Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. has provided an operational update from its Wingdam underground paleoplacer project located in the Cariboo Mining District of south central British Columbia. Following a holiday break, tunnelling and placer recovery operations have recommenced at crosscut 3A. The company's mining contractor, D&L Mining, reported that additional time was required to tunnel through a fault zone at the channel periphery, where modified grout formulations and spiling patterns were successfully implemented to allow a return to standard procedures.
Having safely managed the faulted ground conditions, D&L anticipates that tunnelling and excavation will now proceed at an increased pace within the more competent compacted sand and gravel of the channel interior. As expected, pay gravels excavated from the initial advance into the channel interior have yielded increasing amounts of placer gold and nuggets compared to the earlier bedrock contact zone. Placer gold recoveries will be fully tabulated, subject to quality assurance and quality control by a Qualified Person, and reported as the crosscut progresses through the central main placer gold target and through to the opposite side of the channel.
Separate from the underground placer project, approximately 3,500 meters of core from six holes drilled during the 2025 winter drill program has been logged, split, and sent for assay. Results will be reported once received, with a follow-up drill program to be designed based on these findings. All scientific and technical information in the release has been prepared or approved by independent qualified person Stephen Kocsis, P.Geo., for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
The operational progress at Wingdam is significant for the mining sector as it demonstrates successful navigation of challenging geological conditions while advancing toward the central placer gold target. The increased gold recovery from the channel interior compared to the bedrock contact zone suggests the project is moving into potentially richer mineralization areas, which could impact resource estimates and project economics. For investors and industry observers, the combination of ongoing placer recovery operations and pending assay results from the exploration program provides multiple near-term catalysts for evaluating the project's potential.
The use of specialized equipment like the Brokk Electric Demolition Robot fitted with a drum cutter head and the Scooptram for mucking gravels highlights the modern mining techniques being employed. Photos and videos available through the company's communications show the washplant screen and carpet capturing placer gold after trommel processing and before boil boxes, with some larger gold nuggets visible, along with close-up images of gold recovered on a shaker table. These visual confirmations of gold recovery provide tangible evidence of operational success beyond numerical reporting.
For the broader mining industry, the Wingdam project represents an example of paleoplacer mining, where ancient river channels preserved under thick overburden contain gold-bearing gravels. Successful operations at such projects could encourage similar developments in regions with comparable geological settings. The project's location along the Barkerville Highway 45 km east of Quesnel places it within a historically significant gold mining district, potentially revitalizing interest in the area's mineral potential beyond traditional hard rock mining.
