VANCOUVER, BC – BQE Water Inc. (TSX-V: BQE), a leader in mine water management, is pleased to announce that Elsa Reclamation & Development Company Ltd. (ERDC) has contracted BQE Water to operate their Water Treatment Plant systems in 2026. These systems, which include passive and active water treatment, are located in the Yukon on the traditional territory of the First Nation Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND). Among them is the Valley Tailings Facility (VTF) which BQE Water designed, constructed, and successfully commissioned in 2025.
2026 will mark the first year of the VTF operation as part of the broader consolidation and remediation of the legacy tailings site near the Elsa camp. Other systems are already installed and operating at the legacy sites of Silver King, Galkeno, and Onek in the Keno Hill district.
BQE Water will provide operations services to ERDC with Big River Operations (BRO), a Na-Cho Nyäk Dun citizen-owned company. BQE Water and BRO have already mobilized to site and are expected to continue providing services until October. However, actual requirements and the duration of the water treatment season will depend on the quantity and quality of water entering treatment, which are dependent on climate conditions and the progress of tailings consolidation.
Andrijana (Jani) Djokic, CEO of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun Development Corporation, stated, “Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation is pleased to partner with Big River Operations and BQE Water on this important work at Keno Hill. Through these projects, we’re building the technical capacity and experience that positions our people and our companies to take on greater responsibility in water management across our territory. We’re grateful to ERDC for their continued confidence in working with NNDDC and our partners to ensure water is safe for the people and wildlife that call the traditional territory of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun their home.”
BRO also added, “We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside BQE Water as a subcontractor supporting water treatment operations in the Yukon. Through this working relationship, BQE has contributed to helping build the technical capacity and operational experience of BRO employees within the Yukon mining and water treatment sector. The work has provided valuable hands-on experience in mine water treatment operations, environmental compliance, and treatment system management in the North.”
David Kratochvil, the President & CEO of BQE Water, commented, “This contract represents both continuation and expansion of our presence in the Keno Hill district enabled by several factors including: 1) strong Yukon operations team with experience from Minto and the Eagle emergency response treatment projects, 2) ever closer collaboration between BQE Water and Big River Operations that simultaneously increases the utilization of local indigenous resources and provides long-term talent development opportunities, and 3) partnership with the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation (NNDDC) who continue to provided us with valuable guidance and support in carrying out business activities on the traditional territory of the FNNND.”
About BQE Water
BQE Water is a service provider specializing in water treatment and management for metals mining, smelting and refining. We are helping to transform the way the industry thinks about water in the context of natural resource projects by offering services and expertise which enables more sustainable water management practices and improved overall project performance at reduced risks. BQE Water invests in innovation and has developed unique intellectual property through the commercialization of several new technologies at mine sites around the world for organizations including Glencore, Jiangxi Copper, Freeport-McMoRan and the US EPA. BQE Water is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BQE. Visit www.bqewater.com for more information.
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