Falco faces effluent charge

Falconbridge‘s (FL-T) Kidd Creek operation has been charged by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment with one count of allegedly discharging concentrations of zinc and copper effluent into Three Nations Creek, a water course near Timmins, Ont. The maximum fine, if convicted, is $10 million.

It is alleged that effluent discharged in April 2001 likely had an adverse effect on the creek, a violation of the Ontario Water Resources Act.

"If we can prove that there was an adverse effect as a result of the discharge then the maximum penalty they would face would be $10 million," says Mark Rabbior, a spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

Under Ontario law, companies must report any spills or runoff that has gone off-site.

The Kidd Creek metallurgical plant smelts and refines ore from various company mines. The effluent from the plant is treated in a series of ponds prior to being discharged into the receiving steams, including Three Nations Creek.

The first court date is scheduled for mid-April in the Ontario Court of Justice in Timmins.

In 2000, Falconbridge was convicted on four counts of discharging concentrations of zinc and copper effluent into a creek and paid a fine of $4,000 on each count for a total of $16,000. If Falco, had not been convicted of a previous offence, the maximum fine would have been $250,000.

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