Rio Algom Limited & Denison Mines Inc. Community Newsletter 2018

The Art of Mining: Shaping the Mine of the Future

As described on PwC Canada’s Prizes are awarded to the top three part of a decommissioned site that means to help fund the company’s website: ‘The art of mining is a winners: a financial donation to a contains the tailings from 35 years next generation of uranium mining photography competition that charity or community program as of active uranium mining in the in the Athabasca Basin region in aims to highlight the positive im- determined by the winning com- region, and is an example of how northern Saskatchewan. pact the mining community is de- pany. In a reception held at the Art Denison’s Environmental Servic- Although our photo was not the livering across the world’. In 2017, Gallery of Ontario, 700 attendees es (“DES”) division takes pride in grand prize winner, it was an hon- the second year of this annual con- enjoyed an exclusive art exhibition achieving engineering in balance our to have been selected as a final- test, the theme was ‘How is your of the 22 finalists’ photo entries. with nature. Faced with historical- ist along with a number of mining organization transforming the face In December 2016 Denison Mines ly low uranium prices, Denison has giants – Goldcorp Inc., BHP, IAM- of mining through diversity and requested pictures from all of their taken an innovative view of turn- GOLD Corporation, Kinross Gold innovation?’ Prior to the annual operations across Canada for an in- ing its historic mining liabilities in Corporation, Lundin Mining Cor- Prospectors & Developers Associa- ternal contest and the photo cho- Elliot Lake into an asset – relying poration as well as Agnico Eagle tion of Canada (PDAC) convention, sen to represent Denison at the art on the “resourcefulness” of its staff Mines Limited, the grand prize win- Canadian mining companies, were exhibition was a view of Dam 10 at DES to care for its own decom- ner who received a $10,000 dona- invited to submit a photo based on at the former Denison Mine site missioned sites and serve others in tion to their community program this theme. in Elliot Lake. Denison’s Dam 10 is the Canadian mining industry as a or charity of their choice.

Denison Dam 10 Pg 2

New Faces at Denison Christopher Massicotte ET – Allison Armstrong, BA Hon- Environmental Services Environmental Technician. Chris ours – Junior Environmental Sci- joined our team mid-2016 as a post entist. Allison accepted a full time 2016 and 2017 saw multiple Sandy Ibbitson – Occupational graduate with honors in Environ- position at DES in September 2017. changes for the workforce of Deni- Health and Safety Coordinator. mental Technician, Protection and Previously Allison was one of our son Environmental Services (DES) Sandy returned to the DES team Compliance. Chris is a welcome ad- summer students, from 2014-2016, Elliot Lake. DES continues to pro- in the summer of 2017 to provide dition to the Environmental team, acting in the role of Environmental vide a diverse team of profession- health and safety expertise for DES providing Care & Maintenance Assistant while she worked toward als with a dynamic vision for the workers at our sites across Canada. 24/7 of the closed mines sites in her BA Honours in Geography and future. We are proud to introduce Sandy is also available to provide Elliot Lake. Environmental Studies at the Uni- the following additions to our El- training for employees of business- versity of Ottawa. Allison has con- liot Lake team. es and organizations in communi- Jason Charette – Operations. siderable field experience and will ties both near and far from Elliot Jason started with our Denison Op- be working in Elliot Lake as sup- Janet Lowe B.Sc. - General Man- Lake. The training opportunities in- erations division in January 2017. port for our Projects division. ager. Janet has functioned as an clude First Aid/AED/CPR A&C, Fit Initially hired to provide support Operations Executive and/or as a testing and Basic training for Joint as an A-Z truck driver, Jason has technical expert in Environmental Health & Safety Parts 1 and 2. achieved his license as a Pesticide Permitting and First Nations Con- Exterminator for Industrial Vegeta- sultation. Janet has strong tech- Hélène McLean – Finance Man- tion – 2009 and now leads our Op- nical and business qualifications ager. Hélène brings 16 years of fi- erations group in controlling site with over 25 years of hands-on ex- nancial and administrative expe- vegetation on dams and roadways. perience in business development rience in Project Administration, and management. Project Management, budgeting and Financial Control. Adam Cecchetto B.Sc. (EV) EP – Environmental Scientist. Adam Stephane Desjardins ET – brings 14 years of experience Environmental Technician. Steph working in the environmental field. joined our team in the spring of Adam’s diverse experience in mine 2017. Steph’s training in Environ- permitting, closure planning, mine mental Management and as an En- site environmental operations and vironmental Technician make him permitting along with Governmen- a valuable asset to the Environmen- tal and First Nations consultation tal group, providing Care & Main- provides new possibilities for the tenance 24/7 of the closed mines future of DES. sites in Elliot Lake. 2017 Mine Tours: Photo by Ann Paton, BHP Eric Drouin – Operations. Eric Simon Xian P.Eng. – Sr. Project joined our Electrical Division in Engineer. Simon brings 21 years Mine Tours February 2017. He is a 3rd Year of strength as a professional Envi- s part of the annual “Uranium Electrical Apprentice and is a valu- ronmental and Chemical engineer A In 2017, each day the tour bus Heritage Days”, Rio Algom Lim- able asset to the DES team. Eric has with experience and skills in per- was full of engaged and interested ited (RAL) and Denison Mines Inc. also achieved his Computer Engi- formance analysis for environmen- guests from a wide variety of age (DMI) partner to sponsor and host neering Technology Diploma and tal and operational excellence, stra- groups. public bus tours of the decom- provides IT services to the DES di- tegic planning, project and process A special thanks to Darla Hen- missioned mines sites and tailings vision of Denison Mines. development as well as regulatory nessey and her crew at the Elliot auditing, quality control and scope management areas. Tours are host- Lake Nuclear and Mining Museum of work design. ed by representatives of both RAL for efficiently coordinating these and DMI. tours on our behalf! Community Interaction with Closed Mine Sites

