Association of Citizens for Summerland

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Molybdenum Mine in the OCP?

This story isn't really related to our OCP process, but it looks like two mining companies are considering a molybdenum mine in our watershed. This press release is short on details, but one of the companies has this profile on the property:
"Crowrea Project is a Molybdenum prospect and is approximately 3,440 hectares (8,500 acres) in size.

Location: Located 15 miles south of Brenda Mines in the Osoyoos and Similkameen Mining Division near Summerland, B.C"

So that's a pretty big chunk of land, and it appears to be near Trout Creek, northwest from Faulder. It's outside of our district boundaries, which probably means it's a provincial responsibility. Note that the press release isn't announcing the opening of a mine, but they're planning a work program to reassess the potential of the property.

Some of you may have followed the related controversy just up the highway from us in Peachland in the '90s. Several million cubic metres of molybdenum-contaminated water from Brenda Mine was discharged (and is still being discharged) into Trepanier Creek and the lake. I suppose there will be business-oriented Summerlanders in favour of the employment a mine could bring to the region, but I hope they can learn from Peachland's experience to look into our future first:
  • An article about the battle over the decision to discharge molybdenum into Peachland's water supply (and into Okanagan Lake) from the decommissioned Brenda Mine
  • More about the process of decommissioning the mine, including some account of public consultations
  • Noranda's information page on the Brenda Mine, including health information on molybdenum levels that looks like it might have been written by Montgomery Burns

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