RE:VG Eagle 2021 - Finally a good hi-res photo with good reliefExactly Husky! The steep slope along the SW lower corner of the pad is ridicuous, and that's before any ore is even stacked on it. What engineer (or aparently multiple engineers) in their right mind believed it was OK to stack cyanide solution bearing ore on that steep of a slope and just above the toe end of the HLP and spillway that's designed to catch and redirect overflow solution to a containment pond below with no risk of a material slide?
There's no specifics as to where exactly the slide started but it would sure make sense that's where it was and that's why only 2 million tons left containment and 2 million stayed on the pad. And somehow this slide is the sole fault of the company and YTG, EMR, Engineers aren't liable? Put VG into receivership, takeover the company and cover it all up.
Why VGs lawyers didn't launch a major civil suit against YTG and the engineers who designed this mine is beyond me. If this isn't a perfect example of gross negligence then I'm not sure what is. as was previously mentioned, only a 1/4 of the pad's phase 1 capacity has been used and this happens. Redesign that toe end of the pad, give up that slope area, stabilize the cliff side and move on. The rest of the pad slope appears more gradual and with some proper care and monitoring is probably doable and mining operations could probably resume.
To sya that regardless of the root cause, VG gold is ultimately responsible is ridiculous. If I was building a house and had to hire an engineer to engineer design a support retaining wall and it was approved by the city and then my house caved in, whatI have no recourse against the engineer ot city authority for approving it, I highly doubt that. JM needs to wake up and get lawyers working on this, even if it means finding a law firm that will take this on on behalf of shareholders and the company on a contingency basis. The Polley mine incident proves that engineers can be held liable for their work so a legal precedent alreay exists.
In my opinion only.
HB77