Submitted by Marg Reckahn, Penokean Hills Field Naturalists

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Small Projects in Nordic History Elliot Lake membrane roof coating at the Pan- The Nordic tailings management mately 107 hectares. Nordic Main el treatment plant. area (TMA) is located approximate- is approximately 1,500 m long by ly 7 km east of the City of Elliot 600 m wide and was constructed lthough it may not be as evident DES performed flocculant testing A Lake. The Nordic mine operated using mine waste embankments. to Elliot Lake residents, it has been and resin testing at the Stanleigh from 1957 to 1968 and the Nor- Nordic West Arm is approximately a busy two years for Denison En- treatment plant in an effort to op- dic mill produced approximately 1,000 m long by 100 m wide. vironmental Services (DES) in El- timize treatment. Additionally, we 12 million tonnes of tailings. Tail- liot Lake. In addition to our Care provided data for a radiation pub- The Nordic TMA was successfully ings were deposited to the Nordic & Maintenance contract with BHP, lic dose survey by sampling City revegetated in the late 1970’s. In TMA which is composed of two ar- DES completed and participated drinking water and measuring the 1998-1999 tailings containment eas (Nordic Main and Nordic West in various other projects on the radiation dose that would be re- structures and precipitation man- Arm) with a total area of approxi- closed mine sites. These projects ceived from walking on the closed agement facilities were upgraded. included improvements to aging mine sites in the area. facilities and equipment, tests of Another larger project that DES water treatment alternatives and completed was the fabrication of a improvements to enhance the safe- working platform at the top of the ty of our workers. Nordic plant lime slurry tank. The The largest project was the com- platform was engineered locally, plete retrofit of the Quirke effluent parts fabricated at our shop and treatment plant (ETP). Details are then welded in place at the Nor- highlighted in the following article, dic plant. The platform allows for Quirke ETP Renovation, on page 7. workers to safely access the top of Other projects included provi- the lime slurry tank for inspection sion of ice auger operators and and regular washing of the tank snowmobiles for a winter water contents. sampling program, repairs to the A final project that was started in Quirke transformer station switch 2016 was the provision of work- gear, dye testing of the Quirke ef- ers and a boat for a bathymetric fluent water as it enters the Ser- survey of the tailings and treated pent River and application of a water settling ponds at the BHP closed mine sites. This project was completed in 2017. Nordic Buckles Tailings Management Area This included placing layers of rock and till in areas of the West Arm to improve vegetation growth. Current activities at the site in- clude seasonal water treatment through a lime treatment plant, re- moval of vegetation from site dams, inspections of the cover and facil- ity conditions, and environmental monitoring. The site complies with all environmental regulations and licences and has been an excel- lent example of mine closure done Quirke ETP Before Quirke ETP After right in Ontario. Pg 4 Pg 5 Know the Hazards SR18 Access at Your Own Risk Sites are rugged with boulders, protruding objects, covered mine openings and uneven ground conditions. Removal of any materials from these sites is strictly prohibited. Exercise caution and restrict your travel to marked trails and routes.

