BQE Water Inc, a leader in mine water management, has announced that Elsa Reclamation & Development Company Ltd (ERDC) has contracted the company to design, supply, install and commission a new water treatment plant (WTP) for the closure of legacy Valley Tailings Facility (VTF) near Mayo, Yukon, on the traditional territory of the First Nation Na-Cho Nyak Dun (FNNND).

The WTP will treat water generated during tailings excavation and consolidation, and discharge treated water into the environment, pursuant to the Water Use Licence and applicable laws and environmental standards, BQE says. The treatment process targets primarily heavy metals.

Under the contract, BQE is responsible for implementing the new treatment system including engineering design, equipment procurement, site installation, commissioning and start-up of the WTP, with an expected completion in the June quarter of 2025. The WTP will be installed inside a prefabricated building and will operate seasonally between spring freshets and fall freeze-ups for as long as needed, presently anticipated to be six years.

David Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE Water, said: “This project is very significant and strategic for the company in multiple ways: it gives us an opportunity to showcase a rapid and cost-effective deployment of a fit-for-purpose treatment that eliminates long-term liability at a remote site; second, it will increase BQE’s presence in Yukon and leverage our experience and resources currently working at Minto and Keno Hill; third, it will be our first project performed in partnership with the FNNND where the goals of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun Development Corporation are perfectly aligned with our own: to be responsible for clean water production from mining projects located on the traditional territory of the FNNND.”

Margaret Dumkee, the interim CEO of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun Development Corporation, stated: “Everyone in our community considers clean water essential and ensuring that mining and/or mining legacies don’t create pollution is a high priority. We look forward to the successful implementation of BQE’s water treatment at the Valley Tailings area, and jointly developing new opportunities that would support long-term socio-economic development of our Nation such as for example operations of water treatment plants.”