Contamination
Mining operations over four decades created a massive environmental liability, a problem which the mine's previous owners left to the Canadian and Northwest Territories governments to sort out. The Giant Mine contains 237,000 t (233,000 long tons; 261,000 short tons) of arsenic trioxide dust produced during the gold roasting process. This dust is water soluble and contains approximately 60% arsenic. The site's 950 ha (2,300 acres) footprint includes 8 open pits, 4 tailing ponds, 325,000 m3 (11,500,000 cu ft) of contaminated soils, and approximately 100 buildings including a roaster/bag house complex that is highly contaminated with arsenic and fibrous asbestos. A $400 million (probably more) taxpayer-funded remediation project is underway. A main aspect of the successful proposed solution, known as the "Frozen Block Alternative," is to permanently freeze the arsenic trioxide storage chambers to keep groundwater seepage out.
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