Wednesday, May 13, 2009
IOC wins the CIM/Syncrude Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development
(Canada) Labrador City, Sept-Îles, Montreal, May 12, 2009 – The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) has been selected as the recipient of the CIM/Syncrude Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development for its C$110 million Tailings Management Project, also known as “From Tailings to Biodiversity”. Introduced in 2007, this award promotes the Canadian minerals industry as an active seeker of sustainable solutions that engage and affect the Canadian public.
“We are very proud of our Tailings Management Project: A C$110 million investment to better manage our tailings and restore the ecological and recreational value of Wabush Lake. The project reflects a decade of work and consultation involving IOC, government agencies, technical experts, and the community. They came up with a design concept reflecting the sustainable development aim of balancing economic, social, and environmental objectives. IOC then worked closely with Bechtel through engineering and construction to final commissioning of the project in mid 2008. Since then, the project has worked flawlessly and achieved what we set out to do. I am honoured to accept this prestigious Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development on behalf of all those involved,” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO - IOC.
“From Tailings to Biodiversity”
The Carol Lake Project in Labrador West has been operated by IOC since 1962. For years, the tailings stored in a natural lake (Wabush Lake) have coloured the water red and produced fine sediment that covered the bottom of the lake. The reclaimed tailings cover approximately 540 hectares and are non-toxic and chemically inert. As such, it has been sculpted into ponds, hills, valleys, and wetlands, and is suitable to support plants and wildlife in a new diversified terrestrial habitat.
Over the past decade, tailings management has been extensively reviewed to ensure that our continued operation complied with current regulations and also addressed local community concerns for the environment and the future of the lake and mine site.
Re-vegetation programs on the exposed tailings have been enhanced not only to suppress dust lift-off, but also to provide a diverse natural environment that is sustainable for future generations of birds, wildlife, and eventually people, when the mine closes and this area is returned to the community.
The implementation of this project and its contribution to sustainable development was recognized in 2005 when the North American Waterfowl Management Plan awarded IOC with the Great Blue Heron National Award for long-term contributions for the benefit of waterfowl and other migratory bird populations.
“We are very proud of our Tailings Management Project: A C$110 million investment to better manage our tailings and restore the ecological and recreational value of Wabush Lake. The project reflects a decade of work and consultation involving IOC, government agencies, technical experts, and the community. They came up with a design concept reflecting the sustainable development aim of balancing economic, social, and environmental objectives. IOC then worked closely with Bechtel through engineering and construction to final commissioning of the project in mid 2008. Since then, the project has worked flawlessly and achieved what we set out to do. I am honoured to accept this prestigious Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development on behalf of all those involved,” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO - IOC.
“From Tailings to Biodiversity”
The Carol Lake Project in Labrador West has been operated by IOC since 1962. For years, the tailings stored in a natural lake (Wabush Lake) have coloured the water red and produced fine sediment that covered the bottom of the lake. The reclaimed tailings cover approximately 540 hectares and are non-toxic and chemically inert. As such, it has been sculpted into ponds, hills, valleys, and wetlands, and is suitable to support plants and wildlife in a new diversified terrestrial habitat.
Over the past decade, tailings management has been extensively reviewed to ensure that our continued operation complied with current regulations and also addressed local community concerns for the environment and the future of the lake and mine site.
Re-vegetation programs on the exposed tailings have been enhanced not only to suppress dust lift-off, but also to provide a diverse natural environment that is sustainable for future generations of birds, wildlife, and eventually people, when the mine closes and this area is returned to the community.
The implementation of this project and its contribution to sustainable development was recognized in 2005 when the North American Waterfowl Management Plan awarded IOC with the Great Blue Heron National Award for long-term contributions for the benefit of waterfowl and other migratory bird populations.