(Whitehorse, Yukon) The Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) is deeply concerned about the recent landslide at Victoria Gold's Eagle mine, which has led to a significant heap leach pad failure. The June 24, 2024 incident resulted in a massive collapse of ore stacks treated with cyanide solution, posing severe environmental risks.
Immediate Concerns and Response
YCS is relieved to know that no serious injuries have been reported. However, the potential for substantial environmental damage remains a critical concern. The heap leach pad's failure indicates significant engineering and government oversight, raising questions about this mining technology's overall safety and feasibility in the Yukon.
YCS emphasizes that Victoria Gold and the Yukon Government's nearly week-long delay in releasing crucial technical details is unacceptable. Transparency and timely communication are vital in managing the aftermath of such a critical incident.
Government Accountability and Engineering Failures
The Yukon Government, having granted the permits and approved the mine's design, holds responsibility for ensuring stringent safety standards. This incident underscores the urgent need for rigorous oversight and raises concerns about the adequacy of current regulatory frameworks. It further questions the Government's capability and capacity to ensure environmental and human health through an apparent failure to monitor and prevent such catastrophes.
"The collapse of the heap leach pad suggests a significant engineering failure. It begs the question of what else might not have been engineered properly. This incident calls into question the entire heap leaching technology," said Kayla Brehon, Mining Coordinator with YCS.
YCS would like to see an investigation to determine if the government and Victoria Gold Corp. failed to take proactive actions to prevent the disaster.
Environmental Impact and Future Risks
The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, whose traditional territory includes the Eagle Mine, has deployed environmental monitors to assess the impact on local ecosystems. The scale of the landslide, described as "remarkably large," has heightened fears of cyanide contamination in local water sources. The Yukon government confirmed this to be true over a week after the incident.
New images of the Eagle Mine landslide show the very large scale of the rotational failure and the secondary flow-type landslide. During the press conference on July 4th, 2024, the Yukon Government stated that four million tonnes of material were released in the slide and two million tonnes breached containment. “This could have severe implications for local ecosystems and water quality; this should never have occurred,” said Brehon. “Ensuring the safe operation of mines is becoming increasingly challenging. This incident raises concerns about the safety of future projects like the Casino mine, which involves far larger tailing dams and heap leach pads.”
Critical Questions and Preventive Measures
YCS urges the Yukon Government and Victoria Gold to address several critical questions about environmental and human health effects:
- Why did the heap leach dam fail?
- What steps will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future?
- Did recent routine inspections of the heap leach facility indicate that problems were accumulating? If so, what actions were ordered? If not, why not?
- When will the 2023 Victoria Gold Corp. Environmental Audit be released, and will it be public?
- Why did the Yukon Government take two days to formally address the incident?
- What steps is the government taking to ensure transparency and public safety?
Answering these fundamental questions may well require a full public inquiry.
Call for Actions
Improved Containment Infrastructure and Emergency Planning/Preparedness
It would appear the containment infrastructure at the Eagle Mine site was not designed to handle such massive events. Improved containment measures are necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future. This can involve planning for mine infrastructure that can withstand changing precipitation amounts and the increased pace of climate events.
Full Transparency
Public reporting of inspections is inconsistent. The reports of Yukon’s mine inspections must all be readily accessible for public scrutiny.
Independent Review
YCS echoes and supports Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nations’ call for an independent review of the incident and the government’s response.
Halt on Mining
YCS echoes and supports Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nations’ call for a pause in mining in their territory to ensure that the necessary checks and balances are in place to protect these lands and waters, wildlife, and people.
Stricter Legislation, Regulations and Monitoring
The proposed Yukon New Mineral Legislation should be examined to see if it would have prevented this disaster. The new legislation must include safeguards to make the routine physical and financial collapses of Yukon’s mines a thing of the past. Furthermore, monitoring, compliance and testing capacity needs to be strengthened at the Yukon Government's level. Long waits for testing results are unacceptable.
"Incidents like this validate our cautious stance on mining due to the high environmental and financial risks involved," stated Brehon. "We must ensure that mining operations prioritize safety and environmental sustainability."
YCS will monitor the situation closely and provide updates as more information becomes available. Stay tuned for our upcoming blog post on the YCS website for a more detailed analysis and additional context. Please refer to the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nations press release for their detailed concerns: Press Release, July 3, 2024 – First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun.
About the Yukon Conservation Society
The Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) is a grassroots environmental organization dedicated to protecting and conserving the Yukon's unique and diverse ecosystems. We work to ensure that natural resources are managed sustainably and that the rights and interests of First Nations and local communities are respected.
End of Release Notes for Editors
- The press release can be modified and updated as new information becomes available.
- YCS acknowledges that this press release is prepared under the assumption of the worst-case scenario to emphasize the urgent need for action and transparency.
- YCS will continue to investigate this issue and provide further context as our capacity allows.