Crews are cleaning up at New Afton mine just south of Kamloops after a tailings pond spill. An official with New Gold confirms 16 cubic metres, or 16,000 litres, of slurry leaked out of a pipe valve and onto the company’s property last night. The pipe is used to switch the effluent from a storage area to the tailings pond. Clean up efforts are underway, and it’s not known how long it will take to fully clean up the spill. A company spokesperson couldn’t say what chemicals are contained in the slurry from the mine. An Environment Ministry spokesperson says there is no concern about groundwater contamination. The spill was contained to a ditch on the company’s property and is being excavated.
CFJC News has a crew on scene and will have more details starting at 5pm on CFJC News