Mine Water Solutions in Extreme Environments Short Course 2: The Role of Water Management in Historic Tailings Dam Failures

Transcription

1 Mine Water Slutins in Extreme Envirnments 2015 Shrt Curse 2: The Rle f Water Management in Histric Tailings Dam Failures Presenters Andrew Watsn, Wrkshp Facilitatr, MWH, USA Patrick Crser, Getechnical Engineer, MWH Canada Cuntry Manager, MWH, Canada Dirk van Zyl, Prfessr and Chair f Mining and the Envirnment, Nrman B. Keevil Institute f Mining Engineering, University f British Clumbia, Canada Clint Strachan, Sr. Getechnical Engineer, MWH, USA Resa Furey, Market Analyst, MWH, USA Objectives This wrkshp will review dcumented tailings dam failures up thrugh 2014 and assess the underlying rle f water management as it relates t the perfrmance f tailings dams. The cnclusins frm this review will be used t identify key water management related factrs t prevent future failures in the design, peratin, and clsure f existing and planned tailings dams. Active participatin and pen discussin amng the presenters and attendees f the shrt curse will be encurageed. Wh shuld attend? This shrt curse is planned fr practitiners wh are assciated with mill tailings management and regulatin, including representatives frm the mining industry, cnsulting, and regulatry agencies and ther affected stakehlders.

2 Curse Outline Welcming intrductins, safety share Gals and bjectives f shrt curse (fr bth attendees and presenters) Brief summary f terminlgy Tailings dam incident review Surces f infrmatin Types f dams Causes f incidents Operating status f dam Influence f water management Cnclusins Tailings management guidelines and regulatins General guidelines fr accepted practice Specific regulatins Peer reviews Implementatin f guidelines and regulatins based n result f incident review Discussin f key factrs Design perid (perating criteria and pst-clsure criteria) Strm events (frequency and duratin) Water strage vlume versus peak flw rate Climate variability and lng-term trends Seismic events and design analyses Crprate risk management Cntingency planning and redundant systems What needs t change? Curse wrap-up / panel discussin Summary f key factrs Recmmendatins fr mving frward Review f curse bjectives Curse evaluatin

3 Instructr Bis Andrew Watsn, P.E. Wrkshp Facilitatr, MWH Denver, CO, USA Mr. Watsn has 20 years f experience in the design and cnstructin f infrastructure, dams, tailings strage, heap leach, waste cntainment facilities, and ther civil wrks. He has wrked n a variety f assignments in the U.S., Suth America and Suth Africa, perfrming engineering design, inspectin, and prject management functins. His experience includes leading mining prjects frm cnceptin thrugh cnstructin, including the planning, engineering and implementatin f mine clsures. He seeks practical slutins t engineering challenges using risk-based decisin-making and has been retained by mining cmpanies t advise n life-f-mine planning, clsure planning and estimatin f pst-clsure liabilities. Mr. Watsn has published and presented several papers n mine water and tailings dispsal management. Patrick Crser, P.E., Sr. Getechnical Engineer, MWH Canada Cuntry Manager Vancuver, BC, Canada Mr. Crser has 30 years f engineering and cnstructin experience wrking n mining, civil, getechnical, and envirnmental prjects. He has managed mine develpment prjects and clsure and reclamatin plans fr mine sites in Nrth and Suth America and thrughut Eurpe. His specific areas f technical expertise include mine clsure and reclamatin, bth design and cnstructin, as well as cntainment systems fr mine waste dispsal (tailings and waste rck facilities). Mr. Crser is invlved in cnceptual, basic, and detailed engineering as well as the design and review f MWH s wrk fr the mining industry. This includes prviding senir prject review fr MWH s services t the mining industry including envirnmental baseline and permitting studies, mine water supply and water resurce management, civil infrastructure, envirnmental mnitring, waste prduct handling, mine clsure/reclamatin and remediatin.

4 Dirk van Zyl, Ph.D., P.E. Prfessr and Chair f Mining and the Envirnment, Nrman B. Keevil Institute f Mining Engineering, University f British Clumbia Vancuver, BC, Canada Dirk van Zyl has mre than 35-years experience in research, teaching and cnsulting in tailings and mine waste rck dispsal and heap leach design. During the last decade much f his attentin has been fcused n mining and sustainable develpment and mine life cycle management. Dirk has cnsulted internatinally n many mining prjects. These prjects cvered the whle mining life cycle, frm explratin t clsure and pst-clsure, in a large range f climatic and gegraphic envirnments. Mst f this wrk has been fcused n getechnical and envirnmental mining engineering aspects t prvide slutins fr envirnmental and human health prtectin. He is the recipient f the three awards frm the Sciety fr Mining, Metallurgy and Explratin (SME). These are the Rbert Peele Award (1985) and Distinguished Service Award (1992) frm the Mining and Explratin Divisin, and a President s Citatin (1998). Dirk became a Distinguished Member f SME in He received the Bureau f Land Management Sustainable Develpment award in 2005 and the Adrian Smith Internatinal Envirnmental Mining Award in Clint Strachan, P.E. Sr. Getechnical Engineer MWH Frt Cllins, CO, USA Mr. Strachan is a getechnical engineer with ver 35 years f experience in the design, permitting, cnstructin and clsure f mine facilities. Engineered facilities include tailings impundments, heap leach facilities, water strage dams, sedimentatin dams, and strage pnds at mines arund the wrld. Much f his experience has been with and tailings impundments, including design and permitting; technical assistance with cnstructin, peratin, and mnitring; planning fr clsure during peratins; reclamatin plan preparatin and permitting; clsure plan executin and quality assurance; and mnitring f facility perfrmance.

5 Resa Furey, M.Sc. Senir Market Analyst, MWH Brmfield, CO, USA Resa Furey specializes in glbal mining sectr market research and analysis, including research and trend analysis f metal prducers and metal markets. Her analyses frm the fundatin fr strategy develpment and business planning fr MWH s mining peratins. She has a strng marketing backgrund that includes cmmunicatins, media and cmmunity utreach experience in Nrth and Suth America and Eurpe. She is invlved in strategic initiatives frm idea cnceptin t cmpletin, including MWH s prgram t further establish its Alternative Tailing Dispsal (ATD) expertise and t benchmark mine clsure engineering. She has created multiple shrt-curse mdules t shwcase MWH s technical and thught leadership and has written, c-written and published articles n water and chemical mass balance, tailing depsitin, alternative tailing dispsal and mine water treatment. She speaks English, German and Spanish.