WHITEHORSE, YT – In their latest update on the situation at the Eagle Gold mine, the Yukon Government says remediation work on site is finally progressing in a timely fashion.
The government notes, all of the Mine Inspectors’ directions issued prior PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. being brought on as Receiver have now either been completed, or are underway. The completion of the groundwater interception system is the last outstanding direction remaining, but with the mine’s safety berm now complete, work on the interception wells is expected to progress rapidly below the slide area. The mines water treatment plant is expected to be ready by mid-November.
The independent review of the incident has also begun, and the government says past and current employees of Victoria Gold are now receiving supports.
Meanwhile, water quality testing at the site has shown contamination in the watershed up to 3 kilometers downstream of the mine, and levels of mercury, cyanide and cobalt that all exceed water quality guidelines.
While the Government is adamant the contamination does not pose an elevated risk to humans downstream of the mine, they say the levels detected have the potential for adverse affects on aquatic life, prompting a commitment to additional monitoring to better understand the risks and impacts.
