FOUNDED BY ORGANIZED BY WITH SUPPORT FROM

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COLLABORATING ORGANIZATION

JUNE 1-3, 2015 | VANCOUVER, CANADA

WWW.MINECLOSURE2015.COM

PROGRAM GUIDE
CONFERENCE FUNCTIONS AND LOCATIONS
All functions will be held on the 3rd floor of the Hyatt Regency Vancouver
FunctionLocation
Sessions Regency C/D/E/F
Trade show Regency Foyer/Balmoral
Reception and happy hour Regency Foyer/Balmoral
Coffee breaks and lunches Regency Foyer/Balmoral
Poster sessions Regency Hallway
Speakers’ breakfast Regency A

3RD FLOOR

WOMENS
OUTDOOR REGENCY REGENCY MENS
TERRACE "B"
"F"
6 7
REGENCY REGENCY REGENCY
WEST
HALLWAY "D" "C"

REGENCY FOYER
1 5 8
REGENCY REGENCY ELEVATORS
"A" 2 4 9
"E" 11
3 10 B C D E

BALMORAL
REGENCY HALLWAY F G H I J
REGISTRATION A

BOOTHS TABLE TOPS

01 SRK Consulting A InfoMine
02 Trace Associates B Canadian Mining Certification Program
03 DHI C Nilex
04 Nats Nursery D Nahanni Construction
05 Axter Coletanche E Areva
06 O’Kane Consultants F Robertson GeoConsultants
07 Golder Associates G Australian Centre for Geomechanics
08 Envirotac H Premier Pacific Seeds
09 SoilVision I Profile Products
10 Quantum Murray J McCue Engineering
11 StormTec Filtration

Cover photos courtesy of Syncrude Canada Ltd.

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
DAY 01 – MONDAY, JUNE 1
07:00-17:30 Registration desk hours
10:00-19:00 Trade show hours
07:15-08:15 Speakers and session chairs' breakfast meeting (Monday sessions only)
08:30-09:00 Welcome and introductions
09:00-09:45 OPENING KEYNOTE: Some histories of mine closure, the idea
09:45-10:30 KEYNOTE 1: Teck – 100 years of sustainability focus: water, reclamation and closure
10:30-11:00 Coffee break and poster session
11:00-12:30 Plenary Session 1
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-15:10 Session 1 – Regulatory Session 2 – Landform Session 3 – Case Studies (Uranium)
15:10-15:40 Coffee break and poster session
15:40-17:40 Session 4 – Risk Assessment Session 5 – Landforms and Evolution in Session 6 – Case Studies
Reclamation
17:40-19:00 Welcome reception in the trade show area
19:00 Close day 1

DAY 02 – TUESDAY, JUNE 2

07:30-17:30 Registration desk hours
10:00-19:00 Trade show hours
07:30-08:30 Speakers and session chairs' breakfast meeting (Tuesday sessions only)
09:00-09:45 KEYNOTE 2: Making First Nations part of the mine operations and closure
09:45-10:30 KEYNOTE 3: Changing water treatment standards and the impact on mine closure
10:30-11:00 Coffee break and poster session
11:00-12:30 Plenary Session 2
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-14:50 Session 7 – First Nations and Communities Session 8 – Vegetation Session 9 – Case Studies
14:50-15:00 Break
15:00-16:00 Session 10 – First Nations and Communities Session 11 – Modelling Session 12 – Case Studies (Giant Mine)
16:00-16:20 Coffee break and poster session
16:20-18:00 PANEL: Successes and challenges in closure – optimal outcome for communities
18:00-19:00 Happy Hour in the trade show area
19:00 Close day 2

DAY 03 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

08:00-17:00 Registration desk hours
10:00-16:00 Trade show hours
07:30-08:30 Speakers and session chairs' breakfast meeting (Wednesday sessions only)
09:00-09:45 KEYNOTE 4: Mine closure – past, present and perpetuity
09:45-10:30 KEYNOTE 5: Updating Australia's leading practice sustainable development (LPSD) mine closure handbook for 2015: Closing the gaps and
understanding the minerals resource legacy
10:30-11:00 Coffee break and poster session
11:00-12:30 Plenary Session 3
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-15:10 Session 13 – Covers Session 14 – Ecosystem Reconstruction Session 15 – Treatment and Case Studies
15:10-15:40 Coffee break and poster session
15:40-17:20 Session 16 – Miscellaneous Session 17 – Ecosystem Reconstruction Session 18 – Case Studies
17:20-17:30 Mine Closure 2016 presentation
17:30-17:40 Closing remarks, conference balance note
17:40 Close day 03, end of conference
WELCOME FROM THE ORGANIZERS
Dear Delegate,

It is our pleasure to welcome you to Vancouver to Mine Closure 2015! This event marks the 10th international mine closure
conference in a very successful series. It was initiated by the Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG) in 2006 in Perth,
but impressively, it is also the 39th Annual BC Mine Reclamation Symposium. It is fitting that this international mine closure
conference is being held in the province of British Columbia, where the British Columbia Technical and Research Committee
on Reclamation (BC TRCR) originated in the early 1970s in response to a clear need in BC for greater government-industry
communications in the area of environmental protection and reclamation associated with mining. For the second time, the
BC TRCR will collaborate with the International Conference on Mine Closure. The previous collaboration was at Lake Louise,
Alberta, in 2011.

As with the preceding conferences, Mine Closure 2015 brings together closure practitioners, researchers, planners and
operators. It continues a successful tradition with over one hundred presentations that cover state-of-the-art research
findings, case histories of effective closure practices, recommended mine closure planning guidelines, analysis of effective
regulatory systems, and sharing of leading practices. The initial enthusiasm for this type of international collaboration
started about ten years ago, stemming from regional initiatives like the BC TRCR, and has now matured as the mine closure
community shares successes and failures, and as it identifies key challenges and obstacles to sustainable mine closure. The
conference series was envisaged to become a powerful force for improving mine closure and reclamation practices at mines
all over the world. Ten years following the initial International Mine Closure Conference held in Perth Australia and 39 years
after commencing BC TRCR, it appears that this vision is becoming a reality. The successes include widespread adoption of
leading practices related to mine closure, improved sustainability, and reduced long-term liability.

However, the mine closure storyline is not entirely good news as there are some pockets of resistance, disappointing
compromises that may be related to economic conditions, inconsistent and even punitive bonding mechanisms, and
inconsistent regulatory leadership in some countries. There is more work to be done and the presentations and proceedings
of Mine Closure 2015 represent a significant contribution to assist in guiding that work irrespective of jurisdiction.

With over 350 expected delegates, significant interest in conference presentations (201 abstracts submitted and over 90
papers accepted for publication), Mine Closure 2015 will make a significant contribution to the mining industry by sharing
valuable lessons, facilitating networking among mine closure practitioners, and “raising the bar” by encouraging a broad
adoption of improved leading practices related to mine closure.

Over the next three days you will be able to hear over one hundred carefully selected presentations, among them six stellar
keynote addresses from Daryl Hockley of SRK Consulting; Mike Davies of Teck Resources Limited; Chief Clarence Louie of
Osoyoos Indian Band; Rick Siwik of Siwik Consulting; Randy Knapp of SENES Consultants; and Harley Lacy of MWH Global.
You will also have a unique opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on Successes and Challenges in Closure – Optimal
Outcome for Communities that will take place on Tuesday afternoon.

Finally, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to all those who made this conference possible: to the authors for their
invaluable contributions; to the reviewers for sharing their expertise and safeguarding the high quality of the presentations
and proceedings; to the sponsors for their generous support; to InfoMine and its organizing partners for their superb
organization; and to all of you, delegates, for your enthusiasm and interest in this conference series.

