BQE Water has been contracted by the Yukon Department of Energy, Mines and Resources to provide expertise and support with water management at the abandoned Minto copper-gold mine in central Yukon on settlement land of the Selkirk First Nation.
Under the contract, BQE will provide two types of services: operations services and technical advisory and engineering services.
The operations services will focus on the seasonal operation of the existing water treatment plant at Minto and managing the environmental discharge in accordance with the current water use license. The technical advisory and engineering services will entail assisting the government with assessing water management changes, including to the existing treatment system, to support site closure and remediation for the long-term.
BQE president and CEO David Kratochvil 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.”
The company designed the water treatment plant at Minto and operated it until 2013 when treated water discharge from the site ceased and mine water was directed into an exhausted open pit.
In August 2022, BQE became involved in the operation of the same water treatment plant once again. Following the stoppage of mine production in May 2023, the company worked with the Yukon government, Selkirk First Nation, and JDS Mining in support of environmental protection and to ensure treated water is discharged in accordance with provincial regulations