In a remote region northeast of Yellowknife, mine closure requires more than technical execution—it depends on protecting water, supporting long-term environmental recovery, and planning for a sustainable future. Working with the MetNuna team, closure and remediation activities at the Snap Lake Mine were supported through engineering and environmental services. Today, the collaboration continues with Det'on Cho Environmental, providing geotechnical expertise and environmental management and monitoring services that support the site's post-closure objectives.
Working with De Beers and northern partners, the project supports commitments to reduce water impacts and promote long-term biodiversity. This has included regulatory guidance, environmental and risk assessments, design updates, remediation oversight, and construction quality assurance. To support planning, a sitewide high-resolution mapping program was completed using a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system, providing accurate baseline data within one week and achieving vertical accuracy of less than three centimetres (one inch) across the site.
Meeting closure objectives has required updates to the mine’s water licence, including water-quality modeling, effluent criteria evaluations, and refinements to the closure and reclamation plan. The project team also continues to support engagement with community partners and other interested parties throughout the amendment process.
On site, Det’on Cho Environmental and project partners are working together to complete geotechnical and environmental monitoring required under the final closure and reclamation plan, associated management plans, and the closure water licence. Using integrated digital field tools, data is collected on water, air quality, wildlife, vegetation, soil, geotechnical stability, and the surveillance network program across the site.
Through collaboration among De Beers, MetNuna, Det’on Cho Environmental, and community partners, this project is helping to return Snap Lake to a stable, productive northern landscape. The work supports long-term environmental stewardship, informed decision-making, and a closure approach shaped by the realities of the North and the priorities of those connected to the land.
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