Snowmelt means untreated water being discharged from Yukon’s Eagle Gold mine site

Government says the water doesn’t contain cyanide, but does have sediment and metals

The Yukon government says the spring snowmelt means a “large amount” of extra water is being managed at the site of the Eagle Gold mine near Mayo.

An update from the government says the receiver in charge of the cleanup is discharging some untreated water from the site that contains sediments and metals that “may exceed regulatory levels.”

The statement says that’s being done to ensure water storage ponds at the site do not overflow.

The government says the water is meltwater that has come into contact with the open pit and waste rock storage areas at the mine site but it does not contain cyanide. The government says the risk from the sediment is being mitigated by filtering the surface water as it is being discharged through hay bales and other agents that attract particles and make them easier to remove.