Recommendation (Special Studies)

• We recommend that the

plume characterization study be included in the conditions for the AEMP in the renewed water licence.

• DBCI agrees with this

recommendation, this issue is resolved.

Issue: Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program

Recommendation (Closure Reclamation Plan)

• DBCI should be required to have an

updated and board approved closure and reclamation plan at various points during mine life, in preparation for final closure.

Issue: Closure

De Beers Response

• DBCI does not agree with our

recommendation but has submitted that “a condition requiring that the Closure and Reclamation Plan be updated at the request of MVLWB” would be acceptable.

• DFO recommends DBCI follow the

Guidelines for Development of Closures and Reclamation Plans for Advanced Mineral Exploration and Mine Sites in the NWT when finalized.

Issue: Closure

Recommendation (Current Standards and Best Practices)

• DFO recommends that

each iteration of the Closure and Reclamation plan should be in accordance with current standards and best practices.

• DBCI agreed to this

recommendation.

Issue: Closure

Recommendation (Closure & Reclamation Plan Components)

Closure measures required by the MVLWB should continue to include

• alternatives. Alternative Closure

Measures should be required in the new condition DBCI has proposed, Part I#3 Issue: Closure

De Beers Response

• DBCI agrees to include

alternatives in the Closure and Reclamation plan.

Issue: Closure

Summary

• DFO has made 17 Recommendations
• DBCI agrees with most of our recommendations

THANK YOU

Questions?