A proposed placer mine in the west of Whitehorse is prompting concerns about impacts on drinking water quality from area residents.
The project, set to mine on Stony Creek northeast of the Mendenhall subdivision, is set to be a Class 4 placer mine on 11 claims. Proposed for the project are seasonal mining activities for the next 10 years, creek diversion, fords and a camp for up to 12 people.
The mine is currently under assessment from the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB). Once YESAB issues its recommendation, the territorial government and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) will be the decision bodies ruling on whether the project should be allowed to proceed.
Ahead of its recommendation, YESAB received numerous comments. They came from people who draw water from the creek, organizations interested in it as salmon habitat and various levels of government.
In her comment to YESAB, Kathryn Brewster states that her family has used the creek for drinking water since the 1980s.
“Our community water treatment plant barely meets the maximum acceptable concentration for uranium and other heavy metals/contaminants as per the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines,” the published comment reads.
“Many of us would be forced to haul our drinking water from Whitehorse if this project goes ahead.”
Brewster’s was far from the only comment left by residents of the area who say they rely on the creek for water. Comments spoke about the water’s quality and year-round accessibility. They also raised concerns about the number of fords proposed to allow crossing of the creek.
In its submissions, DFO finds it evident that Stony Creek is used by the public, including First Nations citizens and the public as a source of water.
There was also interest in the stream’s use for salmon spawning. The Kwanlin Dün First Nation opposes the project based on evidence that the creek is salmon habitat. Its submission refers to information from Troy Friday, a KDFN citizen, who states that has caught Chinook Salmon fry from the creek in a bucket and released them.
KDFN’s submission states that if it is approved, the placer mine would be the third operating on the creek. The submission expresses concern about cumulative effects.
Champage Aishihik First Nation requested more information, including how much water is drawn from the creek for agriculture in the area and whether there is riparian habitat that could be impacted by the mining. The First Nation also asks in its submission why a smaller project to assess the resource is not being pursued before jumping to a Class 4 operation, the largest class of placer mine the Yukon sanctions.
The Yukon Conservation Society also turned in a submission. It calls the area a clear biological and wildlife hotspot and notes other human uses such as a nearby gravel pit. It asks YESAB to pause its review of the project until a local area plan is created.
Richard Brais, who works two placer claims on Stony Creek, wrote a letter to YESAB saying that he welcomes the new miner. In the letter he also states that he experienced harassment, boulders placed on access trials and damaged equipment.
The mine proponent, identified as Willy Driedger from Alberta, didn’t return a request for comment from the News, but the YESAB file includes responses to questions about the project’s design. Detailed among the replies and project documents are the use of settling ponds for settlement control and a water recycling system that will return water from these ponds to the sluice.
Driedger also pledges to create a local access point between two of the claims and access trail allowing people to draw water.
“This will ensure that uninterrupted access to a clean source of drinking water is made available to all users during the mining season. Subsequently the discharge of water from the settling ponds will be monitored and will remain within the acceptable environmental requirements. This will also ensure that the current withdrawal points remain in place for all users,” a portion of the proponent’s submission reads.
Submissions also detail precautions to be taken against the spilling of fuels and how mining activities will be planned to limit the number of creek crossings that must be made. The submissions confirm that roads and trails in use by others in the area will not be reclaimed at the end of the project.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com