Victoria Gold provided an update on the heap leach incident at its Eagle gold mine in Yulon, Canada, saying it no longer sees the potential for significant environmental impacts.

The gold miner noted there had not been any significant material movements on the heap leach facility since the initial incident, something Yukon government experts were worried about.

On June 24, a slide of the ore stacked in the heap leach facility caused ore to spill over the dam at the base of the heap facility at the Eagle gold mine.

In its update, Victoria said it has been sampling water daily from multiple locations at the Eagle mine, including several locations downstream from the heap leach. According to the miner, most downstream samples did not detect cyanide, although there were "trace amounts" of cyanide in the downstream Haggart Creek.

In 7 out of 134 samples, traces of cyanide were detected, ranging from 5.2-9.3ppb WAD cyanide. The maximum cyanide concentration in drinking water is 200ppb, but 5ppb for freshwater aquatic life.

Additionally, Victoria said it is constriction an extra lined water storage on site and has hired independent experts to investigate the cause of the heap leach failure.

Production at the mine remains suspended.

"Victoria will continue to work to minimise impacts to the environment, with the safety of employees as a foremost priority," the company said. "There can be no assurance that the company will receive authorisations necessary to restart production, or that the company will have the financial resources necessary to repair damage to equipment and facilities or remediate impacts caused by the incident or restart production."

Earlier this week, Yukon's premier, Ranj Pillai, condemned the "absence of action" from Victoria Gold. In earlier press briefings, Yukon government officials had already spoken out against the miner's public response. This week's update is the third the company has given since the failure occurred, and its chief executive spoke publicly about the incident for the first time this week.

"It is very unfortunate, and frankly, unhelpful, that the company has been so silent in general, and specifically around the actions that they are taking at the site," deputy minister Lauren Haney said earlier this month.

Last week, Yukon's government hired contractors to construct a berm to prevent contamination from reaching surface water, which should take about two weeks to complete. However, the government emphasised that Victoria still has responsibility for the site. Yukon had already made it clear that it was ready to step in to complement or supplement to protect the safety of people and the environment if the miner failed to do so.

Despite Victoria Gold's confidence that major danger has passed, experts working with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun have warned that the worst is yet to come as contaminated groundwater spreads from the site towards nearby Haggart Creek. A sample from Haggart Creek shortly after the incident showed 0.04mg/l, or 40ppb, of cyanide, which "could potentially affect fish", according to the Yukon government.

The most recent water monitoring by the government at eight surface water sites and three groundwater sites downstream from the mine has already shown an increase of cyanide in the water.

The Na-Cho Nyäk Dun have called for an immediate halt of all mining activity on its traditional lands following the disaster.