Former Xatsull First Nation chief Bev Sellars recalls an emergency meeting after the Mount Polley Mine disaster, where elders were in tears as they thought of fish swimming through the toxic waste that had inundated their territorial waters.

She thinks of the 2014 disaster often.

香蕉视频直播淭here are physical changes you can still see,香蕉视频直播� Sellars said. 香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 still things happening in the lake.香蕉视频直播�

The catastrophic collapse of a tailings dam in the B.C. Interior sent about 25 million cubic metres of poisoned water from the copper and gold mine surging into waterways including Polley and Quesnel lakes on Aug. 4, 2014.

The impact is now filtering though the legal system, with 15 federal Fisheries Act charges laid last week against Imperial Metals Corp. and two other firms.

The environmental impacts are still being felt too, scientists fear, with toxic particles swirling in Quesnel Lake香蕉视频直播檚 water a decade later.

Research also shows tiny invertebrates that form the basis of the aquatic food chain displayed elevated metal accumulation at sites affected by the spill, suggesting material from the disaster was proving potentially toxic to the creatures for years after the initial breach.

Greg Pyle, an aquatic eco-toxicologist and professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge, was behind that research. He started studying the effects of the disaster on both Polley and Quesnel lakes about four years after it occurred.

香蕉视频直播淚 spent my entire career around some of the most contaminated sites in the country and this was one of them,香蕉视频直播� Pyle said.

He and his team published their research in 2022, detailing metal accumulation and toxicity in freshwater scuds 香蕉视频直播� an insect-like arthropod 香蕉视频直播� and mayfly larvae from sediments affected by the spill.

香蕉视频直播淭he reason why we were going after these bugs, these invertebrates, is because they sit at the base of the food chain,香蕉视频直播� Pyle said. 香蕉视频直播淭hey make up a significant portion of smaller fishes香蕉视频直播� diet. The small fish comprise the larger fishes香蕉视频直播� diet and so on up the food chain.香蕉视频直播�

Their study showed elevated toxicity in samples of the creatures collected near the disaster site compared with those from 香蕉视频直播渃lean far-field香蕉视频直播� sites.

Quesnel Lake, Pyle said, was particularly 香蕉视频直播渄ynamic.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a big lake,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭here are places where I would have no problem eating the fish out of there. Would I do it right over where there香蕉视频直播檚 been a massive copper mine breach? Probably not.香蕉视频直播�

Copper, he said, is known to be a 香蕉视频直播減owerful neurotoxicant to fish and other aquatic animals.香蕉视频直播�

Pyle said he香蕉视频直播檚 still interested to know whether exposure to copper from the spill was damaging the sense of smell for fish.

香蕉视频直播淚 was concerned that these animals would have an impaired sense of smell and consequently they香蕉视频直播檇 have a difficult time finding food, finding mates, avoiding predators or even migrating,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 one of the things that we never had an opportunity to test.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淲e don香蕉视频直播檛 know whether or not that happened,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Ellen Petticrew, a geography professor at the University of Northern British Columbia, said that after the disaster, researchers quickly began looking into the effect on Quesnel Lake, 香蕉视频直播渢he deepest fiord lake in the world.香蕉视频直播�

She and colleague Phil Owens, an environmental science professor, were able to quickly access areas near the disaster because the university had a research station set up nearby.

Fine particles of sediment contaminated with copper and other metals, 香蕉视频直播渟tayed in suspension for months and then it slowly sort of rained down to the bottom of the lake,香蕉视频直播� Owens said.

But the lake香蕉视频直播檚 waters turn over twice a year, stirring up contaminated sediment that gets suspended again, which runs 香蕉视频直播渃ounter香蕉视频直播� to what the mining company and consultants believed at the time.

香蕉视频直播淭hey thought that the tailings would just stay at the bottom of the lake and be immobile, but actually that has not proven to be true, and we still detect that 10 years later,香蕉视频直播� Owens said.

Petticrew said the lake香蕉视频直播檚 waters swish like 香蕉视频直播渞ocking in a bathtub,香蕉视频直播� and their research focused on the movement of contaminated material 香蕉视频直播渦p into the food web to the point of the fish food, but not to the fish itself.香蕉视频直播�

She said the mining company has studied toxicity in fish tissues, but the research made available online hasn香蕉视频直播檛 been easy to access and assess.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e looked generally to try to find it,香蕉视频直播� Petticrew said. 香蕉视频直播淭heir website feels like it香蕉视频直播檚 meant to confuse you and make it problematic. It香蕉视频直播檚 not like it香蕉视频直播檚 very straightforward to get access to the stuff that they say is fully available.香蕉视频直播�

Imperial Metals said in a written statement that because it香蕉视频直播檚 been served with the Fisheries Act indictment, it wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 be commenting further on the charges.

Petticrew said the trouble with pinning down toxic effects in fish isn香蕉视频直播檛 easy.

香蕉视频直播淪o much of what happens to salmon is unexplained, whether it香蕉视频直播檚 in the ocean, whether it香蕉视频直播檚 on the route up because of temperature, whether it香蕉视频直播檚 because of a Big Bar blocking the way, whether it香蕉视频直播檚 because of contaminants in the water column,香蕉视频直播� she said, referring to the Big Bar landslide in 2019 in the Fraser River that created a large waterfall that trapped the fish.

香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 so many different variables that affect the return of salmon that nobody香蕉视频直播檚 been able to pin anything on this.香蕉视频直播�

Fishing in Quesnel Lake is still robust, and the Mount Polley mine disaster now 香蕉视频直播渟eems to be a far distant memory,香蕉视频直播� said Marita Boxrud, owner of the Plato Island Resort, located far upstream from the tailings breach.

香蕉视频直播淔ishing has been good. Lots of lake trout and rainbow trout have been caught and released,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚t was an unfortunate accident, but we think that the company did a fantastic job cleaning up and supporting the community.香蕉视频直播�

Craig Orr, a conservation adviser with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society and an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Environment at Simon Fraser University, said he was unaware of the most current information about Mount Polley香蕉视频直播檚 long-term effects on waterways.

Orr said the Quesnel river system is crucial to salmon runs through to the Fraser River, into which it flows, and he was more involved in assessing the disaster香蕉视频直播檚 short term impacts as the society香蕉视频直播檚 executive director at the time.

香蕉视频直播淲e just have to look at the state of Fraser sockeye. Every impact is something that we try to avoid right now,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e had some of the worst returns on record this past year for Fraser River sockeye.香蕉视频直播�

He said wild salmon runs are affected by industrial activities, including forestry and salmon farming, and the poor returns in the Fraser have been compared to a 香蕉视频直播渄eath of a thousand cuts.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭he Mount Polley mine breach was more than a cut,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚t was a hammer blow to Quesnel sockeye.香蕉视频直播�

Two weeks after the disaster, the B.C. government announced a partnership with both the Williams Lake and Xatsull First Nations.

The statement announcing the partnership quoted then-chief Sellars saying the deal would allow 香蕉视频直播淔irst Nations and the provincial government to begin a necessary conversation about the adequacy of existing laws, regulations and policy in regards to the overall mining sector in British Columbia.香蕉视频直播�

Ten years later, Sellars said the provincial government still treats the mining industry with deference, handing out permits to individual projects 香蕉视频直播渨ithout looking at the cumulative effects.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚n order to sustain a healthy economy, we need a healthy environment,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淥therwise it香蕉视频直播檚 all gonna catch up to everybody one day.香蕉视频直播