Rio Algom Consider your own level of fitness and the limitations of the equipment that you are using. Visitors should be aware of wildlife including bears and should always keep their dogs on leash while visiting the sites. E 405000 5156000 N Quarries - unstable rocks Unsafe ice conditions

639 Serpent River Watershed

Q09 Monitoring Program Cycle 4 D5 October 2015 Q20 SR01 D4 D6

Surface mine openings Heavy equipment on roads 108

DS18

SR06

SR19 M01

Beaver Activities Steep sloping dams

SC01 Legend Public Roads. Railway. Limit of Mine Properties.

SR08 Tailings Management Areas (TMA). Exposure Lakes (included in SRWMP). Reference Lakes (included in SRWMP). Water Sample Location (Exposure). 108 Water Sample Location (Reference). Flowing water Herbicide applications along routes Direction of flow. Exterior limit of the Serpent River Watershed.

CITY OF ELLIOT LAKE

- Produced under Licence with the Ministry of Natural TOWNSHIP OF THE NORTH SHORE Resources (MNR) © Queens Printer for Ontario, 2015. - The watershed as shown is courtesy of the MNR. 108 TOWN OF - No endorsement by this Ministry or the Ontario PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES Government is implied by the use of their mapping SPANISH products. - Additional mapping was provided by The City of Elliot N ovemb Lake Engineering Department.

17 5118000 N 359000 E 359000 HCR

HCR

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY CALL:705-461-0466 File: \2005\205-018\srwmp\2015\srwmp2015-2

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Emergency Response Radiation Exposure for Hikers

