Two townships on the North Shore Corridor have received assurances remediation work will be carried out at the Agnew Lake Tailings Management Area.
Baldwin and Nairn & Hyman townships both get their water from Lake Agnew but there is concerns that the closed tailings site has been leaching into the water table, according to Nairn CAO Clerk Belinda Ketchabaw.
She says the province has provided written confirmation Wednesday that niobium rock tailings from the former Beaucage Mine near Nipissing First Nation will not be transported or deposited at the Agnew Lake Tailings Management Area.
Instead, she says the ministry has reassured them that will move forward with an alternative remediation plan that uses clean materials to repair and mitigate the Agnew Lake site.
She adds preparations are already underway, with major remediation work scheduled to begin next summer.
Ketchabaw says plans include repairs with clean rockfill, dam safety reviews, engineering design work, and additional monitoring and maintenance measures, adding this is a significant decision that will protect our environment and drinking water.