Long Lake Gold Mine rehabilitation project
Learn about the environmental assessment process for the rehabilitation of the Long Lake Gold Mine.
Current status
Statement of completion.
Project summary
We have completed our assessment for the Long Lake Gold Mine rehabilitation project and access road improvements.
The abandoned Long Lake Gold Mine (AMIS 05292) is located at the south end of Long Lake, in Eden Township, Sudbury District, approximately 6 kilometres south of the City of Greater Sudbury limits.
The mine site borders the community of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation to the west. It was historically accessed by a mine road that cut across reserve land. Access to the mine is currently provided using a series of public roads and trails along the southeast side of Long Lake.
The Long Lake Gold Mine operated intermittently from 1908 to 1939. The ore body consisted of gold-bearing arsenopyrite and pyrite that was mined through underground mining methods.
Tailings areas
A mill was historically present that discharged tailings to low-lying areas where they would be naturally contained by the surrounding topography.
The mine features three uncontained tailings areas, known as TA-01, TA-02 and TA-03. These areas are:
- estimated to contain approximately 163,000 cubic metres of tailings
- interconnected by a surface water drainage channel
Over time, the tailings have eroded into the receiving environment, resulting in tailings being deposited into Luke Creek and the south bay of Long Lake. A tailings delta (an area of low, flat land) has formed in Long Lake at the outlet of Luke Creek.
Drinking water quality in Long Lake
Long Lake is a densely populated lake with approximately 1,000 permanent and seasonal residents. The waterbody is the source of drinking water for most residents on the lake. Surface water samples collected from the south bay of Long Lake have arsenic concentration greater than the applicable Ontario Drinking Water Standard of 10 micrograms per liter.
In response to the elevated arsenic, the Sudbury and District Health Unit issued a drinking water advisory to property owners located in the affected area of the lake. We have been providing bottled water to affected residence since the advisory was issued in November 2012.
The objective of the Long Lake Gold Mine rehabilitation project is to reduce arsenic concentrations in the south basin of Long Lake to below the drinking water standard of 10 micrograms per liter.
Proposed rehabilitation approach
The preferred rehabilitation approach is:
- constructing an impoundment area within TA-01
- consolidating all tailings, waste rock and contaminated soils that contribute to the arsenic loading to Long Lake within the impoundment
- covering the consolidated tailings and contaminated materials by an impermeable liner and a vegetative cover to prevent surface water infiltration, oxidation and transport.
The proposed rehabilitation strategy will effectively remove all major sources of arsenic loading to Long Lake. The cover system will also eliminate the pathway for transport of leaching tailings to human and ecological receptors by limiting the infiltration of water into the waste.
How aggregates will be hauled to the site
The rehabilitation approach for the project was originally presented to the public in 2017 as part of the Class Environmental Assessment for Activities of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines under the Mining Act (PDF, amended 2018).
The construction of the impoundment and cover will require a significant quantity of aggregates, topsoil and other material.
In 2017, we proposed that all aggregate be hauled from an off-site source using an existing network of public roads along the southside of Long Lake. Several concerns were raised by the public about the volume of haul traffic on Long Lake Road, Tilton Lake Road, Wavy Trail, and Lakes End Road. In response to these concerns, we voluntarily withdrew the 2017 Notice of Completion to review alternative access routes and aggregate sources.
The project has since evolved to include alternative aggregate sources closer to the project area. This will reduce the quantity of aggregate that will be hauled on public roads.
Although we explored alternatives to the access road, the network of roads on the south side of Long Lake remains the preferred option for site access. The results of the alternatives analysis and revised Class EA were presented to the public in October 2019 and the Notice of Completion posted on the Environmental Registry (ERO 019-8115).
We received multiple Part II Order requests, all related to safety concerns associated with the access road and impacts to residences along the haul route. We have since completed additional investigations to ensure that concerns related to the road are adequately addressed and considered.
2023 Project updates
The preferred rehabilitation strategy for the Long Lake Gold Mine Project remains the same as what was originally proposed in 2017. This includes the construction of an impoundment area and consolidating all material that contribute to the arsenic loading to Long Lake within the impoundment.
Road improvement work
Access to the mine will be provided by an existing network of public roads located along the southeast side of Long Lake, including:
- Long Lake Road
- Tilton Lake Road
- Wavy Trail
- Lakes End Road
- the site access road
Road improvements are needed to facilitate access by heavy equipment and increased vehicle traffic on public roads.