Denison Environmental Services cy conditions that could occur at All of the closed uranium mine tion detectors, drinking water tests (DES) plans for emergencies so a dam, and prescribes procedures sites in the Serpent River Water- and fish tests. The results showed we can respond appropriately and to follow to minimize the potential shed have undergone decommis- that the incremental dose from ra- effectively to emergencies or situ- for property damage. Ideally, the de- sioning and reclamation, and are diation for a member of the public, ations which have the potential sign, construction, operation, main- currently in their post-closure spending an assumed 200 hours on to occur with local dams. DES is tenance, and inspection of dams phase. Denison Environmental Ser- a TMA is about 0.016 mSv/year. In responsible to plan, prepare and are all intended to minimize the vices (DES) has been overseeing comparison, the effective radiation respond to a safety emergency risk of dam failures. Despite the their care and maintenance for en- dose limit for the public is 1 mSv/ involving a dam that we own or adequacy of these programs, rare vironmental protection and public year under Canadian regulation. maintain. and unique situations may develop safety. A significant part of the post- that may result in dam failure. closure phase is radiation monitor- It had been over a decade since the Most dam safety activities fall with- ing for the safety of the public and last radiation survey was conduct- in the normal day-to-day responsi- It is prudent for dam ‘owners’ to the workers. ed. Therefore new data was collect- bility of DES, as part of our routine develop and maintain an EAP so ed to update the incremental pub- monitoring and dam surveillance that emergency measures can be Uranium mine tailings and mineral- lic radiation dose. In 2016, several program. Minor defects in appear- initiated that could prevent or min- ized waste rocks have to be man- components of the radiation moni- ance are observed and recorded. imize the consequences to life and aged over a long period of time toring program were completed. Since the consequences of a dam property. Every year DES updates, because they often contain radio- This included quarterly site specific failure could be significant, all -ef discusses and plans EAPs. Table active material like thorium and radiation surveys of public walking forts are made to prevent minor top exercises provide a practical radium along with their associated trails (radon and direct Gamma), events from developing into cata- check list of procedures to follow, decay products. During reclama- analysis of radionuclides in drink- strophic failure. If there is any in case of disaster. We discuss criti- tion of the Elliot Lake mine sites, ing water and a community survey. doubt as to whether a particular cal procedures and planning docu- the tailings were covered either by The survey was conducted to de- change in appearance or minor de- ments needed to ensure every di- water or vegetation to minimize termine the time a representative fect could become dangerous, they saster scenario has been covered, radiation exposure and the gener- person spent hiking on the mining are acted upon immediately. with key personnel discussing ation of acids. On some sites, the properties as well as information simulated scenarios in an informal water in tailings management ar- about their consumption of fish on DES has developed Emergency setting. eas (TMAs) continues to be treated local lakes. A report is currently un- Action Plans (EAPs) for all of our with barium chloride to minimize derway to update the recent pub- closed mine sites in Elliot Lake. An For more information on DES’s radium levels in the water. Radium lic dose estimation using the data EAP is a formal but simple plan emergency response, contact our decays into radon gas, and thus it collected in 2016. that identifies potential emergen- office at 705-848-9191. is important to keep radium levels as low as possible. Water samples The 2016 survey numbers thus far continue to be collected and test- indicate that it is completely safe ed regularly to ensure radium lev- to hike at the closed mine sites in- els do not exceed regulatory limits cluding the TMA’s. However, hik- set by the Canadian Nuclear Safety ers (especially with dogs) and oth- Commission (CNSC). Despite these er recreational visitors also have a control measures, it should be not- responsibility to minimize their ex- ed that radiation levels at the TMAs posure to radiation and other haz- are a bit higher compared to most ards by ensuring that they other areas in Elliot Lake. Continued on page 7 To assess public radiation exposure following reclamation in late 1990s and early 2000s, data was collected Road Wash Out from walking surveys with radia- Pg 7

