Canadian politicians from the Premier down are attempting to minimize the incident, but the spill of toxic mining waste from a tailing pond failure is no less an environmental disaster. Imperial Metals' Mount Polley Mine suffered a tailing pond failure (not a breach according to the company) during the night of August 4th that released 5 million m³ of contaminated water into Hazeltine Creek and from there into Quesnel Lake [photo]. The mine is an open pit copper and gold operation in south central British Columbia. The area is sparsely populated, but its natural beauty is enjoyed by recreational users. Campers near the area have been evacuated and there are no reports of injuries. A water advisory is in place. Spilled waste water failed health guidelines for both humans and wildlife.Imperial Metals is building a temporary dike to stop the waste flow from the 4km long pond. The company is also pumping water out of the Polley Lake into two open pits on its property. The cause of the breach is not yet known, but the company was warned previously by experts who designed the containment system in February, 2011 that the tailing pond was becoming dangerously large. Mining is a key plank of Canadian Premier Chris Clark's exploitation based political platform. Imperial's new Red Chris copper-gold mine in the remote northwest is slated to be open later this year. The Mount Polley disaster has given pause to First Nation leaders about control of mine wastes. Imperial must sign an impact agreement with the Tahltan Central Council for the Red Chris mine. A recent Canadian Supreme Court decision concerning aboriginal title to land has strengthen First Nation's position in negotiations with government and industry over land use. The Tsilhqot'in decision says any consultation with First Nations over development must end in aboriginal consent.