The Yukon government says it's not worried about an emergency order allowing the Minto mine to discharge waste water, but a First Nation near the mine wants a hearing into the matter.

For two years in a row, the Yukon Water Board has granted Minto Explorations an emergency permit to discharge 10,000 cubic metres of runoff and waste water a day from the mine site, in order to create room in case of heavy summer rains.

The waste water will flow into the Yukon River, and the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation worries that the few salmon making their way up the river could be exposed to toxic mine waste.

The First Nation and the Yukon Conservation Society are both calling for a full review of the water licence for the Minto Mine, especially since the water board issued the emergency orders without asking for public comment.

The conservation society noted that in the mine's latest application, Minto has asked for another order to cover next spring's runoff.

Ample time for public input: conservation society

"If you're going to do an emergency release, fine. Do it quickly like this," Lewis Rifkind, the society's mining co-ordinator, told CBC News.

"But if you're talking into 2010, [there's] time for a full-blown modification of the water license — let's get everybody's input, including groups like ourselves."

But Bob Holmes, the Yukon government's director of mineral resources, said there is no toxic tailings pond at the Minto mine, and no chemicals would be released into the environment.

The cleanliness of the water to be pumped out would be equivalent to what occurs in nature, he said.

Still, Holmes said the government is encouraging the mine to apply for amendments to its water licence for a couple of reasons.

"One of them is to be able to divert upstream flood waters around the workings, so they don't have to collect them. The minute you collect it, you have to then treat it. We don't think that they should be having to do that," he said.

Holmes added that the amendment process would allow officials to look at the waste water's copper standards, "so that it's at least more reflective of what's in the natural background."

But Little Salmon Carmacks Chief Eddie Skookum said he would like to see better planning for events such as emergency discharges.

"They should put up so much more money to accommodate that kind of problem, in case there is going to be a mishap and with that mishap they would have to try and pay for that kind of mess," he said.

Skookum predicts a potential backlash from First Nations along the Yukon River, as many are waiting for the few salmon that might travel through the river this summer.