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Tailings issue halts Red Lake mill production

Elevated ammonia levels at a mine tailings facility in Red Lake caused Rubicon Minerals to halt mill operations at its new Phoenix Gold Mine. The company reported it was ordered by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on Sept.
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Elevated ammonia levels at a mine tailings facility in Red Lake caused Rubicon Minerals to halt mill operations at its new Phoenix Gold Mine.

Elevated ammonia levels at a mine tailings facility in Red Lake caused Rubicon Minerals to halt mill operations at its new Phoenix Gold Mine.

The company reported it was ordered by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on Sept. 30 to temporarily suspend mill operations to treat elevated ammonia levels, discharge water from the tailings management facility and upgrade the facility.

The Toronto-based miner also announced that president Michael Lalonde has left the company. Michael Winship, a company director, is taking over on an interim basis. He’s held numerous executive level and operational positions including as chief operating officer at Quadra FNX Mining and serving as general manager of the Campbell Mine in Red Lake for then-mine operator Placer Dome.

"The Rubicon management team and the board of directors take these matters seriously and are committed to operating at the highest environmental standards,” said Winship in a Oct. 5 news release.

"We have made progress towards treating the elevated ammonia levels in the effluent and have made it a priority to resolve these issues in a timely manner.”

The company said it’s been using “alternative technologies to address the ammonia levels” and has made progress in treating the effluent. Upgrades to the tailings facility is in progress to be completed by mid-November.

All underground construction and development activities are continuing unabated. Mineralized material is being stockpiled on surface until the mill restarts.