Responsible Mining
Project Overview
Skeena Gold + Silver (“Skeena”) is proposing to develop and operate the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project (“the Project”), an open pit gold and silver mine at the past-producing Eskay Creek Mine site. The Project is located within the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine in the Golden Triangle region of northwestern British Columbia, 83 kilometres northwest of Stewart, and within Tahltan Territory1
Concentrate produced by the Project will be hauled along a southern portion of Highway 37 toward Meziadin Junction then westward along Highway 37A to Stewart. This transportation route passes through the Nass Area and Nass Wildlife Areas as per the Nisga’a Final Agreement, Gitanyow Nation Territory, and lands used by Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC). During peak years of Operations, it is expected that ten concentrate shipments will be made to Stewart daily.
The Process Plant will process up to 3.6 million tonnes of ore annually to produce a gold-silver concentrate. These production rates will produce an average of between 0.20 and 0.25 million ounces of gold annually and between 5.5 and 7.0 million ounces of silver annually over the Project’s approximate 13 years of operations.
Environmental Stewardship
At Skeena, environmental stewardship is built into our business model, with responsible waste management being one of our top priorities. We are committed to carefully managing our activities so that we prevent or minimize any environmental effects. Through collaboration with the Tahltan Central Government, local Indigenous groups, communities, and project regulators, Skeena has developed and implemented comprehensive waste management strategies to protect the health and well-being of local communities and align with the Tahltan Sustainability Principles.
Key Terms
Waste Rock
Waste rock is rock that is removed in the mining process that does not contain ore and is therefore not processed.
Tailings
Tailings are leftover crushed rock and water from the ore extraction process. The tailings are transported by pipeline from the processing plant to the Tom Mackay Storage Facility. Water from the facility will be recycled for reuse in the process.
Potentially Acid-Generating Rock
Some rock types, when exposed to oxygen and water, can form acid that may leach metals. Rock that can leach metals through this process is called potentially acidgenerating, or “PAG”. Rock that does not produce acid when exposed to oxygen and water is called non-potentially acidgenerating, or “NPAG”.
Responsible Mining
PAG waste rock is transported using haul trucks from the pits to the Tom Mackay Storage Facility to be stored underwater, away from atmospheric oxygen, so that acid generation does not occur.
Current Tom Mackay Storage Facility
The Tom Mackay Storage Facility was used by the historic Eskay Creek mine from 2004 to 2008. It has safely stored tailings for 19 years. The Tom Mackay watershed is nonfish bearing.
Tom Mackay Facility Expansion
The Tom Mackay Storage Facility will be expanded for the Project to store PAG waste rock and tailings. Dams will be constructed in phases throughout the life of the mine to safely store mine waste underwater. The expansion will include extensive design review, including through an independent tailings review board. Water from the facility will be treated at a water treatment plant before being discharged to the environment.
Mine Waste at the Project
Mining waste generated by the Project would include waste rock and tailings. Other waste would include sewage to be placed in the Tom Mackay Storage Facility, hazardous waste to be shipped offsite (e.g., contaminated soils in the event of leaks, waste oils, kitchen grease, exhausted batteries), and non-hazardous waste to be shipped offsite (e.g., recyclables, domestic waste) or incinerated onsite (organic waste).
Responsible Mining
What does responsible waste management look like?
Skeena is committed to environmental stewardship by repurposing existing infrastructure and waste management systems at the Eskay Creek site, reducing the need for new construction and minimizing new mine footprint. This approach not only preserves the surrounding environment but also aligns with Skeena’s commitment to sustainability by extending the lifecycle of existing structures.
Existing Eskay Creek Mine Facilities
+ Tailings management facilities, including the Tom MacKay Storage Facility
+ Waste management facilities
+ Water management infrastructure
+ Mine Water Pond Water Treatment Plant
Support Infrastructure
The following key components are existing or are being developed to support the existing Eskay Creek Mine, and will also support the Project:
+ Eskay Creek Mine Access Road and KM2 security gate near Highway 37
+ Transmission Line to supply electrical power from the BC Hydro grid
+ Mine Water Treatment Plant for contact water
+ Camps, assay laboratory, potable water and sewage treatment plants
+ Onsite roads and laydown areas
+ PAG rock stockpiles
+ Overburden / topsoil management facilities
New Project Facilities
+ North Pit and South Pit
+ Diversion channels to keep clean water clean
+ Collection channels to collect contact water
+ Expansion of Mine Water Treatment Plant
+ Mine Rock Storage Area for NPAG waste rock
+ Expansion of the existing Tom MacKay Storage Facility for PAG waste rock and tailings
+ Waste transfer areas and incineration facilities
+ Potable water and sewage treatment plants
+ Snow Management Area
What We Are Doing
Responsible Mining
The Project includes built-in controls and Management Plans designed to mitigate potential effects from the Project in alignment with the following Environmental and Social Design Principles:
Ensure Socially Responsible Management of Water Resources
+ Divert clean water away from the Project footprint
+ Treat mine water
+ Manage surface water/groundwater interactions from site facilities
+ Recycle water for mineral processing
Protect the health and well-being of communities
+ Store potentially acid-generating rock and tailings underwater
+ Water management through design of dams
+ Incorporate an underdrain system beneath the North and South dams of the Tom Mackay Storage Facility
Value Tahltan Land & Build a Management Regime
+ Reuse existing infrastructure and/or footprints
+ Backfill the South Pit
+ Mine Site Water Management Plan
+ Snow Management Plan
+ Groundwater Management Monitoring Plan
+ Aquatic Effects Monitoring Plan
+ Metal Leaching and Acid Rock Drainage Management Plan
Waste at Closure
In the reclamation and closure phase, Skeena will conduct the following to protect and maintain land for future generations:
+ Progressive reclamation (beginning in the final years of Operations)
+ Water treatment
+ North Pit passive flooding, while managing the water level in the pit in closure so that groundwater flows into the pit rather than outwards.
+ Active reclamation and closure, including dismantling and removal of facilities, reclamation cover placement, and revegetation
+ Post-closure monitoring