Yukon mines minister John Streicker says the Eagle Gold mine disaster has the territory鈥檚 residents 鈥渏ustly concerned鈥� about the implications of the mining spill on Yukoners鈥� way of life 鈥渇or generations to come.鈥�

Streicker says the government Department of Energy, Mines and Resources has directed Victoria Gold, the company that owns the mine, to stabilize the area where the slide happened and more closely monitor surface and groundwater near the slide site.

The direction also requires the company to come up with a 鈥渃omprehensive water treatment plan,鈥� after the failure of a 鈥渉eap leach embankment鈥� that resulted in a spill of cyanide solution used in the gold extraction process.

The statement says the company has also been ordered to immediately increase the mining site鈥檚 water storage capacity, as officials monitor water sample tests around the site of the spill that occurred on June 24.

At a technical briefing Thursday, Streicker told reporters that testing of samples from Haggart Creek last week 2 kilometres downstream from the site detected no cyanide, but officials say people should not consume water or fish from the creek even though risk to human health is 鈥渧ery low.鈥�

Benton Foster, Yukon鈥檚 director of community health programs, says the recommendation to avoid drinking water or eating fish from the creek is out of 鈥渁n abundance of caution.鈥�

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