We have retained a consultant to complete technical studies and to prepare the detailed design of the road improvements. The improvements will include:
- tree and vegetation clearing
- trimming back of rock cuts
- relocating six existing utility poles
- replacing or installing guide rails
- replacing or installing new signs
The upgrades will improve sight line distances and make the road safer for both local and construction traffic.
The proposed road improvements were presented to stakeholders along the access road route on November 21, 2023.
Aggregate sources and truck haulage on public roads
To reduce the haulage of trucks on public roads, we have obtained permits under the Aggregate Resources Act to operate two aggregate pits located closer to the site, the Wavy Trail Pit and Crown Pit.
The Crown Pit is situated along the mine access road, approximately 1 kilometre northeast of the mine. The material extracted from the Crown Pit will be used to support the remediation.
The Wavy Trail Pit (Permit ID 6473) is situated approximately 3 kilometres northeast from the project site. The pit was acquired by the ministry in 2022. Aggregate material extracted from the Wavy Trail Pit will be used for the road improvement construction. We have proposed to amend the existing permit of the Wavy Trail Pit to operate as a quarry.
Using aggregate sources closer to the mine site will:
- minimize the haulage of material on public roads
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicular traffic
- minimize wildlife-vehicle interactions
Environmental impacts associated with these two aggregate pits have been assessed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in accordance with the Aggregate Resources Act and the Class EA for Resource Stewardship and Facility Development Projects (PDF). They are excluded from this Class EA.
Project timelines
The road improvement work is anticipated to start in 2024 and take two construction seasons to complete.
The rehabilitation activities are anticipated to begin in 2025 and take three construction seasons.
Proponent
Ministry of Mines
Location
Eden Township, Sudbury District
Type
Bulletin
Reference number
Environmental Registry of Ontario number: 019-8115
Contact
Michaela Haring, Environmental Planner
Ministry of Mines
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 6B5
Email: Michaela.Haring2@ontario.ca
Notice of completion
The undertaking has been assessed as a Category C project, in accordance with the Class Environmental Assessment for Activities of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines under the Mining Act (PDF, amended 2018).
You are invited to provide any new information or concerns related to this project by March 4, 2024. To get a copy of the project documentation, receive additional information, or to submit new concerns regarding the project, contact:
Michaela Haring, Environmental Planner
Ministry of Mines
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 6B5
Email: Michaela.Haring2@Ontario.ca
After March 4, 2024 , if we are satisfied that there are no outstanding concerns, the project will be implemented as planned without notice. This notice was issued on January 30, 2024.
Request for a higher level of study
A request may be made to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) for an order requiring:
- a higher level of study (such as requiring an individual or comprehensive environmental assessment approval before being able to proceed)
- that conditions be imposed (for example, to require further studies)
The request can only be made on the grounds that the requested order may prevent, mitigate or remedy adverse impacts on constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights. Requests on other grounds will not be considered. Requests should specify:
- what kind of order is being requested (request for conditions or a request for an individual or comprehensive environmental assessment)
- how an order may prevent, mitigate, or remedy potential adverse impacts on Aboriginal and treaty rights
- any information in support of the statements in the request
This will ensure that the ministry is able to efficiently begin reviewing the request.
Requests should be sent to both of the following contacts by mail or email. Include the requester’s contact information and full name. Requests must be sent or received by November 28, 2023.
Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks
777 Bay Street, 5th Floor
Toronto Ontario
M7A 2J3
Email: minister.mecp@ontario.ca
Director, Environmental Assessment Branch
Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks
135 St. Clair Avenue West, 1st Floor
Toronto Ontario
M4V 1P5
Email: EABDirector@ontario.ca
You must also send a copy of the request to the Ministry of Mines by mail or email:
Michaela Haring, Environmental Planner
Mine Rehabilitation Section
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 6B5
Email: Michaela.Haring2@ontario.ca
Your privacy
Personal information you provide in a submission (such as your name, address, and telephone number) and your views and opinions are being collected by the ministry under the authority of the Environmental Assessment Act for the purpose of engaging in public consultation and making decisions regarding the project.
Your personal information may also be shared with the Environmental Approvals Branch of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservations and Parks. The collection, use, and disclosure of this information are all governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Questions about the collection of this information should be directed to:
Michaela Haring, Environmental Planner
Mine Rehabilitation Section
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 6B5
Email: Michaela.Haring2@ontario.ca
Statement of completion
We have completed our assessment for the Long Lake Gold Mine Rehabilitation Project and access road improvements.
The abandoned Long lake Gold Mine (AMIS 05292) is located at the south end of Long Lake, in Eden Township, Sudbury District, approximately 6 kilometres south of the City of Greater Sudbury limits.