Radiation view the structural integrity of the tailings to prevent any contam- For more information on site safety, Exposure the plant and support operational ination. Tailings are a type of waste contact our office at Continued from page 6 review. This review’s intent was from the mining industry. When a 705-848-9191. to improve ease of maintenance mineral product was mined, the DO NOT: as well as secondary containment valuable portion was embedded Take Time to •Approach water bodies in TMAs and to allow for an upgrade of the in ore. Once the ore was stripped Read the Signs •Allow their dogs to play in or near electrical system to current code of its valuable minerals, tailings water bodies in TMAs compliance. This renovation work remained. Tailings can reach im- •Remove any vegetation, soil or does not alter the basic treatment mense proportions, appearing in rocks from the TMAs process (e.g. treatment rate, lime the form of large hills or deposited •Damage any dams, dykes, tailings or barium chloride addition) nor within ponds on the landscape. vegetation cover or other struc- treatment performance, but will Water is collected and processed tures. ATVs, snowmobiles, etc. are improve safety of operations. through a water treatment plant prohibited on sites to prevent such to remove contaminants and the damages. Renovations included a new auto- resulting effluent must meet regu- mated programmable logic con- lated quality requirements before it troller (PLC), interior secondary is permitted to be discharged into Quirke ETP containment, replacement of the the environment. Be Aware of Dangers Renovation roof, siding and insulation, exte- rior concentrated lime tank steel Hunters and those who have breeched the gates on snow ma- he Quirke Effluent Treatment cladding, barium chloride tank re- T chines or ATVs will be escorted Plant ETP is located 15 km north placement, electrical upgrades and from site. It is prohibited to hunt of Elliot Lake. The 192 ha TMA is the addition of a propane backup or to drive motorized recreational located within an east-west trend- heater. vehicles on the sites because once ing bedrock valley with a number you leave the roads on the site, you of dams in topographic low areas will never know if you are travel- providing containment for 46 mil- Site Safety ling on trails or over tailings cov- lion tonnes of tailings and waste Mine Sites are Private Properties ered with vegetation. The vegeta- rock. At the entrance to every site tion acts as a protective cover over owned by Denison Mines (DMI) Surface water from the facility is the tailings and if disturbed by rec- there are warning signs. Please treated with lime and barium chlo- reational vehicles, the tailings be- read the signs posted on or at all ride at the outlet of the eastern come exposed to the environment gates to the sites. We want you to basin and released to a series of and to people who pass over that know what you may encounter if settling ponds for removal of sol- area. That waterbody you see isn’t you choose to park and/or walk ids prior to final discharge to the a lake you can fish in, it is likely a at the sites. Remember, these are Serpent River. tailings area with a water cover. not just big open spaces. These are Construction at sites: Site closed Rio Algom Limited (RAL) con- closed mine sites, with Tailings Man- Remember, what is behind those structed the existing Quirke Ef- agement Areas (TMAs) covered by gates are work sites. You may en- fluent Treatment Plant during the vegetation or water, and licensed counter beaver traps, transports time of mine expansion in the ear- under the Canadian Nuclear Safety full of lime, barium being moved ly 1980s. While the plant operates Commission (CNSC). from one plant to another and/or reliably and consistently achieves trucks with environmental tech- TMAs use geographical features and discharge criteria, the facility was nicians ensuring water treatment. man-made barriers such as dams to aging and in need of a renovation. Please think twice before stepping contain the tailings. They are de- onto the Denison sites. RAL retained the services of an signed to ensure that groundwater engineering firm in 2014 to- re and surface water is diverted from No Parking Areas Keeping in touch You are invited to keep in touch and stay informed about Denison Mines and Rio Algom’s activities in the Serpent River Watershed. Each summer the Nuclear and Mining Museum organizes tours of the mine sites as part of the Uranium Heritage Days Pg 8 festivities (Thank You Darla Hennessey!). If you prefer written material, our newsletter is published annually in the Standard and our technical reports on the Serpent River Watershed are available at the Elliot Lake library or by contacting either Ian Ludgate or Debbie Berthelot. Keeping in Touch If your group or organization is interestedResponse in a presentation Form on our activities or would like to arrange a group tour of our sites, please complete the response form below. You are invited to keep in touch and stay informed about Deni- son Mines (DMI) and Rio Algom’s (RAL) activities in the Serpent Riv- er Watershed. Each summer the Nuclear and Mining Museum or- ganizes tours of the mine sites as part of the Uranium Heritage Days festivities (Thank You Darla Hen- nessey!). Annually, both DMI and We’d like to hear your thoughts about RAL provide a public presentation We’d like your thoughts about our Elliot Lake Closed Mine Site to Elliot Lake Council. If you prefer performanceour performance in the in operation,the operation, care care Operation, Care and Maintenance written material, our newsletter is and maintenance ofof ourour closed closed mine mine published annually in the Standard sites. PleasePlease call call us us or sendor send us aus note. a Question(s): and our technical reports on the note.We’ll respondWe’ll respond as quickly as as quickly possible. as Serpent River Watershed are avail- possible. able at the Elliot Lake library or by contacting either Janet Lowe at Denison Environmental Servic- Cut out this form and use it to mail es or the Site Superintendent at your comments to: Rio Algom Limited. If your group or organization is interested in Debbie Berthelot a presentation on our activities RioReclamation Algom Limited Manager, Elliot Lake I’d like to know more about: or would like to arrange a group Attn: Site Superintendent tour of our sites, please complete Rio Algom Limited the response form on the right. P.O. Box 38 Elliot Lake, Ontario

P5A 2J6 [email protected]@bhpbilliton.com

or Your name and address (please print): IanJanet Ludgate Lowe print): ManagerGeneral Manager Denison Mines Inc. Telephone: 1 Horne Walk, Suite 200 Fax: Elliot Lake, Ontario P5A 2A5 E-mail: iludgate@[email protected] Date: Marsh Boardwalk at Sherriff Creek ThankThank You! You, Photo by Brenda Clark Merci and Miigwetch!