The Government of Yukon has provided an update on the ongoing response to the heap leach failure at Victoria Gold’s Eagle Gold Mine. Efforts remain focused on safeguarding the environment and human health, with priority given to water management and site stability.
Ongoing Environmental Protection Measures
Work continues in four critical areas: contaminated water storage, water treatment, groundwater monitoring, and heap stability. A key development has been the construction of a safety berm across the slide area, enabling the installation of groundwater monitoring wells to intercept and treat contaminated water. Last week, an additional lined storage pond was completed to boost water storage capacity, and another pond is scheduled for completion soon.
Water Quality Monitoring Shows Cyanide Levels Under Control
From September 6 to 12, water monitoring in Haggart Creek detected low to “non-detect” levels of cyanide, with all measurements falling below the guideline thresholds for protecting aquatic life. Despite these encouraging results, officials are treating the situation as dynamic, and ongoing downstream water monitoring will continue to assess any changes.
Eighteen new groundwater wells have been installed at the mine site, and early results from some wells—particularly those closest to the slide and Dublin Gulch—show higher levels of cyanide, as expected. These findings are informing further plans for groundwater treatment and helping experts understand how contamination may travel through the area.
Fish Migration Protected
To prevent disruption to local fish populations, fish fences have been installed along Haggart Creek to stop fish from entering areas adjacent to the mine site. Experts from the Government of Yukon, the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are working together to ensure that the fall migration patterns of fish remain undisturbed. There have been no new reports of fish die-offs in the creek.
The Yukon government will continue to provide updates as more data becomes available and response plans evolve.
