UBC scientist will discuss the fate of tailings spill in Quesnel Lake
What: Implications for Quesnel Lake of the 2014 Mount Polley tailings pond spill
Who: Bernard Laval, Department of Civil Engineering, UBC Vancouver
When: Tuesday, August 26, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Where: EME 1153 (Engineering, Management and Education Building), UBC Okanagan
Earlier this month, the tailings pond at the Mount Polley copper and gold mine ruptured and sent millions of cubic metres of waste into several rivers and lakes, including the west basin of Quesnel Lake.
Hundreds of people were without drinkable water for days, and the provincial government has now called for an independent review on the disaster. Quesnel Lake is a fjord-type lake that supports the second largest sockeye salmon run in Canada.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26 at UBC’s Okanagan campus, research scientist Bernard Laval presents his research seminar, The Physical Limnology of Quesnel Lake: Implications for the 2014 Mount Polley Spill.
Laval, associate head for UBC Vancouver’s Civil Engineering department, will summarize what is known about the circulation patterns of Quesnel Lake and discuss possible implications for the Mount Polley spill.
Laval says observations suggest Mount Polley contamination currently contained in the west basin may flow towards the mouth of the Quesnel River or the main body of Quesnel Lake. Furthermore, seasonal convective circulation may re-suspend and transport contaminants.
Laval has a bachelor of applied science degree in Engineering Physics from UBC, and a master’s degree in Physical Oceanography and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Western Australia.
This presentation is free and open to the public. It takes place Tuesday, August 26, and begins at 10 a.m. in EME 1153 (Engineering, Management and Education Building), 1137 Alumni Avenue, at UBC’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna.
Pay parking is available on campus.
–30–