WHITEHORSE — A court-appointed receiver plans to start sifting for gold in cyanide-laced water stored at the Eagle Gold Mine in Yukon.
The Yukon government says proceeds will be used to help pay for some of the cleanup after a disaster at the mine a year ago.
The failure of the mine’s heap-leach facility, which contained millions of tonnes of cyanide-laced ore and water, set off the disaster and subsequent takeover by the receiver.
A statement from the territory says the gold being recovered is found within cyanide water stored in ponds at the mine site and the process will also destroy some cyanide, helping treat the contaminated water.
It says work continues at the gold mine to manage a large amount of additional water from the spring snowmelt, and contaminated water is being treated and discharged.
The government says it's too early to say what the value of the gold being recovered might be but the receiver will report those results in further reports to the court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
The Canadian Press
