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Lac Des Iles milling operations resume after tailings pond spill

Milling operations have restarted at Lac Des Iles mine, in the wake of last month’s tailings pond spill. The mine began milling on June 26, the same day the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change gave it the green light to proceed.
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(tbnewswatch.com file photograph)

Milling operations have restarted at Lac Des Iles mine, in the wake of last month’s tailings pond spill.

The mine began milling on June 26, the same day the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change gave it the green light to proceed.
Underground operations continued during the mill’s shut down, resulting in a 250,000-tonne stockpile of crushed ore, which is being processed at a rate of 8,400 tonnes per day.

Output will increase to 13,000 tonnes per day through July until the stockpile is processed.

Parent company North American Palladium said third party engineers confirmed the integrity of Lac Des Iles’ tailings management facility.

"Significant efforts by team members across the Company, led by those on-site at LDI, have put us in a position to restart milling operations," North American Palladium president, Phil du Toit said in a release.

Du Toit added his company is continuing to monitor the effects of the plume of pollutants floating downstream.
According to the MOE, the full effects of the discharge of iron and aluminum into the environment will not be known until next year.

The ministry has ordered the company to implement a long-term monitoring and remediation plan.

 





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