The objective of the project is to reduce arsenic concentrations in the south basin of Long Lake to below the drinking water standard of 10 micrograms per liter.
Rehabilitation approach
To rehabilitate, we will construct an impoundment and consolidate all tailings, waste rock and contaminated soils that contribute to the arsenic loading to Long Lake within the impoundment.
We will cover the consolidated tailings and contaminated materials by an impermeable liner and a vegetative cover to prevent surface water infiltration, oxidation and transport.
We will provide access to the mine by an existing network of public roads located along the southeast side of Long Lake. The network of roads includes:
- Long Lake Road
- Tilton Lake Road
- Wavy Trail Road
- Lakes End Road
- the site access road
We will complete road improvements to facilitate access by heavy equipment and increased vehicular traffic on the public roads. The upgrades aim to improve sight line distances and make the road safer for local and construction traffic.
We assessed this undertaking as a Category C, in accordance with the Class Environmental Assessment for Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Activities under the Mining Act (Class EA).
Consultation
Notice of opportunity
We posted a Notice of Opportunity to Provide Input Bulletin Notice on the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR 012-3676) on March 6, 2015 and promoted it on the Ministry of Mines Class EA webpage. We supported the notice with a description of the project.
We provided all parties consulted an opportunity to provide input and express concerns related to the project over a 30-day comment period.
We considered all comments received during the Notice of Opportunity to Provide Input consultation period and incorporated into the project documentation.
Notice of completion
We posted the Notice of Completion for this project as a bulletin notice on the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR 013-1273) on August 17, 2017 and on the Ministry of Mines Class EA webpage.
We voluntarily withdrew the 2017 Notice of Completion to address concerns raised by the public regarding the volume of haul trucks on public roads. In response, we explored the feasibility of alternative access road routes and the extraction of aggregate material close to the project site.
We posted the revised Notice of Completion as a bulletin notice on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO 019-0488) on October 8, 2019. At the time, we received 18 Part II Order requests from members of the public, with concerns related to safety on public roads. As a result, we procured additional investigations to ensure that we adequately assessed and considered the concerns related to safety on public roads.
We posted the Notice of Completion and project documentation for the current project as a bulletin notice on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO 019- 8115) on January 30, 2024 and on the Ministry of Mines Class EA webpage.
We notified government representatives and agencies, stakeholders, Indigenous communities and members of the public who have previously expressed interest in this project about the notice via email.
The Notice of Completion comment period concluded on March 4, 2024.
Comments
We received comments from the public from 5 individuals over the 30-day comment period. We also received letters of support from 2 stakeholder groups.
Comments and concerns provided by the public:
- concern related to the protection of wetlands, streams and other water features during the road improvement work and operation of the 2 aggregate pits
- question related to the anticipated traffic volume on public roads associated with both haul trucks and personnel vehicles
- concern related to the road design and safety at the location of 2 curves on Tilton Lake Road
- the potential for impacts to the Eden Township Forest Reserve associated with the use of the Crown pit and inventory of trees to be removed as part of the project
- concern related to impacts to pedestrians on Tilton Lake Road due to the increase in traffic and the proposed road safety improvement work
- question related to the survey efforts completed for species at risk and other wildlife assessments
- question related to notification of residences prior to blasting activities and what measures will be completed to protect properties during the road improvement work
We addressed these comments and concerns as part of the Class EA.
There were also concerns received from the public related to the 2 ministry-owned aggregate pits, the long-term use of the pits and clarification regarding the Aggregate Resource Act (ARA) permitting process. The pits were excluded from our Class EA because environmental effects, consultation and decisions related to the pits are overseen by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) through the ARA process and the MNRF Class EA for Resource Stewardship and Facility Development Projects (PDF). Including the pits as part of our Class EA would result in duplication with other legislation, planning or approval processes.
MNRF indicated that they had no new concerns related to the project.
MECP also provided input related to environmental monitoring and mitigation measures for:
- noise
- air quality
- soil
- surface water and groundwater
We incorporated all input received from MECP into the project documentation.
The Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism (MCM) advised that the Archaeological Assessment and Heritage Impact Assessment that was ongoing at the time of the Notice of Completion should be completed during the current phase of the Class EA. We have since received the results from the studies and have updated the project documentation accordingly.
There were no comments or concerns received that warranted additional investigations or that would impact the project as it is currently planned.
We have met our Category C project requirements as described in the Class EA. We will proceed with the project as described in the project documentation.
Dated March 20, 2024
[Original Signed by]
Marc Stewart
Senior Manager, Mine Rehabilitation Section
Ministry of Mines
Sudbury, Ontario