Map: Where does Imperial Metals operate?

The Mount Polley Mine isn’t the only Imperial Metals operation that’s subject to controversy

Despite dramatic footage of a massive Quesnel-area tailings pond spilling into a tributary of the Fraser, the CEO of mining firm Imperial Metals, Bryan Kynoch, insisted in a heated briefing with locals that the discharge “almost meets drinking water standards.” On Monday, a dam that holds wastewater at the Mount Polley Mine collapsed, sending a torrent of detritus and contaminated water downstream. The Cariboo regional district has since issued a water-use ban, and is trucking bottled water into the affected communities.
 
The cause of Monday’s dam collapse, and its impact on the Quesnel and Cariboo rivers, has yet to be measured. For now, here’s a look at other Imperial Metals operations within B.C.—Mount Polley isn’t the only one mired in controversy.