The Red Chris - Gold/Copper Mine in the Headwaters of the Stikine River

Follow along for a Google Earth flyover across the Red Chris mine site and witness the scale of the operation.
The Red Chris is an operating open-pit copper/gold mine. The mine is located outside the community of Iskut, with the Klappan river flowing through the property less than 12 miles from its confluence with the culturally important Stikine River. The mine's proximity to the Sacred Headwaters and the transboundary nature of environmental management in this region has raised concerns across the border on the Alaskan panhandle.
Regardless of strong opposition from First Nations, Southeast Alaska Tribes, fishermen, and environmental groups, operations at the Red Chris Mine began in 2015. The mine was built by Imperial Metals, the company responsible for Mount Polley Mine breach - the worst environmental disaster in B.C.’s history.
The Red Chris tailings pond, which contains 107 billion cubic feet of mining waste, contains more toxic tailings than Mount Polley's, yet the 344 feet high dam utilizes the same dangerous and flawed design.
The Red Chris tailings dam was inspected after the Mt Polley breach on August 4, 2014. It was found to have 22 serious design and construction flaws.
An independent investigation and review, authorized under Section 8 of the Ministry of Energy and Mines Act, revealed problems with the tailings pond design, including serious risk of seepage and leakage and vulnerability to landslides. The review found there were no emergency response plans, no operating, maintenance, and surveillance manuals for the tailings facility, and no studies to detail what would happen if the dams collapse.
The review predicts two additional tailings dam failures could occur every 10 years in British Columbia if mine waste disposal practices aren’t improved.
Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) is a consortium of 15 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian Nations defending the transboundary rivers from rapidly expanding mining boom occurring in the Canadian headwaters.
Learn more www.seitc.org
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[@jp9332]

After all the first nations are the enviromental experts!

[@lyndonfish6229]

Gov’t should make them use newer practices whereby the tailings are dried out and not just stored as a liquid lake of contaminates waiting to escape and further pollute our rivers.

[@wonderfulwenna2710]

What a gross environmental mess