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HATCH ACRES

HATCH ACRES. MEADOWBANK GOLD PROJECT REVIEW OF CUMBERLAND’S FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (FEIS) Submission to Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) For Final Hearings – March 27-31, 2006 Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Presented by

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HATCH ACRES

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  1. HATCH ACRES MEADOWBANK GOLD PROJECT REVIEW OF CUMBERLAND’S FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (FEIS) Submission to Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) For Final Hearings – March 27-31, 2006 Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Presented by RAMLI HALIM, P. Eng

  2. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Hatch Acres Review • An Independent Consultant • Retained by Nunavut Impact Review Board • Part of Hatch Group of Companies • Reviewed Cumberland’s DEIS - submitted January 2005 • Participated in Technical Meetings and Pre-hearing Conference related to DEIS in June 2005

  3. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Technical Review – Area of Concentrations • Geotechnical • Geo-environment On Four (4) Technical Topics • Project Alternatives • Water Quality • Water Quantity • Permafrost • Others – Access Road, Closure & Reclamation

  4. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Review work includes: • Recent discussions with Cumberland and their technical team (Golder/Azimuth): • Golder’s response to Hatch Acres IR (Febr 9, 2006) • Additional queries by Hatch Acres via e-mail (March 1,2006) • Responses by Golder and Azimuth (March 7, 2006) • Teleconference with Golder (March 21, 2006) • Golder’s Telecon Summary Report (March 27, 2006) • Other relevant information on responses by other parties’ IRs

  5. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Critical Issues requiring discussion: • Climatic Change • Capping of Vault Rock Disposal Area • Mine Effluent Discharge • Open Pit Mine and Quantities • Design Approach for the Water Quality and Quantities Prediction

  6. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Climatic Change: • INAC Precautionary Principle Report (BGC, 2003) • Its effects include the permafrost, active depths, thermal modeling, cover for waste rock disposal areas • Cumberland’s design: increase of 5.5 deg. C over 100 year, no change afterwards. • Cumberland commitments for proactive management approach • An on-going issue

  7. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Capping of Vault Waste Rock: • Rock Geochemistry – some uncertain and PAG rock in IV rock • No plan to cap the waste rock with non PAG material • To ensure no long term effect, Cumberland needs to develop comprehensive strategy, including: • Identifying PAG/uncertain and non-PAG rock • Methodology on how to segregate PAG/uncertain and non-PAG IV rock • Develop plans on how to blend materials • Left option open for other alternatives, including capping the stockpile

  8. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Mine Effluent Discharge: • Cumberland position to meet MMER • Water quality predictions indicate no exceedance on MMER guidelines, but exceedances of some constituent above CEQG • No date for breaching of the dikes • No dates, under best and worst scenarios, when Cumberland intends to “walk away” from the mine • Cumberland needs to confirm that a comprehensive strategy is available to meet the conditions in the receiving environment

  9. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Open Pit Mine – Size and Quantities: • Mine Plan changed since DEIS • Prefeasibility studies carried out by AMEC • Pit design and blast design were developed to account for the specific geological conditions • Current rock quantities produced to reflect the size of the waste rock and tailings disposal areas • In recent discussion with Golder, it was confirmed that the Prefeasibility studies by AMEC took into account any changes on the mine design and development. Studies were revised in 2005 to account for these changes

  10. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Design Approaches for Water Quality/ Quantity Predictions: • Selected designs were not always conservative • Predictions will require verification during the mine operation • Cumberland needs to have a strategy to test the predictions as the mine operation progresses: • Proper monitoring to verify prediction • Proactive plan to “correct” or mitigate unexpected results • Have other available alternatives

  11. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Stormwater Dike: • Location changed from info in the DEIS • New location: • No drilling was undertaken – no info on subsurface condition • located in the middle of the basin, instead of the shallow between the two basins within the Second Portage Arm • Critical in year 1-3 • No need to have a final design, but requires a preliminary design, typical sections, etc • This information was provided following recent discussion with Golder

  12. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Other Minor Issues: • Related to Project Alternatives • Related to Water Quality • Related to Water Quantity • Related to Permafrost • Related to Access Road • Related to Dams, Dikes and Infrastructures • Related to Closure and Reclamation Plan Hatch Acres is satisfied with responses provided by Cumberland and their technical team

  13. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Conclusion: • Nature of the rock associated with gold mines – potential for ARD. • To overcome long term environmental problem: • Perfect solution may be uneconomical or unattainable • need to manage, mitigate, through early detection, monitoring and further studies. • General contents of the FEIS – some details need to be included in Main document • Issues require solving through Proactive Management Plan have been presented

  14. Meadowbank Gold Project, NUCumberland’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)Public Hearings – March 27 to 31, 2006 Thank you Any Questions?

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