The Colomac Mine was a privately owned and operated open pit gold mine located 220 km northwest of
Yellowknife
Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...
in the
Northwest Territories in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The Colomac mine operated between 1990–1992, and 1994–1997. It was operated by Neptune Resources Limited that had little success in making a profit during its operation. In 1994, the mine had reopened under
Royal Oak Mines
Royal Oak Mines Incorporated was a gold mining company, founded in 1990 by Margaret "Peggy" Witte (now known as Margaret Kent) in Kirkland, Washington.
The company held numerous gold and base metal properties in Canada, including the Giant Mine i ...
Inc. Both Neptune Resources and Royal Oak Mines where both owned and operated by Peggy Witte. Due to low gold prices and high cost of mining, Royal Oak Mines was forced into bankruptcy. The
Federal Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in- ...
became owners of the mine, along with the related environmental issues. A major cleanup effort is under way to prevent the mine from polluting the environment, but this might be too late at this stage. This mine is now owned and controlled by the Indigenous and Northern Affairs department of the Federal government, while Public Works and Government services is the current contracting authority.
Production
The Colomac Mine processed a total of almost 12,300
Megagrams of
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 Apr ...
, and produced 16.7 Megagrams (535,708 troy ounces) of gold, with an approximate value of $916 million. This figure is based on 2012 gold prices, averaging close to USD $55,000 per kg.
In April 2007,
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
engaged the Professional Services company
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
to become their solicitor, in order to find another independently-owned and -operated company to acquire the idle mine as well as the resources on the land it occupied. To generate interest, they featured the mine as holding 6.6
Teragram
The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially. ...
s of untapped resources, a gold processing mill and related equipment, a maintenance building, a dorm room styled housing complex, power and fuel storage facilities, and mobile equipment (rock trucks, excavators and loaders). It was also featured on the popular reality television show ''
Ice Road Truckers
''Ice Road Truckers'' (commercially abbreviated ''IRT'') is a reality television series that premiered on History Channel, on June 17, 2007. It features the activities of drivers who operate trucks on seasonal routes crossing frozen lakes and ...
''.
Cleanup
After being shut down in 1997 and abandoned shortly after by Royal Oak Mines, it transferred into the
Canadian Government
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in ...
's hands and responsibility in mid-December 1999. In accordance with water licensing laws and regulations in Canada, Royal Oak Mines had posted a $1.5 million security deposit and in 1999 they were charged with cyanide dumping by the
Federal Government. The government of Canada had estimated the cost of the cleanup at $70 million due to high levels of
cyanide
Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms.
In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...
and
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous wa ...
content, as well as
acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage, acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD), or acid rock drainage (ARD) is the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines.
Acid rock drainage occurs naturally within some environments as part of the rock weathering ...
.
For the people of Indian Lake the tailing pond owned by the mine was at one stage threatening to overflow unless immediate action was taken to prevent a disastrous environmental impact. A public hearing was called to cancel the mines' license and to begin a cleanup.
In 1999, the
Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
(DIAND) awarded a one-year, $2 million contract to a consortium of aboriginal businesses from
DetonÇho Corporation, the
Dogrib Rae Band and the
North Slave Métis Alliance to undertake final reclamation activities at the Colomac Mine. The consortium conducted studies into contamination and took responsibility for on-going environmental monitoring and maintenance of the site. After the contract was awarded, Royal Oak Mine was finally charged under the
Water Act
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
and the
Fisheries Act
Fisheries Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in multiple countries relating to fisheries. The Bill for an Act with this short title will have been known as a Fisheries Bill during its passage through Parliament. ...
for the
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
it had caused, this was much too late, since the company was already in receivership.
According to MineWatch Canada in a 2001 publication:
"Now, the water license has not been changed, the money needed to clean-up the site is not forthcoming, and the Dogribs are faced with a potential catastrophe if the tailings pond overflows. Says Dogrib leader Ted Blondin: "I think there is a fiduciary responsibility that the federal government has to looking after the Dogrib interests, and these are the arguments that we will use towards ensuring that the quality of water and the work that has to be done for the cleanup is done."
During the initial cleanup phase, many new and effective remediation procedures where developed and put into place, including the use of farmed micro-organisms to remove hydrocarbons from soil contaminated by poor management of the fuel tank farm located on site.
On 25 February 2010 a $19 million contract was awarded to two aboriginal firms, Tlicho Engineering/Environmental Services Ltd and Aboriginal Engineering Ltd for a final two year remediation contract, which will also create local jobs in the area. According to
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
this two year remediation will cover:
"final remediation of the site, including: major demolition activities (primary and secondary crushing facilities, mill complex, maintenance shop and camp);
hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ...
remediation (restoration of
Steeve's Lake shoreline, free product recovery and soil treatment); site restoration (Truck Lake channel construction, stream crossing restoration) and capping of the non-hazardous
landfill sites as well as continued provision of site services and maintenance. The contract, which follows a competitive process, will last until April of 2012 when the companies will conduct a full and final demobilization of the site."
In May 2010, officials suspended the remediation project due to an accident, which occurred at mine in April 2010. It occurred after a foremen working for Aboriginal Engineering Ltd suffered leg injuries after a 2.5 cm cable snapped.
Human Resources and Skills Canada
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
announced in May 2010 that they would not allow this remediation to continue until Aboriginal Engineering Ltd set out to implement the standards for health and safety set out by the Federal Government in relation to this type of task.
References
{{reflist, 2
Gold mines in the Northwest Territories
Open-pit mines
Surface mines in Canada