Thread by @MiningNS

Misconceptions about modern #gold mining stem from historical mining practices that we agree were not good enough. No industry took proper care of the environment 100-150 years ago. However, historical sites like these have nothing to do with modern mining.
#nspoli #cbpoli

Modern mining is a sophisticated, science-based activity that takes proper care of the environment. Nova Scotia mines are stringently regulated by the provincial and federal governments.
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Some people have questions about how we manage the environment, so below is information on some of the questions commonly raised.
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Reclamation Bonds - Before getting operating permits, companies must get government approval of reclamation plans and post reclamation bonds (money in escrow, basically) that ensure funds are available to properly take care of sites.
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Water Management - Mine operators are required by law to treat, strictly monitor and test water, and report back to the provincial Department of the Environment. Water is usually recycled on-site to reduce the overall amount that an operation draws from local sources.
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Water released back into a river or lake is usually cleaner after it has been used in a mine or quarry than it was beforehand.
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Groundwater - Uranium and arsenic occur in all #NovaScotia rock. They are unstable and often leach naturally into groundwater. It's important to test wells for them. Mining does not release uranium and arsenic or create a problem that did not already exist...
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...In fact, mines contain these materials in engineered facilities that protect water.
Mercury - Modern gold mines do not use mercury. It’s an obsolete method of processing that is harmful to the environment. Mercury has not been used in #NovaScotia since the early 1900s.
#nspoli

Watersheds – A watershed is an area where all water drains into a common water body. The term simply means a geographical area. All land is part of a watershed so virtually all human activities+infrastructure are in watersheds including homes, roads, schools and industrial sites.

Fixing past Problems - Modern mines even sometimes fix issues with historical sites by cleaning up tailings or stabilizing land that was left unusable by the pick and shovel mining of the distant past.
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For example, the Moose River #gold mine has cleaned up historical tailings in #MooseRiver and the #PointAconi mine reclamation project fixed subsidence issues caused by historical bootleg coal mining.
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