In October 2021, Wrangell Mayor Steve Prysunka spoke about the abandoned Johnny Mountain Mine before the Wrangell Borough Assembly to highlight irresponsible mining practices in British Columbia.
As the new owner of Iskut property which includes the abandoned mine, through this letter we would like to share with the residents of Wrangell the multiyear and multimillion-dollar voluntary reclamation activities Seabridge Gold is undertaking to reclaim the Johnny Mountain Mine site back to its original pre-mine condition.
When Seabridge Gold acquired the Iskut property in 2016, the former mine, which closed in 1993, was in a state of disrepair, with numerous reclamation activities necessary to meet the reclamation objectives of the British Columbia government and the Tahltan Nation, on whose territory the mine is located.
The incomplete reclamation on the site is not how Seabridge Gold views responsible mining. When we purchased the Iskut property, we immediately reached out to the Tahltan Nation’s leadership to inform them about the project acquisition and reaffirm Seabridge’s commitment to reclaim the abandoned mine in cooperation with the Nation.
In 2017, Seabridge in collaboration with Tahltan Nation Development Corp. and Tahltan Heritage Resources Environmental Assessment Team developed a Johnny Mountain Mine project execution plan, a forward-looking plan of reclamation activities for the next five years.
Seabridge Gold has invested more than C$8 million to date on restoring the Johnny Mountain Mine site, with additional funds earmarked for 2022. Remediation work at the site includes:
Dam safety review, aquatic characterization study, detailed site investigation of groundwater and soil conditions, and implemented proper and detailed environmental permit compliance programs.
Removed hazardous materials from the mill building and transported materials offsite to a licensed hazardous waste disposal facility.
Cleaned and dismantled 23, 7,000-gallon hydrocarbon storage tanks and one 100,000-gallon tank abandoned at the site.
Closed and reclaimed three portals and five vent raises associated with the underground mine.
Revegetated disturbed areas, using locally sourced native grass seed mix, willow, alder and heather/heath transplants.
You can also watch a YouTube video of the reclamation work here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZqDdNk4xuQ&t=86s
While it’s true, the Johnny Mountain Mine is an example of irresponsible mining and should not have occurred, it’s important to note the mine closed approximately 28 years ago and such historical mining practices cannot and will not occur in today’s regulatory and social environment.
In closing, we would like to suggest that mining and exploration companies advancing projects in the transboundary region are not irresponsible as claimed by Mayor Prysunka, and the reclamation activities Seabridge is voluntarily undertaking at the mine are a great example of how mining companies operate responsibly within the transboundary region.
R. Brent Murphy
senior vice president, environmental affairs
Seabridge Gold
Toronto
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