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Mine plans for closure
North American Tungsten consults communities on reclamation planRoxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, February 9, 2012
On Feb. 6 North American Tungsten Corporation Ltd. held a community meeting in Fort Simpson to discuss the closure and reclamation plans for Cantung Mine. The mine is located just inside the Northwest Territories' border, approximately 300 kilometres by road northeast of Watson Lake, Yukon. The mine was opened in 1963 and operated until 1986. In 2001, North American Tungsten brought the mine back into production and has operated it intermittently since then. Mining and milling are currently being done at the mine site. The mine is set to close in 2014 but the date could change if exploration activities find additional resources to be mined, said Laura Smithies, a senior environmental co-ordinator for the mine. Despite the fact the mine is still operating, North American Tungsten has started a process of progressive reclamation. It's better to start reclaiming a mine while it is operating and there are facilities on site to support crews as opposed to when the mine is closed, said Smithies. There are a variety of features at the mine that have to be reclaimed. One is the old town site. "It was a thriving community," said Smithies. Approximately 20 per cent of the buildings from the town have already been removed. The company is developing plans to continue to remove the buildings it isn't currently using including 15 houses, a school and some old bunkhouses. Facilities will be removed When the mine is closed, all buildings and industrial facilities will be removed. It's expected the closure activities will take place over two to three years due to the short summer seasons, Smithies said. There are also five tailings ponds on the mine site. Tailings ponds one and two have been reclaimed and capped with rock before North American Tungsten took over the site. The company is conducting a feasibility study to see if the material in tailings pond three, which is inactive, can be reprocessed to remove more minerals, said Smithies. Eventually tailings ponds three, four and five will all be reclaimed. One of the other major features at the site is an underground mine. Once mining activities are finished the company plans to plug all entrances to the mine and flood it to just below ground level. The water will prevent air from interacting with the rock, a process that can result in metals leaching from the rock into water, said Smithies. The company will create one location for the water to exit the mine so it can be treated if necessary, she said. "It's not a large project in terms of mine reclamation. It's a difficult one because of its isolation," Smithies said about the overall project. Every year the company submits a closure and reclamation plan to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board for approval. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada also has to approve the plan, said Smithies. The company is consulting with communities on the plan because it is required to under its water license and also because the mine is moving closer to closure, she said. "To bring it to the communities and find out what the concerns are is very important," she said. During the community meeting in Fort Simpson, the majority of questions from community members were based around whether there will be employment opportunities for local residents related to the reclamation. Tracy Thomas, the manager of community relations with the company, said North American Tungsten would look into alerting the First Nations in the area about job openings. North American Tungsten was also scheduled to hold community meetings in Fort Liard on Feb. 7, Nahanni Butte on Feb. 8 and at the Dehcho First Nation's winter leadership meeting in Fort Providence on Feb. 9.
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