[Goldcorp’s Timmins] Site rehab near completion – by Chris Ribau (Timmins Daily Press – November 3, 2011)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Goldcorp officials provide update on reclamation project

Life has returned to the Hollinger tailings area. A black bear and two cubs were seen roaming a grassy area that used to resemble a lunar landscape only 18 months ago.

Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines announced on Wednesday that Phase 2 of the Hollinger Tailings Management Area Rehabilitation Project will be completed by the end of November.

Phase 1 of the project began in 2009 and has been a high priority for the company given the acid-generating nature of the tailings.

Phase 2 of the project has focused on relocating all remaining tailings from private lands onto the Goldcorp’s Hollinger tailings facility, the final cleanup and chemical stabilization treatment of the McIntyre Concentration Dump, constructing a 1,100-metre drainage channel, completing work on the Hollinger (Gillies) Tailing Pond slopes and installing shoreline erosion protection.

“The realization of this project is the result of a tremendous team effort,” said László Götz, Goldcorp’s environment manager. “I am proud to be part of a process which demonstrates Goldcorp’s commitment to environmental stewardship.”

Marc Lauzier, mine general manager, added, “The rehabilitation of the Hollinger Tailings Management Area reinforces Goldcorp’s commitment to growing our partnerships and improving the quality of our historic mine properties and landscapes in the Timmins area.”

The entire site was divided into six areas due to several problems with contamination.

“In Phase 1, we looked after everything that was downstream of Gillies tailings pond,” said Roger Taillefer, project superintendent. “We made sure to get rid of all the tailings on private land, which we brought back on site and covered all these areas over. You can see the vegetation is back.

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