On 4 August 2014, a breach of the Mount Polley mine tailngs impoundment released large quantities of tailings, water, and scoured overburden into the West Basin of Quesnel Lake. The immediate impact was a substantial increase of temperature, conductivity, and turbidity in the hypolimnion of the West Basin. Using 10 years (7 years pre-breach and 3 years post breach) of water column profiling, moorings and remote sensing data, we attempt to delineate breach effects from the pre-breach baseline state of Quesnel Lake to project long term impacts of the breach.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Livestream and Blue Jeans. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.