Key Points
SRC prioritized meaningful engagement through community visits, events and site tours, strengthening collaboration and transparency with Indigenous and northern communities.
Remediation at the Gunnar site progressed with construction of engineered cover systems and environmental monitoring, laying the foundation for long-term site stability and planned completion in 2026.
Ongoing monitoring at Lorado shows strong vegetation establishment and ecosystem recovery, including evidence of a healthy fish population in Nero Lake.
Remediation of smaller Satellite Sites continues to advance, with many completed or nearing completion as SRC prepares additional sites for transfer to long-term institutional monitoring.
For nearly 20 years, the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has led a large-scale remediation project known as Project CLEANS — or Cleanup of Abandoned Northern Sites. Focusing on the remediation of 37 abandoned uranium mine and mill sites of varying sizes and complexity in northern Saskatchewan, the project has celebrated many milestones over the years and continues to move towards completion.
The 2025 field season kept SRC’s Project CLEANS team busy with engaging meetings with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, ongoing remediation efforts and the continued monitoring of recovering ecosystems across these sites in the Athabasca Basin.
Community engagement at the heart of the project
In the summer of 2025, SRC’s Project CLEANS team travelled across northern Saskatchewan, making dedicated stops in Fort Chipewyan, Wollaston Lake, Hatchett Lake, Stony Rapids, Black Lake, Fond du Lac and Uranium City to connect with residents and First Nations leadership.
“These events were a great opportunity for people to hear project updates and ask questions at barbeques and pancake breakfasts hosted by SRC,” said Corey Burgess, a senior advisor on SRC’s Environmental Remediation team, which manages Project CLEANS.
In August, SRC volunteered at Uranium City’s annual fish derby, making pancakes, filleting fish and working the barbeque for supper.
Also that month, SRC hosted a leadership tour of the former Lorado Mine and Mill Site, including participation by Black Lake First Nation and Fond du Lac First Nation leadership, along with representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Energy and Resources.
SRC also invited Ya’thi Néné Lands and Resources, which represents the seven Athabasca Basin communities, to the main Gunnar site for a tour of remediation activities, providing an opportunity for learning, sharing and healing.
“SRC appreciates working and collaborating with local communities to achieve the completion of Project CLEANS,” said Burgess. “Together, we’re building a cleaner, safer and more connected future.”
Gunnar remediation lays groundwork for long-term recovery
Located on the north shore of Lake Athabasca, the Gunnar Mine and Mill Site saw renewed remediation work begin in the winter of 2025. Once the typically swampy areas of the site were built up, the bulk of the work continued over the summer, with crews focusing on constructing a cover system consisting of layered sand. This system will eventually be seeded with native plants. Other work included placing sorted blast rock on the shorelines to protect against erosion and in the engineered channels to manage water.
Ongoing monitoring continued at the remediated portions of the site with regular environmental surveys of the area conducted throughout the summer of 2025.
“In August, SRC completed a formal vegetation survey to assess the growth progress on completed cover systems,” said Vince Zimmer, a project engineer on SRC’s Environmental Remediation team. “We also installed new groundwater wells to support the updated groundwater monitoring network.”
Remediation work will continue in 2026, with project completion targeted for the fall. A follow-up monitoring program for the Gunnar Site is in development and is scheduled for submission to regulators in 2026.
Lorado monitoring shows vegetation success and ecosystem recovery
Remediation of the Lorado Mill Site was completed in 2015 with focused revegetation efforts accomplished the following year. Since then, SRC has continued annual monitoring to assess the site’s progress.
“During the 2025 field season, a vegetation survey of the tailings cover was carried out and reinforced the observation that plant life is establishing well and contributing to surface stability,” said Mike Menzies, a project manager on SRC’s Environmental Remediation team.
Ongoing work continues at Lorado, including hydrological monitoring, sampling, maintenance and inspections in collaboration with provincial and federal regulators.
“One of the most remarkable findings of the 2025 season came from a fish survey conducted on Nero Lake, where an abundant fish population was discovered, providing compelling evidence of a healthy and recovering ecosystem,” said Menzies.
Once Lorado’s long-term stability is confirmed, the project will be transferred to the Saskatchewan Institutional Control Program, ensuring continued monitoring and maintenance for generations to come.
Satellite Sites remediation activities advance toward long-term monitoring
The 35 smaller sites in Project CLEANS are known as Satellite Sites. To date, 28 of these sites have been remediated. Four of these completed sites have been transferred to the Saskatchewan Institutional Control Program, the final stage of the remediation process.
“In 2025, the former Rix Smitty site concluded post-remediation gamma surveys which completed the site remediation. More work was conducted at the former Red Bay mine, including the collection of legacy mine debris. It’s anticipated that site remediation will be complete in 2026,” said Argel Alcobilla, a project coordinator on SRC’s Environmental Remediation team.
Work continues on the remaining sites, including the Nicholson Mine. In 2025, a prime contractor was chosen for remediation activities, which are scheduled to begin in 2026.
“Planning is underway to advance future remediation work, complete reporting requirements and secure regulatory approvals in preparation for transferring additional sites into the Institutional Control Program,” said Alcobilla.
A new year of work ahead for Project CLEANS
With a clear path ahead, the Project CLEANS team is gearing up for another season of community tours, environmental monitoring and remediation activities at the remaining sites in 2026.
As work resumes, SRC is focused on continued collaboration with local Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in northern Saskatchewan and regulatory agencies across the province for another successful year of Project CLEANS.
