The Gordon Lake Group (GLG) Sites consists of nine mine and exploration sites (Burnt Island, Camlaren, Goodrock, Kidney Pond, Murray Lake, Storm Property, Treacy, Try Me and West Bay) located 110 km northeast of Yellowknife around Gordon Lake, Northwest Territories. These nine sites are no longer maintained by the original occupants and therefore, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), through the Contaminated Sites Program (CSP), are now responsible for the environmental remediation of these sites. INAC has retained Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) – Northern Contaminated Sites Group to assist in coordinating the environmental remediation program on its behalf. All of the sites are located on Crown land, managed by the federal government. 

Access to the Gordon Lake Group of Sites in the summer is by fixed-wing aircraft on floats or by helicopter. Winter access to the sites is via the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road Joint Venture (JV) that runs through the middle of Gordon Lake (north-south), connecting the Ingraham Trail (Highway 4) to the sites northeast of Yellowknife. Spur roads off the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road to each of the Gord Lake sites was another requirement needed for successful completion of this remediation project.

Delta Nahanni Joint Venture (DNV) was awarded the contract to complete environmental site remediation activities at the Gordon Lake Group of Sites in 2016. The work to be completed within this Contract included: preparing and implementing health & safety, and environmental protection planning documents and submittals; designing and planning temporary transportation infrastructure; organizing seasonal mobilization and demobilization; excavation, on-site stockpiling, transportation, and disposal of impacted soils; management of hazardous materials and non-hazardous waste; dismantling and demolishing of abandoned site buildings and infrastructure; excavation, transportation and disposal of waste rock; tailings management; developing and reclaiming borrowed aggregate sources; provisioning of site support services; and other site specific activities 

Transportation infrastructure include designing and planning the required temporary ice road spurs off of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road for mobilization and demobilization of equipment, support facilities, and materials to/from the site. DNV also constructed access to aggregate sources, upgraded site roads and transport routes to facilitate remediation activities, and installed floating dock infrastructure as much of the summer work was supported by marine transports which were also operated by Delta Nahanni Joint Venture.

CHALLENGES

  • Site Hazards: abandoned site buildings, abandoned infrastructure (core racks, docks and concreted pads); Co-mingled, metals and petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) impacted soil; hazardous waste such as asbestos-containing material, lead-containing paint and batteries; mine openings such as shafts; non-hazardous waste such as wood and metal debris; tailings, trenches; underground workings; unfired explosives; waste rock; and wildlife.
  • The remote location of the Gordon Lake Group of sites presented significant logistical challenges, all of which were successfully overcome by Delta Nahanni Joint Venture.