Have a great conference and enjoy your stay in beautiful Vancouver! We urge you to take full advantage of this opportunity
to explore one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Organizing Committee
Mine Closure 2015

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COMMITTEES
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
CHAIR VICE-CHAIR MEMBER, BC TRCR REPRESENTATIVE
Les Sawatsky Dirk van Zyl Nicole Pesonen
Senior Consultant, Golder Associates Ltd., Professor, The University of British Columbia, Environmental Manager, Nyrstar, Canada
Canada Canada
CONFERENCE MANAGER
CO-CHAIR TECHNICAL ADVISOR Olga Cherepanova
Michael Davies Andy Robertson InfoMine, Canada
Vice President, Environment, Teck Resources President, InfoMine and Robertson
Limited, Canada GeoConsultants, Canada TECHNICAL PUBLISHER
Joe Goodwill
VICE-CHAIR MEMBER, BC TRCR REPRESENTATIVE InfoMine, Canada
Michael Nahir Jonathan Buchanan
Director of Engineering, Aboriginal Affairs and Director, Communications and Public Affairs, MARKETING AND SALES MANAGER
Northern Development Canada Association for Mineral Exploration BC, Canada Marcia Mendonca
InfoMine, Canada

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Bruce Anderson Steven Hilts Caius Priscu
Suncor, Canada Teck Resources Limited, Canada Anglo American, Chile
Jim Cassie Randy Knapp Doug Ramsey
BGC Engineering, Canada SENES Consultants, Canada Copper North Mining Corporation, Canada
Ben Chalmers Darrell Martindale Adam Whitman
Mining Association of Canada, Canada Shell, Canada Yamana Gold, Canada
Caroline Digby Mike O’Kane Dennis Wilson
Centre for Sustainability in Mining and O’Kane Consultants, Canada New Gold Inc., Canada
Industry, University of the Witwatersrand,
Jeff Parshley
South Africa
SRK Consulting, USA

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Anil Beersing Harley Lacy Alister Spain
Golder Associates Ltd., Canada MWH Global, Australia School of Earth and Environment, The
University of Western Australia, Australia
Bill Biggs Jennifer Leinart
Biggs and Associates, Australia InfoMine, USA Mark Tibbett
University of Reading, UK
Ken Bocking Gordon McPhail
Golder Associates Ltd., Canada SLR Consulting, Australia David Tongway
Independent Consultant (retired, formerly with
Jack Caldwell Ken Mercer
CSIRO), Australia
Robertson GeoConsultants, Canada Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Australia
Brian Ulrich
Deborah Chan-Yan Claudia Ortiz
Knight Piésold, USA
Golder Associates Ltd., Canada University of Santiago, Chile
Angela Waterman
Sonia Finucane Mark Phillip
Mining Association of British Columbia, Canada
Bioscope Environmental, Australia O’Kane Consultants, USA
Björn Weeks
Andy Fourie Caius Priscu
Golder Associates Ltd., Canada
The University of Western Australia, Australia Anglo American, Chile
Barbara Wernick
Mark Freberg Thierry Regnier
Golder Associates Ltd., Canada
Teck Resources Limited, Canada Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa
Andre Xavier
David Jasper Les Sawatsky
University of British Columbia, Canada
MWH Global, Australia Golder Associates Ltd., Canada
Dirk van Zyl
Walter Kuit J. Ashley Scott
University of British Columbia, Canada
Independent Mining and Metals Professional Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and
(retired), Canada Laurentian University, Canada

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USEFUL INFORMATION
REGISTRATION PACKAGE
Full* conference registration includes the following materials that will be given to you upon registration:
»» Delegate bag
»» Full access badge
»» Program guide
»» Proceedings on a USB flash drive
»» Welcome reception and happy hour tickets
»» Additional reception/lunch/happy hour tickets for companions (must be purchased separately)
»» Course notebook (if registered for a course)
Lunches, coffee breaks, welcome reception and happy hour are included in the full conference fee.
*Full conference registration includes the following categories: General Delegate, Speaker, Committee Member, Student and
Sponsor.

SAFETY
Please keep your personal belongings with you at all times and do not leave your bags or electronic
devices unattended. We recommend storing your passport and valuables in your room safe. Please
identify your delegate bag with a business card or a luggage tag to avoid accidental swapping.
Conference organizers cannot be held responsible for any lost or stolen property.

DELEGATE BADGE
Please wear your conference badge at all times. The badge will be given to you upon registration. Please
note that a full conference badge is required to access technical sessions and social functions. Exhibitor
and Visitor badge holders have access to the trade show and reception only.

LANGUAGE
Mine Closure 2015 is an international conference and its official language is English. All written
materials (including proceedings, program guide, and presentation slides) will be available in English
only.


DELEGATE SITE – PRESENTATIONS, DELEGATE LIST AND MUCH MORE!
As a Mine Closure 2015 conference attendee you will have an exclusive access to the delegate
site www.mineclosure2015.com/delegate On this site you will find a wealth of information and
reference materials which include presentations, attendee list, event photos and discussion forum.
In order to access this site, please log in with the username and password emailed to the account
provided on the registration form.

SOCIAL FUNCTIONS
Monday, June 1 – Welcome Reception, 17:40-19:00
Tuesday, June 2 – Happy Hour, 18:00-19:00
Both functions will take place in the Regency Foyer, trade show area.

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FIELD TRIP – BRITANNIA MINE MUSEUM AND EPCOR
Note: This tour is sold out!
WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Thursday, June 4, 08:15-15:30
Britannia Mine is a National Historic Site and a bustling, award-winning Museum. You will go on a
45-minute tour that includes a train ride into the early-haulage mine tunnel. You will then continue into
the Mill, an impressive structure with dramatic industrial interior, built into the mountainside, one of the
last gravity-fed Mills in North America. After the guided portion of the tour, you will have some time to
browse the exhibits around the site on your own.
After the tour of the Museum, you will travel to the Epcor Water Treatment Plant for a 30-minute
behind-the-scenes tour. Rugged, hiking-type boots are required for the water treatment plant part of
the tour.
On the day of the tour meet at 08:15 in the Hyatt hotel lobby next to Starbucks. Bus will depart at 08:30
sharp.

SULLIVAN MINE TOUR

Thursday, June 4, 12:00-16:30 Note: This tour is sold out!

The Sullivan Mine is a historic underground lead-zinc-silver mine located in Kimberley, British Columbia.
The mine operated for 92 years from 1909 to 2001 and was one of the world’s largest producers of
lead and zinc. The mine closed in December 2001 due to the exhaustion of the ore body and has since
undergone decommissioning, reclamation, extensive monitoring, water collection and treatment. The
tour will include a presentation of the history of the mine site and closure process, and a field tour of the
reclaimed waste rock dumps and tailings impoundments, air monitoring conducted in the waste rock
dumps, the acid rock drainage seepage collection and management system, and the recently built 1 MW
SunMine solar farm located on Teck property.
Rugged, hiking-type boots are required on this tour.
This tour departs from Cranbrook, BC, and you must purchase your own plane ticket to this destination.
On the day of the tour meet at 12:00 at Cranbrook airport arrivals lounge.

SIGHTSEEING TOURS
We invite you to take advantage of your stay in Vancouver and explore the city and the surroundings. If
you are interested in sightseeing tours around Vancouver, or trips to other areas of the province, please
contact our preferred travel agent Flight Centre by contacting Bobbi-Jo Roback at + 1 778-322-7632
or at bobbijo.roback@flightcentreassociates.com. A few suggestions are also available in the Travel
Information section of the conference website www.mineclosure2015.com

REGISTRATION DESK HOURS

Sunday, May 31: 07:30 – 08:30 (short courses registration)
14:00 – 17:00 (conference pre-registration)
Monday, June 1: 07:00 – 17:30
Tuesday, June 2: 07:30 – 17:30
Wednesday, June 3: 08:00 – 17:00

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ORGANIZERS
FOUNDING BODY
AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR GEOMECHANICS, AUSTRALIA
The Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG) was established in 1992 to promote research and education in the field of
geomechanics for Australia’s extractive resource industries. The aim is to ensure safer working environments for all resources
(human and capital) and to add value to this most important of Australian industries.

The ultimate goal of the ACG is the effective application in industry of the principles and practices of geomechanics by
personnel with a commensurate level of training. This is achieved via research, education and training. Quality research and the
subsequent transfer of developed technology will ensure that industry is aware of the latest developments in geomechanics.

Please visit www.acg.uwa.edu.au for more information.

ORGANIZER
INFOMINE INC., CANADA
InfoMine is the world leader in providing mining knowledge online, delivering content via our website, through corporate
intranets, and by email.

The InfoMine websites provide focused, in-depth information and functionality encompassing most aspects of mining and
mineral exploration activities worldwide. The websites are organized as a series of InfoMine Editions which collectively
provide access to the largest, most fully integrated source of worldwide mining and mineral exploration information. Each
InfoMine Edition has its own specific audience and content provided in the local language.

Whether you are developing mineral properties, investing in mining, selling products and services, looking for professional
development, or just wanting to find a job - industry research and knowledge are vital. Reliable, focused information is
necessary to keep a competitive advantage, and InfoMine is equipped to conveniently provide the knowledge you need.

InfoMine has offices in seven countries. For more information, visit our website www.infomine.com

CONFERENCEMINE
ConferenceMine, InfoMine’s conferences division, organizes highly technical seminars and conferences, addressing specialized
topics for the purpose of technology and knowledge transfer.

InfoMine conferences provide an opportunity for specialists and technology users to exchange information, discuss the latest
research and propose innovative solutions to technical challenges. Physical conferences include technical sessions, trade
show and social functions, enabling personal exchanges in formal and informal settings.

