Work set to wrap this summer on controversial Klondike mining claims
Placer miner raised the ire of some residents in Dawson City, Yukon, for working near a residential area
Whitehorse placer miner Darrell Carey has signed a deal with the Yukon government promising to wrap up work on mining claims he owns on the Dome Road in Dawson City.
Before Carey became involved in a current controversy over ski trails on his mining claims on the east bench of the Dome, he was in a long-standing dispute over whether he could dig on claims he owned that straddled the Dome Road.
The road is the main access to homes in the Dome subdivision, as well as a popular scenic lookout.
One of the sticking points in the dispute was who would pay to re-route the road so that Carey could get at the gold underneath it.
In 2014, the Yukon government put up $1.3 million to move the road.
In return, Carey promised to give up the mining claims in 2017 after having had three years to clean out the gold. The land would then be used for residential development.
The deal began to go awry, however, when Carey said the government took longer than expected to build the new portion of road.
Carey, arguing he should get more time to work on the claims because of the delay, did not meet his 2017 deadline.
That dispute was settled last month.
The document signed by both parties says Carey has until Aug. 31, 2018, to finish mining and do reclamation work at the site.
A separate government document lays out the reclamation standards. They include that the area must be cleaned up and left in a state conducive to re-vegetation.
"Conditions conducive to re-vegetation include provisions of an adequate soil layer with moisture retaining ability, no soil contamination by hydrocarbons or other hazardous substances, provision of adequate seed or root stock and contoured or otherwise stable slopes," it says.
Territorial inspectors are in close contact with Carey, said John Fox, Yukon's assistant deputy minister for Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources.
"To ensure both that he complies with the terms of the agreement, and Dawson City of course also has a development permit," Fox said.
"I think there's somewhere in the neighbourhood of 16 conditions on there that related to Mr. Carey's work and they also of course will be following up and doing their due diligence," said Fox.
Cory Bellmore, the chief administrative officer for Dawson City, said the general desire is still that the land will be used for housing purposes, but plans need to be made first.
Carey could not be reached for comment.