New Gold tailings deemed structurally sound

A gold mine near Kamloops reopened underground yesterday after an inspection of its tailings storage.

New Afton, located west of Kamloops, shut down underground mining on Aug. 9 after "geotechnical variances" were found in the tailings storage facility during a routine inspection.

New Gold Inc. kept milling operations open, but employees and contractors underground stopped working out of concern for their safety, and it also notified mining regulators, according to a news release.

An engineer reviewed the inspection and found the tailings storage facility was structurally sound and its "behaviour is normal and expected," according to a company news release.

Work resumed yesterday evening, Aug. 10.

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