Residents say proposed placer mine in Yukon's Ibex Valley threatens their drinking water

Despite a thick layer of ice, you can still hear the creek gurgling.

Meta Williams uses a stick of alder to poke through a thin layer of ice that's formed over a hole, and stoops to fill a large pail with water she'll later use for drinking and cooking. 

Stony Creek, about 50 kilometres west of Whitehorse and near Mendenhall Landing, is so clean, Williams said, that she drinks straight from it  — something she's done for about five decades. And it's no different for many other Ibex Valley residents, she said.

"It's one of those places where we feel safe to drink the water," said Williams, who's of mixed Yukon First Nations ancestry, including Southern Tutchone. "We feel safe to go on the sides, go up the sides of the hill and pick the berries in the springtime. Some of the medicine plants. We pick our soapberries here. 

"It's like a part of everything I breathe. It's been a part of my life, all my life."

Williams is among a group of dozens of area residents speaking out about a proposed placer mine along a portion of the creek. They're afraid it would deal irreparable damage to the waterway which has long provided for the surrounding community.  

An Alberta-based miner wants to build a class four placer mine upon 11 claims, each of which span the creek, a tributary of the Takhini River. The project is now undergoing an environmental assessment. 

Stony Creek travels through Steve Thomas's property. He told CBC News the project would be 500 metres away from his house. And while he's concerned about noise from heavy machinery and how the project could affect his property value, preserving the creek trumps all of that for him.

"I really think the creek should be protected, because how many sources of clean water are there?" Thomas said. "It seems absurd to put this at risk, for future development of agriculture and residential."

Thomas and his late wife, Sue Thomas, selected their property because it's set in an area known for its natural, rugged beauty.

A mine, Steve said, threatens many people's lifestyle choices, including his.

"It's just crazy to me."

The proposal that miner Willy Driedger has in front the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board includes building several fords across the creek, a camp big enough for a crew of 12, and diversion of part of the creek. The mine would use up to 4,001 cubic metres of water per day, roughly equivalent to two Olympic-sized swimming pools. 

Driedger didn't return requests for comment.