(Yellowknife) Approximately 450 million liters of sewage spilled in the Northwest Territories due to a broken Diavik Diamond Mine pipeline.
The spill took place on February 7, but was only reported late last week.
According to the version provided by the Government of the Northwest Territories, the pipeline operators did not believe they were required to report this incident, since the sewage ended up in a retention pond and did not leaked elsewhere.
Government inspectors have also confirmed that the spill is in the tank and that there were no leaks into the environment.
The spill report indicates that the water used in mining operations contains wastewater and mine tailings. The contamination area is 5000 cubic meters.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has asked Diavik to divert and repair the pipeline, in addition to urging that the company address the problem appropriately.
The mine is about 300 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife and is owned by Rio Tinto, a mining giant with headquarters in the UK and Australia.
