BQE Water Inc., a pioneer in mine water management, has announced that Elsa Reclamation & Development Company Ltd. (ERDC) has contracted BQE Water to design, supply, install, and commission a new Water Treatment Plant (WTP) for the closure of legacy Valley Tailings Facility (VTF) near Mayo, Yukon, Canada, on the traditional territory of the First Nation Na-Cho Nyak Dun (FNNND).
The WTP will treat water generated during tailings excavation and consolidation, and discharge treated water into the environment, pursuant to the Water Use Licence and applicable laws and environmental standards. The treatment process targets primarily heavy metals.
Under the contract, BQE is responsible for implementing the new treatment system including engineering design, equipment procurement, site installation, commissioning, and start-up of the WTP, with an expected completion in Q2 2025. The WTP will be installed inside a prefabricated building and will operate seasonally between spring freshets and fall freeze-ups for as long as needed, presently anticipated to be 6 years.