Mount Polley and Samarco: What can we do to reduce the chances of another tailings disaster?

Aerial view of the Mount Polley mine tailings pond shows the area where the dam wall gave way early on the morning of August 4, 2014. Image from archives)

It has been two years since Mount Polley and nearly a year since Samarco. It has become apparent that Mount Polley had both design and management issues, while the jury is still out on the causes of failure at Samarco. So what has the industry done so far to reduce the chances of another tailings disaster?

Recommendations regarding better site investigation procedures, and stricter adherence to tailings management procedures are obvious steps in the right direction. A more significant move in the right direction might be a recommendation to increase the design factor of safety. The alternative might be a move to more paste and dry-stack solutions in the future, which will be even more expensive.

There are several upcoming opportunities to get the latest industry thinking with regard to tailings design and management issues.

The first is a live webcast by Kimberley Morrison: Responsible Tailings Management 101 . Kimberley brings over 18 years of consulting experience, specializing in the geotechnical and environmental design of mine waste facilities.

The second is another live webcast by Jack Caldwell: Advanced Tailings and Mine Waste Facility Design, Construction, Operation, and Closure. Jack has worked on design, construction supervision and reclamation of tailings impoundments, mine rock dumps, heap leach pads, landfills and radioactive waste disposal units since the 1970?EUR?s. He has written extensively about both Samarco and Mount Polley.

You can attend either of these live, interactive webcasts without travelling anywhere. Just join the presenter and webcast audience for three hours a day for three days from anywhere with a reasonable Internet connection. For more information including a detailed schedule see the course pages, or, contact [email protected] for details.