Grant: Engage Grants Program

Canadian companies are responsible for nearly half of mining activities worldwide, and mining operations areexpanding in Canada; creating jobs and revenue for the country and providing necessary resources for society.Two critical aspects of mining are the treatment and containment of mine tailings byproducts and theestablishment of natural ecosystems on previously mined lands. These goals can often be reachedsimultaneously with constructed wetlands, which remove contaminants from surface water while providingcritical habitat for wildlife. Our proposal addresses the three major knowledge gaps in mine tailings treatmentusing constructed wetlands. First, we will track mineral processing and treatment efficiency in a constructedwetland using remote-sensing, a developing technology that could be expanded to monitor mine tailingsfacilities on a regional scale. Second, we will elucidate the role of micro-eukaryotic communities in mediatingdetoxification of mine tailings effluent. This project will utilize DNA barcodes to identify species fromenvironmental samples in collaboration with the Barcode of Life Project. And finally, we propose to determineboth short and long-term toxic effects of waters leaving the mine tailings impoundment, a critical step forunderstanding the long-term impacts of mining activities on natural ecosystems.