Yukon mine in 2024 failure will discharge treated water in preparation for snow melt

WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government says the mine where a catastrophic storage failure in 2024 led to cyanide-soaked ore contaminating groundwater is now preparing to discharge some treated water in anticipation of the spring snowmelt.

The government says PricewaterhouseCoopers, the receiver of the Eagle Gold Mine near Mayo, has prepared ditches, culverts and pumping systems to divert the spring runoff away from water on-site that contains cyanide.

It says storage ponds at the site still have about 315,000 cubic metres of room and should be capable of handling the large influx of water that’s expected.

The mine suffered a catastrophic heap leach failure in June 2024, spilling about two million tonnes of cyanide-soaked ore, which then contaminated local groundwater.