ConferenceMine conferences are a very important medium for fostering discussion, developing technology, building
relationships and gathering information.

Since its creation ConferenceMine has organized the following conferences:

Tailings and Mine Waste Mine Water Solutions in Extreme Environments

2011 Vancouver, Canada 2013 Lima, Peru; 2015 Vancouver, Canada
Paste and Thickened Tailings Heap Leach Solutions
2013 Belo Horizonte, Brazil; 2014 Vancouver, Canada 2013 Vancouver, Canada; 2014 Lima, Peru; 2015 Reno, Nevada
Cold Covers Practice Seminar Mine Closure Solutions
2014 Whistler, Canada 2014 Ouro Preto, Brazil
Geosynthetics Mining Solutions Mine Closure
2014 Vancouver, Canada 2015 Vancouver, Canada

Please see www.infomine.com/conferences for a list of upcoming conferences.

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ORGANIZATION SUPPORT
BRITISH COLUMBIA TECHNICAL AND RESEARCH COMMITTEE ON RECLAMATION
(BC TRCR), CANADA
The British Columbia Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation (TRCR) originated in the early 1970’s, in response
to a demonstrated need in the province BC for greater government-industry communications in the area of environmental
protection and reclamation associated with mining.

Membership is drawn from the corporate sector (several of the operating mines are represented); the Ministry of Energy and
Mines (MEM); the Ministry of Environment (MOE); CanmetMINING; the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC), the
Mining Association of Canada, the Association of Mineral Exploration BC and British Columbia universities and colleges such
as UBC and TRU. The Committee meets monthly to discuss matters of joint concern and interest, exchange experience, plan
Symposium activities and prioritize research needs.

Please visit www.trcr.bc.ca for more information.

ORGANIZATION SUPPORT
NORMAN B. KEEVIL INSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
UBC’s Department of Mining Engineering is known for being a small, close-knit family. The department is exemplified by the
dedication of the faculty and staff who provide a dynamic, hands-on learning experience for both undergraduate and graduate
students.

In addition to teaching, the faculty work with graduate students and staff to undertake research in all aspects of mining
in order to study and improve the industry for future generations. Gifts from alumni, corporations, foundations, students,
parents and other friends assist the Keevil Institute in conducting leading edge research, providing outstanding education and
contributing to social and economic development.

Please visit www.mining.ubc.ca for more information.

COLLABORATING ORGANIZATION
UNIVERSITY OF READING, UNITED KINGDOM
The University of Reading is ranked in the top 1% of universities in the world. It is a global university that enjoys a world-class
reputation for teaching, research and enterprise. The University was established in 1892, received its Royal Charter in 1926,
and has developed into a leading force in British and international higher education. The University delivers a world-class
student experience, research-led teaching and the graduate employability record is excellent. The numbers of students going
on to higher level study is well above the national average.

The University continues to evolve, reflecting an ever-changing world, which drives the development of the areas of research
excellence and strength. They are leading the way in multidisciplinary work in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences,
housed in a new £17 million centre, for example. The University is committed to maintaining a supportive, challenging and
high-quality experience for students and staff alike and to preserving the heritage and beauty of some of the most beautiful
university campuses in the UK.

Please visit www.reading.ac.uk for more information.

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DAY 01 - MONDAY, JUNE 1
07:00-17:30 Registration desk hours
10:00-19:00 Trade show hours
07:15-08:15 Speakers and session chairs’ meeting (Monday sessions only) Regency A
08:30-09:00 Welcome & intro

Keynote Session 1 | Chair: Walter Kuit, Consultant, Canada Regency D/E/F

09:00-09:45 Opening keynote | Some histories of mine closure, the idea
Daryl Hockley, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., Canada
09:45-10:30 Theme keynote 1 | Teck – 100 years of sustainability focus: water, reclamation and closure
Michael Davies, Teck Resources Limited, Canada
10:30-11:00 Coffee break and poster session

Plenary Session 1 | Chair: Walter Kuit, Consultant, Canada Regency D/E/F

11:00-11:30 Plenary presentation 1 | Ten years on: What have we learned from the Mine Closure conference series? A review of the conference
proceedings from 2006 to 2014
Caroline Digby, Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
11:30-12:00 Plenary presentation 2 | Managing long-term orphaned mine liabilities: Exploring the relinquishment of closed sites
Elizabeth Gardiner, NOAMI, Canada; W. Cowan, Cowan Minerals Ltd., Canada; Gilles Tremblay and Charlene Hogan, Natural Resources
Canada, Canada
12:00-12:30 Plenary presentation 3 | Post-closure stewardship of mine sites: Institutional control in Saskatchewan – a case history
Don Hovdebo, Kingsmere Resource Services Inc., Canada; Keith Cunningham, Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy, Canada; Dale
Kristoff, Saskatchewan Ministry of the Environment, Canada; Michael Webster, Cameco Corporation, Canada
12:30-13:30 Lunch

