More toxic water leaks into nearby creek from Yukon's Eagle mine site

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 9:45 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

There's been different leak of cyanide-contaminated h2o from the troubled Eagle Gold excavation tract successful cardinal Yukon.

In a study this week to the Yukon Water Board, the receiver liable for the site, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), said a leak was detected connected Feb. 17 in a pipeline that connects a power pond to the on-site h2o attraction plant.

An estimated 150,000 litres of toxic h2o made its mode to adjacent Haggart Creek implicit a mates of days, the study states.

It says the origin was identified arsenic a "failed weld" successful the pipeline. The pipeline was repaired and a impermanent berm was installed downstream from the leak.

In a quality merchandise connected Wednesday, the territorial authorities said that regular water-quality tests connected Haggart Creek showed elevated cyanide, cobalt, copper and nitrite levels connected Feb. 17 and Feb. 18, earlier returning to erstwhile levels "within 2 days."

"Despite the abbreviated play of elevated contamination, immoderate level of cyanide supra the British Columbia acute aquatic beingness guidelines tin person harmful effects connected fish," the merchandise states.

The leak follows a overmuch larger 1 reported by the territory earlier this winter, successful which astir 19 cardinal litres of toxic h2o escaped from a containment pond astatine the excavation tract and leaked implicit respective weeks — adding to ongoing contamination from June's catastrophic heap leach failure. 

The territorial authorities besides said this week that PwC had finished gathering a colony pond at the excavation site, which is the past portion of the on-site h2o attraction process and represents a "significant milestone."

The authorities says archetypal h2o investigating connected tract suggests the process is "functioning arsenic expected."