An arial view of the aftermath of a landslide at the heap leach facility at the Eagle Gold Mine. Photo Courtesy of Yukon Government.
Whitehorse, YT – The Yukon Government says urgent work is underway at the Eagle Gold Mine to manage spring freshet risks including the potential release of cyanide-contaminated water.
Officials say Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), Victoria Gold’s court-appointed receiver, and contractors are constructing ditches, pipelines and two new storage ponds to divert meltwater and hold contaminated water until it can be treated.
Together, the new ponds will add capacity for more than 200,000 cubic meters of water – equivalent to 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The announcement follows an inspectors direction issued in December 2024 that ordered two new water management plans for the Eagle site, including one focused on spring melt. In November, the site was storing more than 750 million litres of cyanide-contaminated water with spring melt expected to contribute another 500 million litres.
Snowpack at the site is currently average, though melting speed will depend on weather in the coming weeks.
