__NOTOC__ The Beaverlodge Mine sometimes referred to as the Eldorado Mine or the Beaverlodge Operation was a

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

mine in the community of

Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

, northern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

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 ...

. Eldorado was a small community east of the community of

Uranium City, Saskatchewan Uranium City is a northern settlement in Saskatchewan, Canada. Located on the northern shores of Lake Athabasca near the border of the Northwest Territories, it is above sea level. The settlement is northwest of Prince Albert, northeast of ...

in the Beaverlodge Uranium District built by

Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited Eldorado Resources was a Canadian mining company active between 1926 and 1988. The company was originally established by brothers Charles and Gilbert LaBine as a gold mining enterprise in 1926, but transitioned to focus on radium in the 1930s an ...

to house the workforce and families of the mine. The mine was opened in 1952, and was owned and operated by

Eldorado Mining and Refining Eldorado Resources was a Canadian mining company active between 1926 and 1988. The company was originally established by brothers Charles and Gilbert LaBine as a gold mining enterprise in 1926, but transitioned to focus on radium in the 1930s an ...

, a Crown Corporation of the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

. The site has 70 properties, an underground mine, several smaller satellite mines, a central mill, open pit mines and a tailings area The mine was closed in June 1982 and decommissioning started in 1985. It was the first mine to present a formal decommissioning plan to under an Atomic Energy Control Board license. In 2009 five of the 70 properties were released from Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission licensing and under the supervision of th
Institutional Control Program
Another 20 properties were released to the Institutional Control Program on 19 December 2019 and one property was completely released from licensing. On 27 May 2013 the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission provided a ten-year license for the site, obliging Cameco to implement increased remediation. The site is managed by

Cameco Cameco Corporation (formerly Canadian Mining and Energy Corporation) is the world's largest publicly traded uranium company, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2015, it was the world's second largest uranium producer, accounting for 18 ...

. As a result of contamination, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission advises against consuming fish from the creek and lake near the site. In 2019 the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation raised the issue of radiation contamination as a result of the historical movement of uranium through

Fort Chipewyan Fort Chipewyan , commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. It is located on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, app ...

. Research by Cameco did not find evidence that this route was used. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission emailed the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in July and August 2020.

References

Uranium mines in Canada Mines in Saskatchewan Former mines in Canada Underground mines in Canada Uranium City, Saskatchewan {{SKDivision18-geo-stub

See also

References