Suspected tailings leak at Wolverine Mine, Yukon gov't says

The Yukon government says it is stepping up monitoring efforts at Wolverine Mine following a suspected leak at a tailings storage facility. 

In a news release on Tuesday, the government said water with "elevated levels" of zinc, cadmium, selenium and cyanide has been released into the environment. The contaminated water was flowing through pipes beneath the tailings facility that discharge into the environment.

John Thompson, a spokesperson for the department of mines, said in an email that the issue is "ongoing."

"We are working on interim measures to address the suspected leak," he wrote. 

Water samples downstream have passed acute toxicity tests, and the government says there is no immediate threat to human health of aquatic life. 

The former zinc mine in southeast Yukon has been abandoned since 2015, leaving the territorial government responsible. Water treatment at the site has been an issue for years. 

"Prior to detecting the [suspected leak], the Government of Yukon was already preparing for a two-year water treatment campaign beginning in spring 2025," reads Tuesday's news release. 

The government will be looking to lower water levels in the tailings storage facility in order to allow for liner inspections to determine the cause of the suspected leak. It says funding for the project will depend on legislative approval. 

Earlier this year, a Yukon government spokesperson said the territory has spent approximately $42 million on activities at Wolverine to date. 

Yukon Zinc Corporation, the company originally responsible for the project, put down roughly $10.5 million in financial security for the mine.

Wolverine Mine is halfway between Watson Lake and Ross River, Yukon, on the traditional territory of the Kaska Nation. 

Neither the Ross River Dena Council nor Liard First Nation were immediately available for comment. 

The Yukon government declined an interview with CBC News.