Water generated by tailings storage facilities typically contains elevated concentrations of sulfates and other regulated constituents, creating challenges for many mines. M&A provides a range of services related to managing tailings water. One of these services is designing and implementing monitoring systems that range from traditional well networks to laterally and vertically distributed data-collection systems installed within impoundments. We also design interceptor wellfields and develop pumping strategies to control groundwater impacts associated with tailings.
Capabilities
- Developing water balances for tailings facilities using both deterministic approaches and stochastic analyses with GoldSim
- Utilizing GoldSim water balance models to predict the tailings pond size and seepage rates under different impoundment management scenarios
- Characterizing ambient groundwater conditions and impacts from tailings operations
- Designing interceptor wellfields to capture tailings seepage
- Monitoring and analyzing unsaturated/saturated hydrologic conditions within operating impoundments with subsurface sensors and remote data collection (telemetry)
- Sampling groundwater, surface water, and soil to ensure regulatory compliance
- Providing support for permitting new tailings facilities and complying with regulatory requirements at planned and operational ones
- Designing mitigation measures for regulatory compliance