Faro Mine is a former open-pit lead-zinc mine, one of the largest of its kind in the world at approximately 25 square kilometres. It is located in south-central Yukon on the traditional territory of the Kaska Nations, near the town of Faro. Abandoned in 1998, resource extraction led to 70 million tonnes of tailings and 320 million tonnes of waste rock. Care and maintenance work since then has helped to ensure water quality so that environmental standards are met. In 2020, the construction of the North Fork Rose Creek re-alignment and associated contact water collection system was completed. In 2021 additional urgent works to collect contact water and increase water treatment capacity have been completed. Active remediation is expected to begin in 2025 following the successful completion of the Yukon environmental and socio-economic assessment process, and receipt of a water licence from the Yukon Water Board. Remediation is expected to take about 15 years to complete, followed by ongoing testing, maintenance operations and monitoring to make any needed improvements to the site.
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