Ajax mine proponents release 3D video of plans
KGHM Ajax has released online here a presentation that it says shows, in 3D graphics, how its proposed copper and gold mine south of Aberdeen will affect the landscape from various points in Kamloops.
The video simulation shows views of the mine's north and east dump hills, once Ajax is in operation, from six locations in Kamloops: Knutsford Hill Road, Coach Hill, Aberdeen elementary, Dufferin, Pineview and Batchelor Heights.
The video's narrator states: "Mitigation of the project's visual impact is a major priority for KGHM Ajax."
As the video begins, the narrator states KGHM Ajax is proposing to open a mine "located in the historic Ajax mining camp on the southern extremity of the City of Kamloops."
The accompanying graphic map shows "Kamloops" as being a good distance from the mine site, with the marker showing "Kamloops" being where the city's downtown core lies.
The graphic map does show the City of Kamloops boundary adjacent to the proposed mine site.
The narrator states access to the mine will be via the old Afton Mine haul road, with phase one in year one of a planned 23-year operation including development of access roads and a main power line, a water system from Kamloops Lake, construction of all surface buildings, the concentrator and tailings-plant sites and the start-up of open-pit operations and waste dumps.
The narrator says that, after year 23, reclamation of the site will begin, "while Jacko Lake remains a productive recreational fishing lake throughout the life of the mine."
The proposed mine is in the midst of the environmental-assessment process, with the public-comment period ending last month.
If approved, the mine is expected to produce 109 million pounds of copper and 99,000 ounces of gold annually over its 23-year life, with 350 full-time jobs anticipated.
Public concerns are many and include dust, noise, reverberations from blasting, increased truck traffic, pollution from the chemical make-up in the dust, property values and impact on the water table in Aberdeen.
Those wishing to ask questions of Ajax mine proponents can do so by contacting the company's community office at 330 Seymour St, Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by calling 250-374-5446.
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