WATCH: While the cleanup at Mount Polley continues, Likely residents continue to have concerns. Geoff Hastings reports.
Nearly three months after the Mount Polley tailings pond disaster, residents and members of the media are being given a look inside the mine.
Residents of Likely and the surrounding area were brought into the mine site this weekend for an update on how the clean-up process is going.
The tailings pond at Mount Polley Mine near the town of Likely breached on Aug. 4, sending 4.5 million cubic metres of waste into Hazeltine Creek, Quesnel Lake and Polley Lake, prompting a water ban for affected communities and raising serious concerns about environmental damage.
Steve Robertson with Imperial Metals Corporation, the operator of the mine, says they are going to be using native materials to re-structure the lower end of the Hazeltine Creek that sustained heavy damage during the breach.
Robertson says it is going to be a productive stream system again once the clean-up is done.
“It is not just about fish. It is about the little invertebrate bugs and all the wildlife that lives around creeks,” he says. “We want to make sure that we establish a habitat that is going to be productive for all those components.”
But some residents told Global News even though they hope the site of the breach could be cleaned up, they have concerns about the lake ecosystem.
Some say they are disappointed with the provincial government’s handling of the situation.
READ MORE: Before and after photos show devastation of Mount Polley Mine tailings pond breach
Following the incident, the province announced an independent investigation into the Mount Polley tailings pond breach, along with a review of all tailings ponds in B.C.
In September, First Nations leaders discussed a class action lawsuit to force the government and Imperial Metals to perform more comprehensive water, soil and fish testing.
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