Coldstream Copper Mine
Coldstream Copper Mine, sometimes called the North Coldstream Copper Mine, or the Coldstream Mine, or North Coldstream Mine is a decommissioned former copper, silver and gold mine adjacent to Burchell Lake, Ontario 11km south of Kashabowie, in Northern Ontario, Canada. The mine produced $28 million worth of metals, mostly copper but also silver and gold. Production started in 1957 and ceased in 1967, leaving 2.2 million tons of tailings on site. Location. The mine is located at the end of a small road off of Ontario Highway 802 11 kilometers south of Kashabowie. Adjacent to  the mine is the ghost town of Burchell Lake. As of 1961 the site included 81 mineral claims including those that were previously held by the former Tip Top Mine. History. Mining operations. Copper was first discovered in 1870, and 6,000 tonnes of ore were extracted during World War One. Between 1951 and 1957 Coldstream Copper Mines Ltd. undertook exploration of the site, starting production in 1957. The 1,000 tons per day concentrator was built in 1959. By 1961 four shafts had been sunk, 3 vertically and one at 80° at depths of 20, 50, 200, and 1,596 feet . Production paused in 1958. Between 1960 and 1967 the mine produced 2.5 million tons of ore that was 1.97% copper and which produces silver at 0.22 ounces per ton and gold at 0.012 ounces per ton. In 1961 the mine employed 92 staff underground, and 102 staff on the surface. The mine was managed by L. R. Redford who organized the construction of Burchell Lake township to accommodate the staff. The housing included 11 log homes for management, plus 24 bungalows and 17 mobile homes for staff. The town, which accommodated 400 residents in its peak, also had four bunkhouses , a gas station, an ice rink, a general store, a pump house, and a two-room school. The mine closed in 1967, leaving 2.7 million tonnes of sulfide tailings on site in two locations. In the years it was operation, the mine produced $28 million worth of copper, silver and gold. Activities restarted in 1990, but did not find underground resources worth extracting. Corporate ownership. Coldsteam Copper Mines Ltd became incorporated in November 1951, in August 1959 the company changed its name to North Coldsteam Mines Limited. Their registered office was 44 King Street West, Toronto. At that time  the president was W. S. Row, the board secretary and treasurer was R. D. Stewart. the assistant secretary and treasurer was B. C. Bone, other directors were E. T. Donaldson, L. J. Moreaux, R. V. Porritt, H. L. Roscoe, N. C. Urquhart, and R. D. Stewart. In 1968 the mining rights were sold to Nelson Machinery. In 1971 North Coldstream Mines changed its name to Coldstream Mines, before going into receivership in 1976. In 1977 International Mogul bought the mining rights from Nelson Machinery, which transferred to Conwest due to corporate mergers. Nelson Machinery went into receivership in 1991. Between  1992 and 1995 the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines ordered Nelson Machinery and Conwest to submit closure plans. After a court challenge to this, the Office of the Mining & Lands Commissioner rules that Nelson Machinery was responsible for the rehabilitation of the buildings and Conwest was responsible for the tailings and mines. Buildings. The mine building and above ground structures were demolished in 2000 by the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, drawing from their Abandoned Mines Fund. Storage of tailings. Locations. Initially the tailings were discharged into a natural valley. The valley was filled after the  discharge of 2.2 million tons of sulphide tailings, which are now held in place behind a dam, using natural rock and tailings. This area is referred to as "tailings management area one". After the valley was filled, the Ontario Department of Lands and Forest permitted the mine owners to deposit tailings into a local body of water known as Halet Lake. This are is referred to as "tailings management area two". Approximately half a million tons of sulphide tailings were dumped into Halet Lake, covering the bottom of the lake with tailings and creating three hectares of beaches. Environmental impact . Tailings management area two generated acids and metal contamination in Halet Lake, which then flowed downstream into Background Lake and then on to Wawiag River and into Burchell Lake. Between 1998 and 2000, the 4,000 tons of tailings, representing a majority of what was on the beach, were submerged into Halet Lake in order to reduce oxidization and associated pollution. After analysis by Golder Associates, a temporary dam was constructed to stop downstream pollution. Because some of the tailings were submerged by less than two meters, their protection from air oxidization relies on water levels being high, which is reliant  on the presence of a beaver dam. Ownership. The site was owned by AEC West Limited (the successor of Conwest Exploration Company Limited) and later fell under the management of Ovtintiv subsidiary EWL Management Limited. Environmental legacy. In 2015 the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario criticized the provisional government for the lack of finances assurances from owner of the mine.