In a written update, the Yukon government says testing at Dublin Gulch beneath the Eagle Gold Mine landslide also shows metals such as cobalt, copper, mercury, nickel, silver and selenium in groundwater.
Although the government says the form of mercury found in groundwater “has a low potential to accumulate in the tissues of fish and wildlife,” it says testing shows additional measures are needed to protect the environment near the mine.
These protections include several groundwater interception wells planned under a safety berm that is now 30% complete, and the release states that work on three of the wells has already begun.
The failure of the ore containment facility in June caused the release of millions of tonnes of cyanide-contaminated rock.
Mine owner Victoria Gold is in receivership, but the Yukon government says it is in regular communication with the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation downstream and that current mercury levels in nearby Haggart Creek “do not present increased risk” for the health of residents.
Swiss
