Court-appointed receiver renews BQE Water’s role at troubled Eagle Mine

BQE Water (TSX-V: BQE) signed a contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the court-appointed receiver of Victoria Gold, to operate water treatment at the Eagle Gold Mine during the first half of 2026. The company, known for its expertise in treating mine-impacted waters, will continue the same scope of services performed in 2025.

BQE Water, headquartered in Vancouver, specializes in water treatment and management for metals mining, smelting, and refining.

The primary objective is to manage contaminated water on site during and after the 2026 spring freshet using the treatment system installed in 2024. BQE Water will monitor effluent water quality using key performance indicators developed and implemented successfully in 2025.

In a collaborative effort, BQE Water will deliver services alongside Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation (NNDDC) and Big River Operations (BRO), a First Nation-owned business operating on the Traditional Territory of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND). BRO, which provided operational personnel in 2025, will have opportunities for deeper technical collaboration in 2026.

"The 2024 heap leach failure directly impacted our land, waters and community. It is important that FNNND citizen-owned businesses play a meaningful role in restoring and protecting water quality on our traditional territory. BRO remains committed to advancing mine water treatment expertise and long-term environmental stewardship within our nation. We value our collaboration with BQE Water and look forward to contributing to a successful 2026 treatment season," Franklin Patterson, owner of Big River Operations, commented.

"The successful restart and operations of the treatment system that BQE winterized at the end of 2025 is only an intermediate step, but an important one, to enable the site to transition to a long-term solution in an orderly fashion. Importantly, it will allow BQE to advance the training of BRO personnel and deepen the collaboration between BQE, BRO, and NNDDC aimed at building the expertise and capacity within the FNNND to manage and treat water from Eagle and other mining projects on the FNNND's territory," David Kratochvil, president and CEO of BQE Water, stated.

BQE Water has been involved with the Eagle Gold Mine since September 2024, when it was contracted to assist with the emergency response following a failure in the cyanide heap leach facility. The company developed and implemented a treatment process that successfully discharged over one million cubic metres of treated water into the environment.

In November 2025, BQE Water was selected to complete the first phase of engineering for a new long-term water treatment system at Eagle Mine. The company is expected to deliver the design in the first quarter of 2026.

Visit www.BqeWater.com for more information.