During the week of June 16, 2025, new aerial drone footage was captured over key areas of the Mount Polley mine site, offering a wide-angle view of the remediation work. Capturing this drone footage is part of our ongoing efforts to document and share the progress of remediation and land recovery at Mount Polley. The images provide a clear visual of how the site has recovered and the scale of the restoration work to date.
This footage highlights several areas that have been the focus of long-term remediation, including Hazeltine Creek, Edney Creek, and the Quesnel Lake shoreline. From above, viewers can see the success in reshaping and stabilizing the landscape, the growth of native vegetation, and the re-establishment of key ecological features.
Since the 2014 tailings storage facility breach, Mount Polley has focused on environmental restoration through collaboration with valued partners. Some of the milestones in this work include:
- More than 600,000 native trees and shrubs planted along riparian and upland areas
- Over 6 kilometres of fish habitat constructed in Hazeltine Creek
- Reconnection of Edney Creek to Quesnel Lake, now supporting fish passage
- Restoration of shoreline areas along Quesnel Lake, including the placement of fish spawning gravels
This work is part of a broader, multi-year effort by environmental experts, government regulators and Indigenous partners. In 2024, Mount Polley was honoured to host a site tour for Elders from Williams Lake First Nation, offering the opportunity to walk through key remediated areas of Hazeltine and Edney Creeks and see the restoration progress firsthand. The tour provided space for reflection and discussion and was an important moment of transparency and continued partnership.
The drone photos featured here highlight these same areas, showing the restored waterways and surrounding landscape from above.
In recognition of these efforts, in 2023 Mount Polley and members of its Habitat Remediation Working Group received the Jake McDonald Annual Reclamation Award from the BC Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation. This award highlights the high standard of environmental restoration, research, and collaboration demonstrated throughout the site’s recovery process.
These images illustrate restoration work completed and the habitat recovery at and around Hazeltine Creek. Mount Polley remains focused on responsible mine operations and continued environmental stewardship, supported by collaboration with our community and Indigenous partners.