Midas Gold said an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent (ASAOC) agreement issued by the Environmental Protection Agency enables it to "voluntarily" address environmental conditions without inheriting liability and without impacts for its Stibnite gold project's permitting schedule.

"For decades, ground and surface water at Stibnite have suffered from elevated levels of arsenic and antimony," said Laurel Sayer, chief executive of Midas Gold Corp. and Midas Gold Idaho. "Yet, because the problems stem from historic mining activity, there are no responsible parties left to address the issues at hand. While we did not cause the problems impacting water quality today, we have always been clear on our intentions to be a part of the solution."

The first phase of the ASAOC, which is designed to significantly improve water quality over the next four years, will include the removal of at least 325,000 tonnes of historical mine waste from problematic locations, and water diversion projects.

The second and third phases would entail a comprehensive and site-wide clean-up of legacy features and waste, said the company, noting that these will go ahead if the Stibnite gold project receives permission to proceed with mining under the National Environmental Policy Act.

"Water quality in the Stibnite Mining District has been a known problem for decades. As the closest community to the site, I can tell you that cleanup is long overdue," said Willie Sullivan, Yellow Pine resident and board member of the Yellow Pine Water Users Association.

"This agreement between the EPA and Midas Gold is the first meaningful step toward real improvements in water quality conditions for the East Fork South Fork Salmon River and downstream communities like Yellow Pine."