Parallel Sessions

Regency C Regency D Regency E/F

Session 1 | Regulatory Session 2 | Landform Session 3 | Case Studies (Uranium)
Chair: Angela Waterman, Mining Association Chair: Gord McKenna, BGC Engineering Inc, Chair: Nicole Pesonen, Nyrstar, Canada
of BC, Canada Canada
13:30-13:50 A framework for standardized, Highwall blasting: A cost effective way to Remediation of Wismut’s Uranium mill
performance-based completion criteria for reshape and reduce closure liabilities tailings pond Culmitzsch – Progress
mine closure and mine site relinquishment achieved and challenges ahead
Robert Holmes, Yukon Government, Canada; Carl Grant, Anglo American, Australia; Larry Ulf Barnekow, Thomas Metschies, Gunter
Michael Flynn, Canada Mining Innovation Hantler, Dawson Mine, Anglo Coal, Australia Merkel and Michael Paul, Wismut GmbH,
Council, Canada; Mark Thorpe, Torex Gold Germany
Resources Inc., Canada
13:50-14:10 British Columbia’s Crown Contaminated Evolution of the Bige stockpile closure Decommissioning of the Cluff Lake Project
Sites Program – a ten year review design for the Ok Tedi Mine
Gregg Stewart, Province of British Columbia, Kate Brand and Matthew Ind, Klohn Crippen Caitlin Brown, Dale Huffman and Bradley
Canada Berger Ltd, Australia; M. Ridd and Mark Schmid, AREVA Resources Canada Inc.,
Thompson, Ok Tedi Mining Ltd., Papua New Canada
Guinea; Len Murray, Klohn Crippen Berger
Ltd., Australia
14:10-14:30 How to reconcile over a century of Assessing the evolution of a post-mining In situ neutralization of a lake impacted
mining history with today’s rehabilitation landscape using landform evolution models by legacy uranium tailings in northern
standards: a case study in Cobalt, Ontario at millennial time scales Saskatchewan
Josée Noël, Jean Cayouette, Jean-François John Lowry, Department of the Environment, Lee Christoffersen, Soren Jensen, Tom
Doyon and Michel Julien, Agnico Eagle Mines Australia; Greg Hancock, The University of Sharp and Mark Liskowich, SRK Consulting,
Limited, Canada Newcastle, Australia; Tom Coulthard, The Canada; Dianne Allen, Saskatchewan
University of Hull, UK Research Council, Canada
14:30-14:50 The development of international standards Five fundamentals for successful mined land Sustainable closure of two former uranium
for mine reclamation management rehabilitation mines
Paul Steenhof, CSA Group, Canada Marc Theisen, Profile Products LLC., USA Lee Holder and Frank Shuri, Golder
Associates Inc., USA; Barbara Nielsen,
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, USA;
and Russell Jones, Barrick Gold Corporation,
USA
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14:50-15:10 Closure drainage design for oil sands mining End land use as a guide for integrated mine
– robustness for dam de-licensing
Robert Wirtz and Max Urquhart, Neeltje Slingerland and G. Ward Wilson,
WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd., Canada University of Alberta, Canada
15:10-15:40 Coffee break
Parallel Sessions
Regency C
Session 4 | Risk Assessment
Chair: Andy Robertson, InfoMine Inc., and
Robertson GeoConsultants Inc., Canada
15:40-16:00 Using environmental risk assessment
to meet changing expectations for mine
closure
Beth Power and Randy Baker, Azimuth
Consulting Group Partnership, Canada.
Presented by Alena Fikart, Azimuth
Consulting Group Partnership, Canada
16:00-16:20 A risk based approach to planning for
progressive reclamation in the Canadian oil
sands
Dustin Theberge and E. Ferster, Shell Canada
Energy Ltd., Canada
16:20-16:40 The role of aquatic ecological risk
assessment to guide effluent management
from mine waste
Nicola Lower and May Quach, Palmer
Environmental Consulting Group, Canada;
Rob Marsland, MEA, Canada
16:40-17:00 An environmental risk assessment
framework for developing financial liability
estimates for closing five abandoned metal
mines in northern Saskatchewan, Canada
Norm Healey and Beth Power, Azimuth
Consulting Group Partnership, Canada;
Dale Kristoff, Saskatchewan Ministry of the
Environment, Canada
17:00-17:20 Worker certification: A tool for responsible
mine closure and worker redeployment
Ryan Montpellier, The Mining Industry
Human Resources Council, Canada
17:20-17:40 Quantitative risk assessment tools to assist
with waste management and placement
guidelines
Steven Pearce and Shonny Lehane, O’Kane
Consultants, Australia. Presented by Mike
O’Kane, O’Kane Consultants, Canada
17:40-19:00 Welcome reception
19:00 Close day 01
planning and closure design
Regency D
Session 5 | Landforms and Evolution in
Reclamation
Chair: Steven Hilts, Teck Resources Limited,
Canada
Effective, long-term monitoring of ground
deformation throughout mine closure
phases
Michael Henschel, Shinya Sato, Ryan Ahola
and Mary Anne McParland, MDA Geospatial
Services Inc., Canada
From mines to mesas: A rehabilitation
journey at a gold mine in the Pilbara,
Western Australia
Chris Tiemann, Newcrest Mining Limited,
Australia; Malcolm Wealleans, Independent
Consultant, Australia
Reclaiming mined-out pits at industrial
sands mines in Zimbabwe: A case of cost
minimization and community benefit
maximization
Thembani Chirinda and Tawanda Zvarivadza,
University of the Witwatersrand, South
Africa
Experiences with mine closure in the
European coal mining industry: An overview
of the situation in Germany and adjacent
regions
Christian Melchers, Peter Goerke-Mallet,
Laura Henkel and Michael Hegemann,
Post-Mining Research Institute, University
of Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola
Bochum, Germany
Identifying, mapping and modelling
infiltration into and through mine workings phosphate ore processing facility – case
Val Kofoed, Mike Jessop and David Bierman, Paul Kos, Norwest Corporation, USA;
Willowstick Technologies, USA. Presented by Mitchell Hart, Nu-West Industries Inc., USA;
Leif Law, Willowstick Technologies, USA
Earthworks/Mineworks: Creating shared
visions for post-mined landscapes/
landshapes
Philipp Kirsch and Amelia Hine, Sustainable
Minerals Institute, University of Queensland,
Australia; Iris Amizlev, Montreal Museum of
Fine Arts, Canada
Evapotranspiration control on groundwater
migration at a uranium mine in the high
desert
Cynthia Ardito and John Sigda; INTERA Inc.,
USA; Roy Blickwedel, General Electric, USA
Regency E/F
Session 6 | Case Studies
Chair: Rick Siwik, Siwik Consulting Inc.,
Canada
Adaptive risk management and lessons
learned: Post-closure at the “mighty”
Sullivan Mine
Ryan Peterson and Stefan Humphries, SNC-
Lavalin Inc., Canada; Michelle Unger, Teck
Resources Limited, Canada
Century mine closure
Matt Lord, Mark Adams and T. Shearman,
MMG, Australia
Groundwater contamination due to
historical magnetite mine tailings deposited
in a near-shore, marine environment
Robert Dickin and S. Dickin, AECOM,
Canada; L. Groat, University of British
Columbia, Canada; K. Jia, AECOM, Canada;
U. Mayer, University of British Columbia,
Canada; R. Mills and M. Sanborn, AECOM,
Canada
Treatment of mine drainage with high
topographical constraints: Case study of the
Bodennec site (France)
Jérôme Jacob and Maurice Save, Water,
Environment and Ecotechnologies Division,
BRGM, France. Presented by Ingrid
Girardeau, BRGM, France
Final closure at the Georgetown Canyon
study
and J. Williams, JBW Consulting, USA
Ekati Long Lake containment facility
reclamation research
Lukas Novy, Dominion Diamond Ekati
Corporation, Canada; Gary Koop, Tetra
Tech EBA, Canada; Marc Wen, ERM Rescan,
Canada; Wilf Petherbridge, EcoSense
Environmental Inc., Canada
8|
DAY 02 - TUESDAY, JUNE 2
07:30-17:30 Registration desk hours
10:00-19:00 Trade show hours
07:30-08:30 Speakers and session chairs’ meeting (Tuesday sessions only) Regency A

Keynote Session 2 | Chair: Björn Weeks, Golder Associates Ltd., Canada Regency D/E/F
09:00-09:45 Theme keynote 2 | Making First Nations part of the mine operations and closure
Chief Clarence Louie, Osoyoos Indian Band, Canada
09:45-10:30 Theme keynote 3 | Changing water treatment standards and the impact on mine closure
Randy Knapp, SENES Consultants, Canada
10:30-11:00 Coffee break and poster session

Plenary Session 2 | Chair: Björn Weeks, Golder Associates Ltd., Canada Regency D/E/F
11:00-11:30 Plenary presentation 4 | Now and then: Eight decades of lessons in closure planning – case studies from West Africa
Philipa Varris, Golden Star Resources Ltd., Ghana; Mark Thorpe, Torex Gold Resources Inc., Canada
11:30-12:00 Plenary presentation 5 | Mine closure in Canada: A perspective on the past, present and future
Clem Pelletier, Erin Prelypchan and Kris Etches, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Canada
12:00-12:30 Plenary presentation 6 | Field study of biobased technologies for mine rehabilitation purposes
Claudia Ortiz, Marcela Wilkens, Daniel Barros and Jaime Pizarro, University of Santiago of Chile, Chile
12:30-13:30 Lunch

Parallel sessions

Regency C Regency D Regency E/F

Session 7 | First Nations and Communities
Chair: Andre Xavier, University of British
Columbia, Canada
13:30-13:50 Mine closure and First Nations – social
licence strategies for effective community
engagement
Ron Breadmore and George Lafferty,
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development Canada, Canada
13:50-14:10 First Nations engagement in mine closure:
Sä Dena Hes Mine decommissioning and
reclamation
Chris Jeffrey, Environment & Infrastructure,
Amec Foster Wheeler, Canada; Michelle
Unger, Teck Resources Limited, Canada; John
Pugh, Environment & Infrastructure, Amec
Foster Wheeler, Canada
14:10-14:30 Making the most out of Zimbabwe’s
Marange diamonds: Leaving a lasting
positive legacy for distressed communities
Tawanda Zvarivadza, University of the
Witwatersrand, South Africa
14:30-14:50 Best practices for wetland reclamation for
Alberta oil sand mines
Théo Charette, CPP Environmental, Canada;
Joshua Martin, Suncor Energy, Canada
Session 8 | Vegetation
Chair: Mark Tibbett, University of Reading,
UK
Improving geotechnical stability of
saturated mine tailings by dewatering with
deep-rooted vegetation
Mark Dobrowolski, S. Rowlands and R.
Hattingh, Iluka Resources Ltd., Australia
A plant ecophysiological approach to assess
the performance and potential success of
mine revegetation
Stephen Ebbs, Lilyan Glaeser, Melissa House
and Dale Vitt, Department of Plant Biology
and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois
University, USA
Selecting graminoids to increase substrate
macroporosity for the revegetation of
milled tailings of a gold mine
Marie Guittonny-Larchevêque, Research
Institute in Mines and the Environment
(RIME) – Université du Québec en Abitibi-
Témiscamingue (UQAT), Canada
Achieving biodiversity conservation goals in
mine development, operation and closure
Steven Hilts and Warn Franklin, Teck Coal
Limited, Canada; Ted Gullison, Hardner &
Gullison Associates, Canada
Session 9 | Case Studies
Chair: Ben Chalmers, Mining Association of
Canada
Engineered flow-through closure of an acid
pit lake, a case study
Clint McCullough, Golder Associates/Edith
Cowan University, Australia; C. Harkin,
Yancoal Premier Coal Ltd., Australia
From tailings basin to aquatic ecosystem:
The ecological recovery of two waterbodies
in Kirkland Lake, Ontario
Andrea Chute, Klohn Crippen Berger,
Canada; Natasha Dombrowski, Kirkland Lake
Gold, Canada
Optimizing application rates of waste
residuals in mine soil reclamation programs
using response surface methodologies
Greg Piorkowski, Stantec Consulting Ltd.,
Canada; Gordon Price, Dalhousie University,
Canada; N. Tashe, Stantec Consulting Ltd.,
Canada
The rehabilitation of the Bicapa – Tarnaveni
waste storage facility
Matt Dey, C. Brough and Rob Bowell, SRK
Consulting (UK) Ltd., UK; Duane Runciman
and Victor Turea, SC Ecotech Wastes,
Romania. Presented by Carl Williams, SRK
Consulting (UK) Ltd., UK

