A local environmental group wants government to better monitor the former Afton Mine site, just south of Kamloops.

The Kamloops Area Preservation Association paid $4,000 to have a study done on water.

Hydrogeologist Dr. Kevin Morin did the report, and speaking with NL News, he says water quality in Peterson Creek is declining because of wasterock from the mine.

“The mine was right along Peterson Creek. In fact there was a mine road that went right along the edge of it, and I think mine road actually crossed through Peterson Creek. So we know the mine and some of the rock was dumped very close to the creek edge. But the massive amounts, when we’re talking about tens of millions of tons, that’s further back,” Morin says.

“That’s what mine roads are usually made of, is some of the wasterock. So they probably crushed the wasterock and put it right along Peterson Creek and may have put some right in Peterson Creek. And then the tens-of-millions of tons are about 60 metres, or more, back from the creek. But there’s still a connection with the creek that’s not visible there.”

Morin says the samples came from two sites that monitor effluent. He says the size and scale of how much is running into the creek is not clear.

“Under the permit requirement, there’s a sampling site upstream of the old mine site and one downstream of the old mine site. If you think about it, if you think about a creek flowing from upstream to downstream, if the upstream is okay and the downstream water is contaminated, then there has to be something going into the creek in between. For Peterson Creek, the only thing in between those two points is the old mine site.”

He says KGHM, the owner of the former Afton Mine that is proposing to revive plans for the Ajax gold and copper mine, is responsible for the legacy costs of monitoring effluent coming out of the wasterock.

But Morin says the permit for monitoring water quality is flawed, because it does not take groundwater into account, which he says is a result of antiquated parts of the Mining Act in regards to environmental protection.

“What people have done for the company, is looked at on-site concentrations and said ‘yes, those are contaminated. That’s bad water.’ Then they look at the creek and say ‘yes, I can (the effluent) is going downstream, but we see no water running over the surface, like a creek, from those contaminated locations. Therefore there’s no impact from the mine site.’ In reality, it’s a groundwater system. It’s connected from groundwater… it’s important to drill wells and monitor that.”

Furthermore, Morin says there’s an aquifer with drinking water underground at Peterson Creek, called the Peterson aquifer, which he calls an “environmental gem” that he says needs to be protected.