Engineering firm currently responsible for failed Canadian tailings dam also designed Rosemont’s tailings dump

The engineering firm that is currently responsible for the design of the failed Mount Polley tailings dam in British Columbia is also the lead engineer for the proposed Rosemont mine’s dry stack tailings dump.

The Vancouver Sun reported earlier this week that AMEC Earth and Environmental took over as lead engineer for the Mount Polley facility in March 2011. AMEC has been the lead engineering firm for Rosemont’s mine tailings waste dump since at least 2007 when the Mine Plan of Operations was submitted to the U.S. Forest Service.

AMEC is one of world’s largest environmental engineering firms with more than 27,000 employees operating in more then 40 countries.

Rosemontminetruth.com reported on August 7 that Knight Piesold, Ltd. was the original designer of the Mount Polley tailings dam and that Knight Piesold has also worked as a subcontractor for AMEC on the Rosemont tailings design. The next day, Knight Piesold issued a statement that it had severed ties with Mount Polley in 2011.

AMEC’s role as the current engineer at Mount Polley and also the lead designer of what would become the world’s largest dry stack tailings facility at Rosemont is expected to raise questions about the safety of the Rosemont design.

The Arizona Game & Fish Department has raised concerns that the dry stack tailings will leach toxic metals for the next 500 years into Davidson Canyon Wash and Cienega Creek, both of which are classified as Outstanding Arizona Waters that are protected by state and federal law from being degraded.

Last week’s failure of the earthen dam at Mount Polley released billions of liters of mine tailings into nearby creeks, lakes and rivers in the Cariboo region of British Columbia, CBC News is reporting. British Columbia environmental officials are stating the release of the tailings water is not expected to have a negative impact on water quality or fish, but local First Nations tribes are distrustful of the government assessment, the CBC reports.