Skip to content

General manager cautions about hazards at former mine site

Janet Lowe’s report to council at its meeting Monday night focused on ongoing work at the former Denison Mine site
170929ElliotLakeCityHallMF
Elliot Lake city hall is pictured in this file photo. Melanie Farenzena/ElliotLakeToday

More public awareness is needed to warn people about the dangers they can encounter by going on to former mine sites, General Manager for Denison Environmental Services, Janet Lowe told council at a presentation Monday evening.

The company is charged with monitoring of water quality and securing the sites as part of the regulated decommissioning of the lands formerly occupied by the mines and the tailings they produced. Lowe’s report to council at its meeting Monday night focused on ongoing work at the former Denison Mine site.

“Monitoring of water quality and quantity coming off the site, we are actually doing this work on a daily basis so samples are taken and sent to laboratories so that we can keep an eye on the quality of the water and check the flows and the amount of water leaving our site on a regular basis,” she said of the work since the mine closed some 20 years ago.

The company is also charged with road maintenance to get in and out to the site and in case an emergency occurs.

Lowe said as part of the process to control water levels, the company monitors and deals with the beaver population, including setting traps.

“Water levels much to controlled,” she added.

“We’re finding, at this stage in the closed site, is the health and safety and the hazards that still are on the site and we do want the community to be aware that that is the case,” Lowe said.

She said residents have to be aware of hazards, such a mine tailings submerged under small lakes may look pristine but are a hazard for dogs walking around the site or for swimming. She also said dogs off leash can step into beaver traps. There is also the possibility hikers could fall into holes that “are deeper than we think” and have not been mapped.

“People access our sites for hiking all the time. This is not something we can stop or discourage,” she said, noting there are no hiking trails on site.

Hunting is also prohibited on the site. She said ATV traffic can also be hazardous with tailings adhering to ATV tires and being driven off site.

Lowe said the company is planning to put out a brochure on potential hazards and to add additional information to signs at the site.

Denison Environmental has a staff of about 20 people involved in the ongoing monitoring.



Comments


About the Author: Kris Svela

Kris Svela has worked in community newspapers for the past 36 years covering politics, human interest, courts, municipal councils, and the wide range of other topics of community interest
Read more