BQE Water Inc., a leader in the treatment and management of mine impacted waters was contracted by PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. in its capacity as court appointed receiver of Victoria Gold Corp. in September to assist with the emergency response and to mitigate environmental impacts caused by the failure of the cyanide heap leach facility at the Eagle Gold Mine situated on the Traditional Territory of the First Nation Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND) in central Yukon.
BQE Water’s scope includes recommendations for updates to the existing water management infrastructure to increase the site’s ability and adaptability to treat the present contaminant loading which the infrastructure was not designed for, and to meet all applicable discharge targets. BQE Water is also responsible for planning and directing the operation of the updated water treatment infrastructure. In its role, BQE Water coordinates all activities very closely with all project stakeholders and interested parties including the Yukon Government and the FNNND.
David Kratochvil, the President and CEO of BQE Water, stated, “All at BQE are honored to have been asked to step in to help with this very challenging water problem, and are working around the clock to minimize environmental impacts with our expertise and experience.”
Margaret Dumkee, the interim CEO of the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation, commented, “We truly appreciate the effort by BQE Water to help address the emergency situation at Eagle Mine which is very important to the Nation. We value not only BQE’s technical expertise but also their genuine effort for transparent, coordinated, and holistic approach to bringing the water situation at the mine under control and involving the FNNND citizens and businesses in the process.”
