Britannia Contaminated Sites Investigation Stage I Preliminary Site ...

� Untitled map showing mine claims, Britannia Beach No. 1 Mill and a portion of No. 2
Mill (1915),
� Plan of Britannia Beach Howe Sound Showing Domestic Water Supply (May 31, 1926),
� Britannia Beach, Anaconda Britannia Mines, (1971, revised 1986), and
� Untitled map showing Britannia Beach and No. 3 Mill (undated);
• Insurance Advisory Organization (IAO) fire insurance maps:
� Britannia Beach, Mt. Sheer Townsite, Tunnel Mine (2200 portal), Victoria Camp, Beta
Camp, Barbara Camp, Empress Camp, and Head of Incline, dated 1923 (revised 1937),
and
� Britannia Beach, Mt. Sheer Townshite, Tunnel Mine (2200 portal) and Halfway Town,
1945;
� British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines (BCMEM) annual reports from 1900
through 1971-73. (BCMEM was originally the BC Ministry of Mines, then the BC Ministry
of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources; followed by the BC Ministry of Employment and
Investment. For purposes of this report, the term, BCMEM, refers to the Ministry throughout
its existence.);
• Reports of previous environmental investigations at Britannia Mine. A number of reports
document previous investigations, however, most do not contain useful information with
respect to the history of activities and structures at the various Britannia Mine sites. Of
particular usefulness were reports documenting a reconnaissance study of acid mine drainage,
prepared for the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources by Price, Schwab and
Hutt in 1995, and a site hazard assessment prepared by Dillon Consulting Ltd, for the B.C.
Museum of Mining;
• Books on the history of Britannia Mine; and
• Interviews with persons having knowledge of the history of Britannia Mine.
A list of references is included in Section 11.0 of this report.
3.1 SUMMARY OF HISTORY
Based on the review of historical information, a general chronological history of the Britannia
Mine, and specific historical summaries for the areas described in Section 2.1 are presented
below.
Britannia Contaminated Site Investigation
Stage I Preliminary Site Investigation
Project No. 50319-001-310 5