|9
14:50-15:00 Break

Parallel sessions

Regency C Regency D Regency E/F

Session 10 | First Nations and Communities Session 11 | Modelling Session 12 | Case Studies (Giant Mine)
Chair: Dennis Wilson, New Gold Inc., Canada Chair: Andy Fourie, University of Western Chair: Mike O'Kane, O'Kane Consultants Inc.,
Australia Canada
15:00-15:20 Social impacts of mine closure: engaging Developing a geo-environmental model Giant Mine remediation project
employees and host communities in for long-term post-mining monitoring: The
planning for closure former Salsigne Gold Mine area (France)
Silvana Costa, New Gold Inc., Canada Fanny Le Loher and Francis Cottard, BRGM, Craig Wells, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
France; Philippe Chartier, French Ministry Development Canada , Canada
of Environment / Languedoc-Roussillon
Division, France
15:20-15:40 Challenges of integrating mine closure Integrated surface water and groundwater Innovative process for stabilizing the
plans mid-way through the life of a mine in modelling for oil sands reclamation subsurface at the Giant Mine Site
Mongolia
Dagva Myagmarsuren and Glen Ainsworth, Ranjeet Nagare, WorleyParsons Darren Kennard, Golder Associates Ltd.,
QMC LLC, Mongolia; T. Davaatseren, K. Canada Services Ltd., Canada; Young Jin Canada; Chris MacInnis, Aboriginal Affairs
Vladimir and O. Erdenetuya, Erdenet Mining Park, Aquanty Inc., Canada; Jalpa Pal, and Northern Development Canada , Canada
Corporation, Mongolia WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd., Canada
15:40-16:00 Managing the socio-economic impact of Use of contaminant dispersion modelling to Decontamination and deconstruction of
tin mining in Bangka Island, Indonesia – guide close-out of the former Beaverlodge the Giant Mine roaster complex: Risks,
preparation for closure Lake Mine Site, Canada challenges, lessons learned and successes
Eddy Nurtjahya and F. Agustina Universitas Caroline Lucas and Bruce Halbert, ARCADIS Miguel Larivière, Aboriginal Affairs and
Bangka Belitung Indonesia Canada Inc., Canada; Michael Webster, Northern Development Canada, Canada;
Cameco Corporation, Canada David Hango, Public Works and Government
Services Canada , Canada; Cathy Corrigan,
AECOM Canada Ltd., Canada
16:00-16:20 Coffee break
16:20-18:00 Panel Discussion | Successes and challenges in closure – optimal outcome for communities Regency D/E/F
Facilitator: Michael Van Aandout, Stratos Inc., Canada
Panelists: Larry Haber, Kimberley Citizen; Ben Chalmers, Mining Association of Canada, Towards Sustainable Mining; Harley Lacy, Closure
Practitioner; Jeff Parshley, Developing Countries; David Parker, Industry Experience
18:00-19:00 Happy hour
19:00 Close day 02

10 |
DAY 03 - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
08:00-17:00 Registration desk hours
10:00-16:00 Trade show hours
07:30-08:30 Speakers and session chairs’ meeting (Wednesday sessions only) Regency D

Keynote Session 3 | Chair: Jeff Parshley, SRK Consulting (US) Inc, USA Regency D/E/F
09:00-09:45 Theme keynote 4 | Mine closure – past, present and perpetuity
Rick Siwik, Siwik Consulting Inc., Canada; M. Clemens, McMaster University, Canada
09:45-10:30 Theme keynote 5 | Updating Australia's leading practice sustainable development (LPSD) mine closure handbook for 2015: Closing the
gaps and understanding the minerals resource legacy
Harley Lacy, MWH Global, Australia; K. Bennett, MWH Global, Australia
10:30-11:00 Coffee break and poster session

Plenary Session 3 | Chair: Jeff Parshley, SRK Consulting (US) Inc, USA Regency D/E/F
11:00-11:30 Plenary presentation 7 | Closure planning for the largest copper producer in the world
Eduardo Sanzana, Codelco, Chile; Björn Weeks, Golder Associates, Canada; Sergio Fernandez, Codelco, Chile
11:30-12:00 Plenary presentation 8 | Integrated closure planning: Case studies on changing operational strategies to reduce closure liabilities
Carl Grant, Anglo American, Australia; Rudolph Botha, Anglo American, South Africa
12:00-12:30 Plenary presentation 9 | Using genomics in mine reclamation
Lauchlan Fraser and Heath Garris, Thompson Rivers University, Canada; S. Baldwin, University of British Columbia, Canada; Jonathan Van
Hamme and Wendy Gardner, Thompson Rivers University
12:30-13:30 Lunch

Parallel Sessions

Regency D Regency E Regency F

Session 13 | Covers
Chair: Mike Nahir, Aboriginal Affairs and
Northern Development Canada
13:30-13:50 Instrumentation and early monitoring
results of the south waste rock dump at
Century Mine
Pascal Defferrard, MMG Century, Australia;
Timothy Rohde, EMGA Mitchell McLennan,
Australia; Matt Lord, MMG Century,
Australia
13:50-14:10 Performance evaluation of reclamation
soil cover systems at Cluff Lake Mine in
northern Saskatchewan
Larisa Barber and Brian Ayres, O’Kane
Consultants Inc., Canada; Bradley Schmid,
AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Canada
14:10-14:30 Evaluation of cover systems for closure of
tailings storage facilities at North American
Tungsten Corporation’s Cantung Mine
Gillian Allen and Lindsay Tallon, O’Kane
Consultants, Canada; Deborah Flemming,
North American Tungsten Corporation
Ltd., Canada; Shannon Shaw, pHase
Geochemistry, Canada; and Brian Ayres,
O’Kane Consultants, Canada
14:30-14:50 Stainless steel covers – an alternative
closure method for remote abandoned
mines
David Sanscartier, Saskatchewan Research
Council, Canada; Jonathan Lambert,
McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd.,
Canada; Christopher Reid and Dianne Allen,
Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
| 11
Session 14 | Ecosystem Reconstruction
Chair: Diane Howe, BC Ministry of Energy
and Mines, Canada
Does the concept of novel ecosystems have
a place in mine closure and rehabilitation?
R. Neil Humphries, Celtic Energy Ltd., UK;
Mark Tibbett, University of Reading, UK
Phytoremediation to improve pit lake water Developing the Hollinger open pit mine –
quality leaving a positive legacy
Marc Wen, Clem Pelletier, Kelsey Norlund
and Gareth Wolff, Environmental Resources
Management (ERM), Canada; Debbie
Berthelot, BHP Billiton, Canada
Potential impact of improved rehabilitation
methods on the water balance of an
opencast coal mine
Michael Palmer, Jones & Wagener (Pty) Ltd.,
South Africa; Albert van Zyl, Terrasim, South
Africa; Cindy Smith, Anglo American Coal,
South Africa
Mine reclamation and surface water
balances: An ecohydrologic classification
system for mine-affected watersheds
Justin Straker and Trevor Baker, Integral
Ecology Group Ltd., Canada; S. Lee Barbour,
University of Saskatchewan, Canada; Mike
O’Kane, O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada;
Sean Carey, McMaster University, Canada;
Dan Charest, Teck Resources Limited,
Canada
Session 15 | Treatment and Case Studies
Chair: Ken Bocking, Golder Associates,
Canada
Beyond ML/ARD: The many faces of neutral
mine drainage in the context of mine closure
Doug Bright and Natasha Sandys, Hemmera,
Canada
Thomas Sulatycky and D. Bucar, Goldcorp
Inc., Canada; P. Buttineau, Porcupine Gold
Mines, Goldcorp Ltd., Canada
Using applied research to reclaim a northern
Canadian uranium mine
Brittany Cranston and Len Leskiw, Paragon
Soil and Environmental Consulting Inc.,
Canada
Opportunities to incorporate mine closure
into mine planning
Susan Ames, AMES Mine Closure and
Reclamation International, Canada
14:50-15:10 Closure of legacy waste rock piles: Can
we achieve passive treatment to manage
residual seepage in the short term?
Greg Meiers and Mike O’Kane, O’Kane
Consultants Inc., Canada; David Mayich,
David Mayich Consulting, Canada; Paul
Weber, O’Kane Consultants (NZ) Ltd., New
Zealand; Cody Bradley, O’Kane Consultants
Inc., Canada; Joseph Shea, Public Works and
Government Services Canada, Canada
15:10-15:40 Coffee break and poster session
Ecosystem reconstruction: A global
assessment of methods for estimating soil
water regimes for mine reclamation and
closure
Justin Straker and Trevor Baker, Integral
Ecology Group Ltd., Canada; Mike O’Kane
and Robert Shurniak, O’Kane Consultants
Inc., Canada; S. Lee Barbour, University of
Saskatchewan, Canada; S. Carey, McMaster
University, Canada
Passive biological treatment of acid mine
drainage with recovery of copper
Alex Schwarz, Norma Pérez and Gustavo
Chaparro , Centre of Water Resources
for Agriculture and Mining (CRHIAM),
Universidad de Concepción, Chile

