The Yukon government and the receiver in charge of the Eagle Gold Mine are monitoring one of the contaminated water storage ponds, recently excavated on the mine site, over concerns it may be leaking.
According to a Jan. 3 update on its response to the situation at the mine, which has been out of production since a June 2024 landslide breached its heap leach facility, the Yukon government states that it was informed about the possible leak on Dec. 28, 2024. That information came from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the receiver that a court placed in charge of the mine to oversee clean-up from the landslide.
In the Jan. 3 update, the territorial government describes “irregularities in storage pond volumes” and says that its regulatory and enforcement agencies are on the lookout for impacts to nearby Haggart Creek. An investigation into the cause of the change in water volume is ongoing and the water in the pond is being diluted in hopes of reducing its toxicity. The government states that it is working with technical teams from the receiver and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun on the matter.
The government says more work is needed to see if settling and freezing are causing the volume change or if a leak is present. The Jan. 3 update states that winter conditions and the settling of the newly-constructed pond make measuring the volume less precise.
It is also noted in the update that water levels at the site are “at a critical level” and more storage in the pond is necessary to prevent overflows. The Yukon Water Board approved the discharge of partially treated water from the site. Yukon government Energy, Mines and Resources spokesperson Patti Flather informed the News that no such discharges have taken place so far. Per the government’s Jan. 3 update, the amended license specifies that the partially treated water will have higher levels of copper, particulate solids and cyanide than were previously allowed. The newly allowed levels remain consistent with federal standards aimed at protecting fish, according to the government.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com
