BQE Water, a leader in the treatment and management of mine impacted waters, has entered into a contract with the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources of the Yukon Government to provide expertise and support with water management at Minto mine, in central Yukon and on settlement land of the Selkirk First Nation.
Under the contract, BQE Water will provide two types of services. First is operations services, which focuses on the seasonal operation of the existing water treatment plant at Minto mine and managing the environmental discharge in accordance with the current Water Use Licence. Second is technical advisory and engineering services, which entails assisting the government with assessing water management changes, including to the existing treatment system, to support site closure and remediation for the long-term.
David Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE Water, said: “We understand how important safe, transparent and cost-effective clean water production at Minto mine is for the Yukon and for all project stakeholders. Since we re-engaged with the project, Minto Metals, the Selkirk First Nation and the Yukon Government have had our commitment to deliver first rate service no matter the site circumstances. We are also appreciative of the opportunity to work directly with the Yukon Government to continue to deliver on this commitment.”
BQE Water designed the water treatment plant at Minto mine and operated it until 2013 when treated water discharge from the site ceased and mine contact water was directed into an exhausted open pit. In August 2022, BQE Water became involved in the operation of the same water treatment plant once again. Following the stoppage of mine production in May 2023, BQE Water worked collaboratively with the Yukon Government, Selkirk First Nation and JDS Mining in support of environmental protection and to ensure treated water is discharged into the environment in accordance with the Water Use License. The contract with Yukon Government represents a continuation of this effort.
The Minto mine has been in operation since 2007 with underground mining commencing in 2014. The current mine operations are based on underground mining, a process plant to produce high-grade copper, gold and silver concentrate and all supporting infrastructure associated with a remote location in Yukon.