Kidd Creek facing charges of environment violations

Although it claims to be North America’s lowest sulphur dioxide emitter, Kidd Creek Mines is facing charges relating to alleged violations of the Environment Protection Act.

The charges follow a raid by officials from the Ontario Environment Ministry last February on Kidd Creek’s Timmins, Ont., area metallurgical site. After the raid, Kidd Creek was charged in August with 19 violations of the Environment Protection Act.

Kidd Creek lawyers were scheduled to appear in court on Aug 31, but the trial has been rescheduled for Feb 8, 1988.

The charges range from increasing sulphur dioxide emissions at the company’s 100,000-ton-per- year copper smelter complex to causing damage on property surrounding Kidd Creek’s Hoyle and Matheson twp. metallurgical site.

Rick Besner, an enforcement officer with the ministry’s Timmins office alleges that Kidd Creek attempted to increase production of blister copper at its metallurgical site by installing new equipment without obtaining a certificate of approval from the environment ministry.

After the new equipment was installed, he says sulphur dioxide emissions from the metallurgical site exceeded approved levels on nine separate occasions between January and December, 1986.

According to the environment ministry, nine charges were laid relating to high ground level concentrations of sulphur dioxide between September, 1985 and July, 1986.

These charges come nearly three years after Kidd Creek attempted to reduce the level of contaminants from its Timmins operations.

Following reports that almost half the total sulphur dioxide emissions in Canada come from non- ferrous smelters, Kidd Creek spent close to $1 million to build a smelter incorporating the latest in metallurgical and environmental technology.

In its 1984 annual report, the company says a double absorption acid plant at Kidd Creek’s copper smelter captures 99.6% of the sulphur gases released during the smelting process.

“We are the lowest emitter of sulphur dioxide in North America,” said Michael Amsden, vice- president and general manager Kidd Creek Mines.

“Unfortunately, in certain conditions we do exceed government regulations.”

Amsden said emissions are usually highest during the twice daily startup process after the smelter operation is closed down while heat boilers are checked for dust build- up.

Despite a recent hike in copper prices, Amsden said Kidd Creek won’t attempt to increase its copper production beyond the levels expected this year.

In 1986, Kidd Creek produced 112,310 tons of copper at its Timmins operation. Having reached 103,299 tons by the third quarter of 1987, the company is expecting a slight increase this year.

“We’ve expanded as far as we can go and the current blip in copper prices doesn’t justify cranking up the mill rate because we don’t know how long current copper prices will be sustained,” said Amsden.

If convicted of violating the environment protection act, Kidd Creek faces a maximum fine of $5,000 on each charge.