WHITEHORSE, YT – The Yukon Government has announced a suspected leak at the tailings storage facility of the Abandoned Wolverine mine, located on Kaska lands about halfway between Watson lake and Ross River.
In response, enhanced environmental monitoring is now underway at the mine site to determine next steps, and the Ross River Dena Council and the Liard First Nation have been notified.
The government says, elevated levels of zinc, cadmium, selenium and cyanide, had been detected in discharge pipes beneath the tailings facility.
Zinc levels exceed the federal regulations for Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent, but water samples from November 6th had passed acute toxicity tests, indicating no immediate harm to human or aquatic life.
A 2 year water treatment campaign is set to begin at the former Wolverine Mine in the spring of 2025.
The underground Mine was operated by Yukon Zinc Corp until it was abandoned in 2015, forcing the Yukon Government to step in and take charge of site remediation.