Parallel Sessions

Regency D Regency E Regency F

Session 16 | Miscellaneous Session 17 | Ecosystem Reconstrution Session 18 | Case Studies
Chair: Mark Freberg, Teck Resources Limited, Chair: Kim Bellefontaine, BC Ministry of Chair: Elizabeth Gardiner, NOAMI, Canada
Canada Energy and Mines, Canada
15:40-16:00 Sustainability appraisal for mine closure The influence of coal mine spoil physical Optimization – a rationalized approach to
properties on the spatial distribution of developing mine closure objectives
lichen-rich communities
Elizaveta Petelina, David Sanscartier Danielle Whitlock and R. Jane Rickson, Andrew Butler and Timothy Anderson;
and Susan MacWilliam, Saskatchewan Cranfield University, UK; Neil Humphries and NRA Environmental Consultants, Australia;
Research Council, Canada; Reanne Ridsdale, Rob Thompson, Celtic Energy Limited, UK; Alex Sexton, Ernest Henry Mine Pty Ltd - A
University of Saskatchewan, Canada Mark Tibbett, University of Reading, UK Glencore Company, Australia
16:00-16:20 Teck's Elkview operations: Visualizing an The triad plant-soil-microbes, an ecofriendly Key factors in developing and implementing
integrated approach to conceptual closure way to reconstruct healthy ecosystems on a successful mine closure plan - Denison
and reclamation planning mining sites: A global perspective sites 20 years after closure
Daryl Harrison and Donald Crockett, Golder Martin Nadeau, Symbiotech Research, Viridis Roberta Pedlar-Hobbs, Ian Ludgate and
Associates Ltd., Canada; Lucy Eykamp, Teck Terra Innovations, Canada; Damase Khasa, Sonia Lanteigne, Denison Environmental
Resources, Canada Université Laval, Canada Services, Canada
16:20-16:40 Assessing the level of difficulty for Effect of soil cover system design on Process-driven design and piloting of a site-
vegetation establishment on reclaimed sites cover system performance and early tree specific constructed wetland for copper and
establishment selenium treatment in the Yukon
Brittany Cranston and Lee Waterman, Larisa Barber, O’Kane Consultants Inc., Monique Haakensen and Vanessa Pittet,
Paragon Soil and Environmental Consulting, Canada; Jana Bockstette, University of Contango Strategies, Canada; James Spencer,
Canada Alberta, Canada; David Christensen and Capstone Mining Corporation, Minto Mine,
Lindsay Tallon, O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada; John Rodgers Jr and James Castle,
Canada; Simon Landhäusser, University of Clemson University, USA
Alberta, Canada
16:40-17:00 Update on mine closure, sealing and Land reclamation in Canada’s mining Evaluation of acid generation in mine rock
abandonment practices sandbox: Do novel ecosystems require novel at an iron mine 25 years after closure
approaches?
Tom Gray, Tetra Tech Inc., USA; Richard Gray, Patrick Audet, EDI Environmental Dynamics Michael Venhuis, S. Shaw and Ronald
DiGioia, Gray and Associates, USA; Bill Balaz, Inc., Canada; Brad Pinno, Canadian Forest Nicholson, EcoMetrix Inc., Canada; Syd
Tetra Tech Inc., USA Service, Canada; Evelyn Thiffault, Université Bartle, Consultant, Canada; Jim Stirling,
Laval, Canada ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Canada
17:00-17:20 A case study of cost effective detailed waste Effective strategies for the reclamation of Utilizing novel technology for residue
characterization techniques for closure of large mines management and sustainable mine closure
abandoned uranium mines
Aaron Orechwa and Daniel Workman, Tetra David Polster, Polster Environmental Patrick Littlejohn, David Kratochvil and
Tech Inc., USA Services Ltd., Canada Alain Consigny, BioteQ Environmental
Technologies Ltd., Canada
17:20-17:30 Mine Closure 2016 presentation Regency D
17:30-17:40 Closing remarks, conference balance note
17:40 Close day 03, end of conference

12 |
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
1 Support of solving the problems of abandoned mining areas in Germany by improvement of the university education
M. Hegemann, P. Goerke-Mallet and L. Henkel, Post-Mining Research Institute, University of Applied Sciences TFH
Georg Agricola Bochum, Germany

2 French post-mining management: Integrated institutional, legal and technical organization

A. Louis, Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, France; R. Hadadou, GEODERIS, France; G.
Vigneron, Mine Safety and Risk Prevention Department of French Geological Survey (BRGM), France

3 An example of integrated safety operation management in the Pontgibaud lead-silver former mine district (France)
P. Sabourault, French Geological Survey (BRGM), France; D. Niemiec, Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and
Energy, France; M. Dietz, A. Pidon and I. Girardeau, French Geological Survey (BRGM), France

4 Soil bioengineering application in a reconstructed waterway on an Alberta oil sands overburden dump
P. Raymond, Terra Erosion Control Ltd., Canada

5 Integrated surface/subsurface model supports proof-of-concept for co-disposal of ARD tailings and waste rock
S. Donald, R. McLaren, A. Puhalovich, J. Randall and B. Reiha, Golder Associates Ltd., Canada; E.A. Sudicky, Y-J. Park and
S. Berg, Aquanty Inc., Canada

6 Environmental DNA: A revolutionary sampling technique for aquatic ecological studies

C. Astley, Hemmera, Canada

7 Bralorne-Takla mercury mine: A case study for collaborative remedial planning

T. McConkey, SNC Lavalin Inc., Canada; G. Stewart, Crown Contaminated Sites Program, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands
and Natural Resource Operations, Canada; D. Radies, Takla Lake First Nation, Canada; B Power, Azimuth Consulting
Group Partnership, Canada; T Gillett, SNC-Lavalin Inc., Canada

8 Low-cost nursery inoculants for shrubs reduce reclamation costs, accelerate CO2 capture and derive nitrogen from
thin air in Alberta
L. Garneau, C. Bissonnette, M-M. Corbeil, P-L. Mallet and J. Beaudin, Centre d’Étude et de Valorisation de la Diversité
Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE, Canada; A. Quoreshi Symbiotech
Research Inc., Canada; D. Khasa Centre d’Etude de la Forêt et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes,
Université Laval, Canada; C.W. Greer Energy, Mining and Environment, Research Council Canada; S. Roy Centre
d’Étude et de Valorisation de la Diversité Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE,
Canada

9 Mine reclamation: Developing soild guidelines for wildlife and livestock, First Nations/Canadian consumers of meat
Shannon M. Bard and Jennifer Trowell, Keystone Environmental Ltd., Canada

10 Improving our understanding of reclaimed sites with remote sensing data

Mar Martínez de Saavedra Álvarez, Leslie Brown, Mike Henley, Eduardo Loos, Kaan Ersahin, and Gary Borstad, ASL
Environmental Services Inc., Canada

11 Comparison of several biochemical reactors treating metal-rich mining-related effluents in terms of their metabolic
potential
M. Rezadehbashi and S.A. Baldwin, Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada

| 13
DAY 01 – MONDAY, JUNE 1
OPENING SOME HISTORIES OF MINE CLOSURE, THE IDEA
KEYNOTE Daryl Hockley, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., Canada

THEME TECK – 100 YEARS OF SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS: WATER,

KEYNOTE 1 RECLAMATION AND CLOSURE
Michael Davies, Teck Resources Limited, Canada

PLENARY 1 TEN YEARS ON: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM THE MINE
CLOSURE CONFERENCE SERIES? A REVIEW OF THE CONFERENCE
PROCEEDINGS FROM 2006 TO 2014
Caroline Digby, Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry, University of the
Witwatersrand, South Africa

PLENARY 2 MANAGING LONG-TERM ORPHANED MINE LIABILITIES: EXPLORING

THE RELINQUISHMENT OF CLOSED SITES
Elizabeth Gardiner, NOAMI, Canada

PLENARY 3 POST-CLOSURE STEWARDSHIP OF MINE SITES: INSTITUTIONAL

CONTROL IN SASKATCHEWAN – A CASE HISTORY
Don Hovdebo, Kingsmere Resource Services Inc., Canada

