Officials at Agnico Eagle say a crack in a tailings pipeline at its Detour Lake Mine last weekend resulted in slurry leaking into a nearby creek. The incident took place the morning of Aug. 29 in a pipeline carrying “tailings (detoxified process slurry) from the processing plant to the tailings management area at Agnico Eagle’s Detour Lake Mine, resulting in the discharge of material into the adjacent Easter Creek,” the company said in a statement. “The mine’s spill detection system immediately alerted personnel, who promptly responded and inspected the area to confirm the discharge, and the affected pipeline was isolated and the release was stopped.” Recovery and remediation efforts Agnico said that environmental sampling and monitoring began immediately and “continue to help us understand the extent and potential environmental effects of the release.” “The immediate shutdown and isolation of the pipeline prevented any further discharge, while teams implemented additional containment, recovery and remediation measures,” the company said. “Results of sampling and field assessments will guide remediation and any required longer-term monitoring.” A message Sept. 2 to Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks from CTV News Northern Ontario wasn’t immediately returned. The open-pit Detour Lake operation is the largest gold-producing mine in Canada with the country’s largest gold mineral reserves and is located within the northernmost Abitibi Greenstone Belt, northeast of Timmins. “Our detection and response systems, environmental monitoring and testing, and ongoing remediation are all important parts of how we are managing the situation,” Agnico said in its statement. “We continue to work closely with regulators and our Indigenous Partners and will apply what we learn from the investigation to our ongoing operations.”
