Elliot Lake

Latest Update

• March 28, 2012: Successfully Reclaiming Old Mining Sites in Northern Ontario
• January 14, 2010: Request for Public Comment - Draft Environmental Assessment Screening Report - The public comment period ends on March 2, 2010.

Uranium mining was initiated in the area of Elliot Lake, Ontario, in the mid-1950s. All of Elliot Lake's uranium mines and mills have now ceased operations.

Decommissioned uranium mines and mills

The Elliot Lake region has 10 uranium tailings sites along with 12 inactive uranium mines, the last of which shut down in 1996. The uranium mine and mill sites have all been decommissioned, but physical structures such as dams, roads and fencing remain.

Current operations consist primarily of site-specific and regional environmental monitoring programs, site maintenance and inspection activities, and the operation of effluent treatment plants. Public access to the uranium tailings sites is restricted and they are secured with fencing and signage.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) licenses the Elliot Lake sites, which are subject to periodic inspections by CNSC staff.

Denison Mines Inc. manages the Denison, Stanrock, and Can-Met mine sites under two uranium mine decommissioning licenses. For more information, see Denison Mines Inc.’s Web site.

Rio Algom Ltd. manages the Quirke, Panel, Stanleigh, Spanish American, Lacnor, Nordic, Buckles, Pronto and Milliken sites under a waste facility operating licence. Most sites are in the immediate vicinity of Elliot Lake, while the Pronto site is about 18 km away.

Located approximately 65 km southwest of Elliot Lake is Cameco Corporation's uranium refining facility in Blind River, Ontario.

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