Alexandra Morton alerts public to blue film on Quesnel River near Mount Polley mine

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      Wild-salmon researcher Alexandra Morton has posted a troubling video on her blog.

      It shows blue film on the Quesnel River not far from where a tailings dam breached at the Mount Polley Mine.

      “I’m on a dock in Likely looking at a blue film just pouring down against this wire on the deck and on down to the bridge down the Quesnel River into the Fraser River," Morton says in the video. "This blue film is some kind of flocculent or some kind of chemical from the mine. It is pouring into the Fraser River, whatever it is."

      On her blog, Morton wrote that this film "burns your skin like a jelly fish sting". 

      She collected a concentrated sample in a plankton net so it could be subjected to laboratory analysis.

      "A small crowd collected and everyone could see it," she added. "What is this? What is it doing to the Fraser River. I have received reports since the first days after the tailing pond burst that the water far downstream has different colour."

      Morton revealed that she had notified the Interior Health Authority, which sent an email thanking her for alerting officials to the existence of this blue film.

      "I have contacted the Ministry of Environment who confirmed that they are aware of it," wrote Roger Penrose, regional director of health protection, "and that they have collected samples for analysis and would appreciate whatever assistance you can provide in getting this message to pepole who have suffered health effects from exposure to this substance..." 

      On her blog, Morton wrote that she didn't understand why the Ministry of Environment kept this information from the public.

      Comments

      7 Comments

      Black Heart

      Aug 21, 2014 at 10:27am

      The Williams Lake paper had this article yesterday....

      "Mount Polley spill may be left in place"

      http://www.newwestnewsleader.com/news/272061491.html

      This is the biggest environmental disaster since the CNR's Hell's Gate Slide in 1914.

      The Premier is AWOL and the Mines Minister thinks it might not be a good idea to clean it up.

      Super....natural....

      anonymous

      Aug 21, 2014 at 11:58am

      Careful Alexandra, there are real scientists working on this one...you can't just make things up like you usually do

      MarkFornataro

      Aug 21, 2014 at 12:48pm

      Good for you Ms Morton, looking out for everyone's health, including Steve's. I wish someone could sue the Premier and Ministers 'responsible'for their reckless disregard for the environment.

      Forest

      Aug 21, 2014 at 1:01pm

      "Morton said she couldn't understand why the Minister of Environment would keep this information from the public"? That's a rhetorical question, right?

      Gordon Campbell

      Aug 21, 2014 at 9:59pm

      "The best place on earth."

      R baxter

      Aug 22, 2014 at 1:43pm

      If this photo shown here is anywhere near likely or quesnel lake or polley lake it must travel more than two hundred kilometres of rough turbulent quesnel river before it gets to fraser valley

      Steve

      Aug 31, 2014 at 10:51pm

      When can we expect to see the results of those water samples collected by Ms Morton? Given that water sampling results to date, including the raw data and the lab, have been posted on the BC Environment website we should expect similar disclosure from Ms Morton really soon.