In 2007, after consultation with stakeholders, including the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the mining industry, Indigenous organizations and communities in the major mining regions of the province, the Government of Saskatchewan passed The Reclaimed Industrial Sites Act and its associated regulations to establish and enforce the IC Program. The program establishes a formal process for transferring decommissioned mining and milling properties to provincial responsibility. This transfer can occur once remediation has been completed and a period of monitoring has shown the properties to be safe, secure and stable/improving.
In preparation for the final release of the remaining properties, Cameco prepared a Final Closure Report describing the conditions on the former Beaverlodge properties. In addition, Cameco developed a monitoring program to be implemented as part of the IC Program. This included developing a physical inspection program and a fish and water monitoring program.
The physical inspection program provides a description of the relevant areas and a summary of the key aspects of the decommissioned Beaverlodge properties that will require future inspection as part of the IC Program. The physical inspection field guide provides detailed information regarding the inspection requirements for the field team conducting the inspection. This guide was reviewed and accepted by the CNSC, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, and Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources.
A long-term monitoring program (LTMP) to evaluate fish and water quality was developed in 2023. This included a technical evaluation of more than 40 years of monitoring data to support the development of a program to monitor long-term trends in surface water and fish quality after all the Beaverlodge properties have been released to the IC Program. The objectives of the evaluation were to define monitoring that would confirm long-term water quality trends continue to recover as expected and provide information to support the eventual removal of the healthy fish consumption guideline and drinking water advisories. The development of the LTMP also included feedback received from local communities, rights-holders and other stakeholders gathered during engagement activities regarding sample locations, as well as the type and frequency of monitoring data to be gathered.
Feedback provided by local land-users regarding areas used for conducting traditional activities guided decisions around road closures and signage to be posted once the properties are transferred to the IC Program.
See the attached documents below for additional information:
Beaverlodge Final Closure Report