Officials in Yukon say they believe about 19 million litres of cyanide-contaminated water leaked from a containment pond at the site of a mining disaster last year before the problem was spotted and the water diluted.
Erin Dowd, director of technical services for the Mines Ministry, says the cyanide-contaminated water from the pond at the Eagle Gold mine was diluted to reduce its toxicity when it was discovered at the end of December and there is no timeline for when the pond could be repaired.
She said crews on the ground have to wait for the pond to be drained and ice removed before any repairs can happen, and in the meantime the receiver in charge of managing the site has begun constructing an interception system in the area to collect groundwater, should that be necessary.
Tyler Williams, a water resources scientist, told a government technical briefing that recent test results show contaminated water is now flowing into nearby Haggart Creek with levels of cyanide, cobalt, chloride and nickel that have been above guidelines since mid-January.
Crews continue to release daily amounts of copper-contaminated water ahead of the upcoming spring snow melt which the government has said the receiver believes is “critical” to prevent cyanide-tainted water from leaking out in an uncontrolled way.
The mining operation was shut last year and the operator, Victoria Gold Corp., was put into receivership after millions of tonnes of cyanide-contaminated rocks spilled from a containment facility at the mine, located about 480 kilometres north of Whitehorse.
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