SESSION 1 REGULATORY

SESSION 2 LANDFORM

SESSION 3 CASE STUDIES (URANIUM)

SESSION 4 RISK ASSESSMENT

SESSION 5 LANFORMS AND EVOLUTION IN RECLAMATION

SESSION 6 CASE STUDIES

DAY 01
KEYNOTE SESSION 1
Opening keynote | Some histories of
mine closure, the idea
D. E. Hockley SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., Canada
L.C. Hockley AJBL Consultants Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
Mine closure, the idea.
Where did it begin and
how did we develop our
current understanding of
the associated technical,
environmental and social
challenges? This paper will
present three histories of
mine closure, developed using different methods and
leading to somewhat different conclusions.
The first history examines societal factors that
contributed to the early ideas about mine closure.
It uses the normal methods of historical research,
specifically review of primary and secondary written
sources, and focuses on how both competing
resource uses and the development of environmental
movements led to early mine closure legislation.
The second history addresses scientific and technical
developments related to mine closure. It uses a
method known as bibliometric mapping. Over 4,000
technical references related to mine closure were
collected and analysed by a series of text-mining,
statistical and graphical techniques. The results show
the growth in the field as a whole from the 1960s to
the present day, and also the shifts in emphasis from
reclamation to more holistic closure, from the major
element composition of affected waters to various
minor and trace elements, and from bio-physical and
chemical effects to socio-economic concerns.
The third history reviews the development of mine
closure practices over the last twenty years. It draws
on concept mapping exercises completed by mine
closure experts in 1998 and again in 2006. It shows
the transition from isolated specialties to a mature
discipline, complete with higher level management
processes, continuing growth in technical fields, and
new interests in stakeholder and sustainability issues.
1
Please note that there is no full paper to accompany this abstract.
MONDAY, JUNE 1
Even these three approaches together do not
constitute a complete history. But perhaps they will
enrich our understanding of how the idea of mine
closure has changed and continues to change over
time and in different parts of the mining industry.
Theme keynote 1 | Teck – 100 years of
sustainability focus: water, reclamation
and closure1
M. Davies Teck Resources Limited, Canada
ABSTRACT
Teck has been discovering
and operating mines for
100 years. Our people
live in the areas where
we operate, and we care
about doing the right
thing for our community,
the environment and
future generations. To guide all of our actions, Teck
established a comprehensive strategy with goals that
stretch through to 2030 in areas that represent the
most significant challenges and opportunities facing
our company in the area of sustainability. One such
area is water, which is fundamental to our ability to
operate and to which we ascribe goals around use
intensity, water quality and fair access for all potential
users. Further to Teck’s commitment to sustainability
is our formal and robust management approach to
our reclamation activities and our dormant/legacy
properties. Teck’s approach to water, reclamation
and closure are briefly described as a window to our
sustainability practices and how Teck is establishing
the basis for operating for the next 100 years.
16 |
DAY 01
PLENARY SESSION 1 Plenary 2 | Managing long-term
orphaned mine liabilities: Exploring the
Plenary 1 | Ten years on: What have relinquishment of closed sites
we learned from the Mine Closure E.J. Gardiner NOAMI, Canada
conference series? A review of the W.R. Cowan Cowan Minerals Ltd., Canada
conference proceedings from 2006 to G.A. Tremblay Natural Resources Canada, Canada
20142 C.M. Hogan Natural Resources Canada, Canada
C. Digby Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry, ABSTRACT
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
The National Orphaned/Abandoned Mines Initiative
Daniel Limpitlaw Centre for Sustainability in Mining and
Industry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
(NOAMI) was launched in 2002 in Canada in response
to a request by federal, provincial and territorial
ABSTRACT mines ministers. It is a national multi-stakeholder
initiative that addresses issues related to orphaned
The Proceedings of the Mine Closure conferences
and abandoned mines in Canada. One of the guiding
from 2006 to 2014 represent a valuable collection
principles of NOAMI is that “work toward eliminating
of knowledge on mine closure and the evolution
future abandonment must continue, including the
of closure practice over the past decade. There
tightening of regulatory approaches.” Recently,
have been nearly 700 papers presented at the
NOAMI discovered that while processes of closure
ten conferences held in Australia, Canada, South
planning and the provision of financial assurance
Africa, Chile, and the UK. Subject matter ranges
are well-developed and consistently applied across
from detailed technical papers on cover design for
Canada, policy and regulatory approaches focusing
tailings storage facilities to inclusive approaches
on long-term management of sites beyond closure,
required to facilitate the participation of first nations
including potential methods of returning mining
people in closure planning. There are site-specific
lands to the Crown, are almost non-existent. This
case studies outlining closure plans and recording
paper will describe various initiatives undertaken by
closure outcomes relating to revegetation, water
NOAMI during the past four years that explore this
management, and land and infrastructure use. There
issue in detail and offer recommendations for change.
are contributions from regulators relating to policy
and regulatory issues and papers on public sector A 2010 NOAMI report entitled “The policy framework
interventions dealing with orphaned and abandoned in Canada for mine closure and management of
mines that can help to inform today’s closure practice. long-term liabilities: a guidance document” presents
a policy framework and recommendations for
However, to date these papers have been largely
preventing further accrual of abandoned mine
inaccessible, available only in the hard copy
liabilities. Subsequently, a 2011 multi-stakeholder
proceedings produced for each conference. The
workshop, Exploring the Management of Long-term
intention of this presentation is to open up the
Liabilities and the Return of Mining Lands to the
collection of papers and to promote the use and
Crown, resulted in the development of a roadmap
application of the knowledge contained in the series.
for managing long-term liabilities. In 2013, Cowan
We report on an assessment of the collective output
Minerals Ltd. produced a report for NOAMI based
of the Mine Closure series and attempt to show what
on a two-part study. The first part examined six case
the series has contributed and why it is important.
studies from different Canadian jurisdictions that
The assessment identifies areas where knowledge
describe closed sites that either were returned to
has evolved and contributions that have stood the
the Crown or were in the process of making such
test of time.
an application. The second part, a decision tree or
process, identified key issues and questions that need
to be addressed in order to determine whether a site

| 17 2
Please note that there is no full paper to accompany this abstract.

