Abandoned Mines
First off,
What is an abandoned mine and why should I care?
(Well, aside from the obvious reasons…)
Resource Spotlight
What happens when a mine owner walks away?
YCS has prepared this presentation about the financial aspects of mine abandonment which it has delivered to various communities in the Yukon.
Current Projects
The Yukon has far too many abandoned mines that require remediation and reclamation by various levels of government. YCS is actively involved in the environmental assessment and water licence applications associated with the following projects.
Faro Mine
The Faro mine site is an abandoned lead and zinc mine located 15 km north of the Town of Faro, Yukon Territory. It is currently managed by the Government of Yukon with funding from the Government of Canada.
Keno Complex
The Keno Mine cleanup encompasses a large number of abandoned mine shafts within and around the Keno City area. The mineral found in this area is Galena, a lead-silver oxide.
Tulsequah Chief
Tulsequah Chief Mine is located in British Columbia, approximately 100 km south-east of Atlin. It has been leaking contaminants into the Taku River for years.
Mt. Nansen Mine
Mount Nansen is an abandoned gold and silver mine west of Carmacks in the south-central Yukon.
Ketza River
Ketza River is an abandoned gold mine in the south-east Yukon.
Tom Adit
The Tom Adit is an old mine shaft on the North Canol Highway right at the NWT border.
Tungsten
The abandoned Tungsten Mine is in the Northwest Territories, at the end of the Nahanni Range Road. The status of the cleanup is uncertain.
Wolverine Mine
Wolverine Mine was a former zinc operation in the south-east Yukon.
Clinton Creek Mine
Clinton Creek is an abandoned asbestos mine downstream from Dawson City near the Alaskan Border. It is a Type II mine, and thus the Federal Government is responsible for paying for the care and maintenance and eventual closure. However, the Yukon Government branch of Assessment and Abandoned Mines does the actual on-the-ground work.
Take a Closer Look.
Faro Mine
The Faro mine site is an abandoned lead and zinc mine located 15 km north of the Town of Faro, Yukon Territory. It is currently managed by the Government of Yukon with funding from the Government of Canada. The Faro Mine Remediation Project team consists of the Canadian Federal, Yukon Territorial and the Kaska First Nations governments. They have been collaborating on the development of a remediation plan for the Faro mine site. Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada’s Northern Contaminated Sites Program is leading the development and finalization of the remediation plan. To learn more, visit CIRNAC’s Northern Contaminated Sites Program.
The cost of the Faro mine cleanup is estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars and to take at least four centuries.
Gallery
Faro Mine #1 (credit. Peter Mather)
Faro Mine #2 (credit. Peter Mather)
Faro Mine #3 (credit. Peter Mather)
Faro Mine #5 (credit. Peter Mather)
Faro Mine #6 (credit. Peter Mather)
Faro Mine #7 (credit. Peter Mather)
Rose Creek Downstream (May 2017)
Grum Pit, May 2015 (credit YCS/Lighthawk)
Rose Creek Downstream #2 (May 2017)
Vangorda Pit, May 2015 (credit YCS/Lighthawk)
Rose Creek Tailings Dam, May 2015 (credit YCS/Lighthawk)
Faro Water Sampling Locations
Faro Tailings Discharge 2017 - shows the Rose Creeks Tailing Area, the Intermediate Pond and Dam, the Cross Valley Pond and Dam, and then the down valley dam toe drain, which appears to be discharging brown water. This water enters Rose Creek downstream of the Faro Mine complex. It would appear contaminants from the Faro Mine complex are leaving the site and entering Rose Creek.
Faro Overflight August 2016 - This video shows the downstream portion of Rose Creek and proceeds upstream over the Cross Valley Pond and Dam, the Intermediate Pond and Dam, and concludes beyond the 4 km long Rose Creek Tailings Area.
The video Faro Overflight August 2015 shows what a small portion of it looks like.
Mt. Nansen Mine
Mount Nansen is an abandoned gold and silver mine west of Carmacks in the south-central Yukon. The Yukon Supreme Court has approved a clean-up program for this site, as reported by CBC North on May 17th, 2016.
Mt. Nansen has been a source of concern for many years. Here's an article from 2007 that outlines the environmental concerns back then - Mining watchdogs cheer Yukon court decision on BYG. The Yukon Supreme Court has published written reasons (on Jan 16, 2017) behind an order approving the process by which the Government will solicit proposals from qualified parties for remediation of the Mount Nansen mining property.
Gallery
Mt. Nansen Pit
Mt. Nansen Side-view
Mt. Nansen Processing Plant and Camp
Mt. Nansen Tailings Dam
The Tom Adit is an old mine shaft on the North Canol Highway right at the NWT border. Water leaking out of the adit (or shaft) is of concern due to contamination issues. To give a sense of how long the contamination has been going on, read the Hudson Bay Report 1999 by Burns and de Graff.
Gallery
Hudbay #1, Tom Adit, 2016 (credit. MG)
Hudbay #3, Tom Adit, 2016 (credit. MG)
Hudbay #2, Tom Adit, 2016 (credit. MG.
Hudbay #4, Tom Adit, 2016 (credit. MG)
Hudbay #5, Tom Adit, 2016 (credit. MG)
Ketza River is an abandoned gold mine in the south-east Yukon. As explained in this CBC article, Yukon is using security money for care and maintenance, cleanup cost will fall to federal government.
The Yukon Government has a background page on its website.
Wolverine Mine
Key Documents
[PDF] Press Release: Wolverine Mine Not Meeting Licensing Conditions
Yukon Conservation Society
[Media] Yukon Zinc Corp. sold, January 11th, 2019
Yukon News
[Media] Yukon mine sold, January 11th, 2019
CKRW Radio
[Media] Yukon gov't setting up water treatment for Wolverine Mine, despite not talking to new owner, January 11th, 2019
CBC North
[Media] New mine owner sought low-profile transaction, January 7th, 2019
Whitehorse Star
[Media] Yukon Zinc pleads guilty to Quartz Mining Act charges, May 31st, 2018
Yukon News
[Media] Will Yukon Zinc’s Wolverine mine ever reopen? June 13th, 2016
Yukon News
Wolverine Mine was a former zinc operation in the south-east Yukon that is currently in a state of temporary closure. The Yukon Conservation Society is concerned over the situation developing at this site. YCS issued a press release Wolverine Not Meeting Its Licensing Conditions on January 8th 2019 outlining some of our concerns.
Other Mining Initiatives
