Case study : development of a rehabilitation plan for the abandoned Arctic Gold and Silver Mine site ...

• Main Authors: Nahir, Michael, Scott, Cameron, Royle, Michael, Palmer, Mark
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: Arctic; Carcross; Tagish; Yukon
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0042360; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0042360

The Arctic Gold and Silver mine is situated between Carcross and the BC-Yukon border. The mine, which included primarily underground workings, a processing plant and a tailings impoundment, operated intermittently over a period of less than 2 years in the late I960's before being abandoned. An environmental assessment conducted in 1997 revealed that tailings seepage has a low pH and high metal concentrations, and is discharging into a small lake adjacent to the impoundment. The Arctic Gold and Silver Working Group was established in 1997 with the objective of guiding the development and selection of a rehabilitation plan for the abandoned mine facilities. The Working Group comprises representatives of affected stakeholders, including the .Carcross-Tagish First Nation and various government departments. The development of a detailed rehabilitation plan commenced in 1998 with a detailed assessment of the environmental conditions at the site. A series of options for remediating the tailings were subsequently ...