should be brought under government jurisdiction or
remain the responsibility of the operator. The report,
“Case studies and decision-making process for the
relinquishment of closed mine sites” (2013), lays out
a five-step approach for regulators and industry to
consider when determining if a site could, or should,
ultimately be returned to the Crown. Finally, in 2014,
NOAMI commissioned a study that describes draft
criteria for the effective long-term stewardship of
closed mine sites. The purpose of the draft criteria
is to provide a summary of site aspects that will aid
the user in identifying, analysing, and evaluating
potential site hazards, including those that may pose
a risk to public health and safety, to the environment,
to ecosystem services and to future land use.
Plenary 3 | Post-closure stewardship
of mine sites: institutional control in
Saskatchewan – a case history
D.G. Hovdebo Kingsmere Resource Services Inc., Canada
K.E. Cunningham Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy,
Mineral Policy Branch, Canada
D.M. Kristoff Saskatchewan Ministry of the Environment,
Hazmat and Impacted Sites, Canada
M.S. Webster Cameco Corporation, Canada
ABSTRACT
Environmental practices and regulations have
advanced significantly since Canadian mine
operations were developed in the early 1900s and
now cover all aspects of construction and operation.
Similarly, most jurisdictions around the world now
require mining operations to prepare closure plans
and to post a bond or other financial assurance of
sufficient value to cover the cost of closure from
the time a mine is first approved. However, few
jurisdictions have developed a formal institutional
control management framework that provides
for custodial transfer and effective long-term
stewardship of sites once the operator has fulfilled
its closure obligations and is eligible for release from
further financial bonding (closed sites). Post-closure
management of such sites is an issue that has been
identified by the public, industry, and government
stakeholders.
The Province of Saskatchewan successfully
undertook the processes necessary to develop a
MONDAY, JUNE 1
formal, effective institutional control program (ICP)
that defines the conditions under which it will accept
custodial responsibility for closed mine sites and
provide for the long-term stewardship of each site.
The process was undertaken by a working group led by
a consultant and composed of representatives from
the Executive Council, Ministries of Environment,
Energy and Resources, Northern Affairs, Justice, and
Finance. It was initiated in 2005 with a comprehensive
assessment of policy and legislative requirements and
the risks and liabilities associated with undertaking
such a program. This process also involved extensive
consultations with industry, Aboriginal traditional
users, and other stakeholders in order to secure their
input, inclusion, and support. The entire process was
completed with the promulgation of the Reclaimed
Industrial Sites Act (RISA) and associated regulations
in 2007 and the formal acceptance of the first mine
sites in 2009.
The Saskatchewan ICP addresses all aspects of
conventional closed mines as well as the uranium-
specific issues of radioactive waste management,
including those defined in the articles of the
International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Joint
Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management
and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management,
all applicable provincial acts and regulations, and
the federal Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA).
The program includes a formal, publically accessible
registry and document repository. It has been
designed to be revenue neutral and sustainable and
to ensure that future generations are not burdened
with the costs of the long-term monitoring and
maintenance of former mine sites in the province.
In addition, the Saskatchewan Ministry of the
Environment now includes the cost for transferring
a closed site into the ICP as a component of the
financial assurance required for operating sites.
Since its inception, the Saskatchewan ICP has
accepted one gold mine/mill and five uranium mine
sites into the institutional control registry and
has completed the first of the requisite scheduled
inspections of each registered site. This case history
describes the actions and process used to develop
the program, discusses the challenges encountered,
and summarises the outcomes of the creation of a
sustainable formal institutional control management
framework in Saskatchewan.
18 |
DAY 01
SESSION 1 – REGULATORY
A framework for standardized,
performance-based completion
criteria for mine closure and mine site
relinquishment
R. Holmes Yukon Government, Canada
M. Flynn Canada Mining Innovation Council, Canada
M.B. Thorpe Torex Gold, Canada
ABSTRACT
Many significant advancements have been
made in the mine closure process over the past
several decades, including “design for closure,”
the development of comprehensive mine closure
planning and the regulatory requirement for financial
assurances for mine site rehabilitation. However,
mine closure remains a significant challenge for all
major mining jurisdictions around the world. This is
largely due to the amorphous nature of the process,
inconsistencies in regulations across jurisdictions
and inadequate management approaches. To address
these challenges in mine closure, the Canada Mining
Innovation Council’s Environmental Stewardship
Initiative has prioritized the development of
standardised, performance-based completion criteria
for mine closure and the subsequent relinquishment.
The criteria will allow a clear and consistent path to
mine closure by defining the conditions acceptable
to stakeholders, which, if met, will enable the
government and regulatory agencies to accept mine
sites into their custody for long-term stewardship.
The criteria will serve as a key strategic planning
and risk management tool for industry, regulatory
agencies and mining stakeholders at large. Mining
stakeholders will have certainty regarding how a site
will be rehabilitated, decommissioned and closed,
and it is anticipated that the criteria will drive closure
management from mine design to the ultimate
closure of operations.
This paper provides an overview of the initiative
by outlining the challenges in mine closure that
the project aims to solve. The standardised closure
criteria concept is defined, with examples of criteria
that will likely be included in the framework. An
overview of how industry and regulatory agencies
| 19
will use the criteria is provided. The benefits that will
likely accrue to mining stakeholders are summarised.
The main benefits for industry include improved
efficiency and consistency in the mine closure
process as well as the promotion of a more stable and
competitive investment climate. For governments
and regulatory agencies, the mine closure process
will become more managed and structured, thus
enabling a more simplified and efficient regulatory
regime. Furthermore, with a managed relinquishment
process, the accrual of improperly closed (i.e.
abandoned and orphaned sites) will be reduced.
This will also provide a key public benefit, as public
funds will not be required for associated clean-up
costs. Lastly, local stakeholders will be assured that
environmental performance will be central to the
mine closure process with a view toward establishing
positive post-mining legacies.
British Columbia’s Crown Contaminated
Sites Program – a ten year review
G. Stewart Province of British Columbia, Canada
ABSTRACT
The Crown Contaminated Sites Program (CCSP)
leads the management of contaminated publically-
owned lands in British Columbia. The Program was
initiated in 2003 and operates within the Ministry
of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
(FLNR) under a Cabinet-approved policy that commits
CCSP to identify and prioritize contaminated sites
that are a provincial responsibility. This policy uses
a science-based and risk assessment approach to
protect human health and the environment. Although
CCSP manages a wide range of contaminated sites,
the vast majority of remediation effort has been
directed at closing historic mine sites. This paper will
focus on these mine sites and review the Program’s
inventory, assessment, prioritization approach to site
remediation.
Over the past decade, a tremendous amount of
progress has been made towards the CCSP’s
goals. As the Program matured, the focus shifted
from developing various tools (e.g., site inventory,
assessment guidance, risk ranking methodology),
to their implementation, and then to remediation
and risk reduction. Since inception, the Program has

investigated 75 historic mine sites; 8 have been fully
remediated, and 15 are characterized as priority
sites where ongoing assessment and remediation
is occurring. Examples from these mine sites will
be used to illustrate our innovative and flexible
approach. Of particular relevance to mine closure is
that CCSP has demonstrated leadership in using a
risk-based approach to assess and prioritize sites and
protect human and ecological health. This approach
improves the information available on contaminated
sites through site research and a database of sites
and activities related to them. Regular reports are
made to government and the public on the progress
of work and the financial burden of contaminated
sites. The Program works collaboratively with First
Nations, communities, environmental organizations,
and other levels of government to tackle problems
together. The end result after a decade of effort is a
comprehensive and coordinated government-wide
framework for managing contaminated sites on
publically-owned lands.
How to reconcile over a century
of mining history with today’s
rehabilitation standards: a case study in
Cobalt, Ontario
J. Noël Mine Reclamation, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited,
Canada
J. Cayouette Mine Reclamation, Agnico Eagle Mines
Limited, Canada
J.-F. Doyon Sustainable Development, Agnico Eagle Mines
Limited, Canada
M. R. Julien Environment, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited,
Canada
ABSTRACT
The Cobalt Mining Camp, in northeastern Ontario,
was discovered in the early 1900’s and has been the
host of over a hundred silver mines and some thirty
mills over the course of the last century. Mine sites
have changed ownership over the years and have
been progressively closed to the standards of the
time.
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited acquired properties
in the Cobalt area starting in 1953, operated some
mines from 1953 to 1989, and still holds the rights
MONDAY, JUNE 1
of a portion of the former mining sites in the area.
A first series of closure plans was submitted to the
Ontario’s government in the 1990s and completed
in the early 2000s. Agnico Eagle is currently in the
process of updating its closure plans. This process
is a challenging one since over 230 properties are
included in the plans amendments for which over 500
mine hazards (old shafts, headframes, raises, trenches,
waste rock piles, tailings accumulation areas, etc.)
have been identified. Moreover, a significant number
of properties present complex ownership rights and
are located near inhabited area. Many of them also
present features of historical significance (the Town
of Cobalt is considered Ontario’s most historic town).
The updated rehabilitation plans have to integrate all
of these features and take into account the dynamic
reaction of the natural environment to this mining
legacy.
The process has highlighted, up to now, the importance
of clearly defining the restoration objectives and
of having a detailed process to determine the
appropriate rehabilitation measures taking into
account sites specificity and the unique nature of the
Cobalt area. The selected approach is one based on
risks assessment and innovation. This exercise also
proves to be a great opportunity to build further on
the relationship with the Cobalt community, proud
pioneers of the Canadian mining industry.
The development of international
standards for mine reclamation
management
P.A. Steenhof Natural Resources, Sustainability
Department, CSA Group, Canada
ABSTRACT
A new international standards work program is
underway through the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO) to develop a series
of international standards that will provide
requirements and recommendations for mine
reclamation management, with a focus on reducing
the environmental risks, associated financial
liabilities and environmental impacts of mining.
Nine countries are actively participating in the
standards development program, including all of the
20 |
DAY 01
most significant mining countries in the world. CSA
Group has helped organize a committee of Canadian
stakeholders and experts from the Canadian mining
industry, relevant government authorities, service
providers, and academic researchers with the
mandate to provide Canadian leadership and input
into this international standards program.
This article provides an explanation of the
international standards being developed for mine
reclamation management, with a focus on an
International Work Item and International Standard
that Canada has proposed on the topic of Mine
Reclamation Management Planning. The Mine
Reclamation Management Planning standard is
intended to provide a crucial overarching document
for Mine Reclamation Management Planning along
with the requirements or recommendations for Mine
Reclamation Management Planning. The document
will also act to help guide the development of related
standards for the mine reclamation management
process.
The Work Item follows a Life Cycle approach to
Mine Reclamation Management Planning with the
recognition that planning for mine reclamation must
take place throughout the lifecycle of the mine and
not just at closure. This covers the main decision
points and procedures that need to be considered in
planning for mine reclamation, with these organized
around the following topic areas: Approaches to
reclamation; Reclamation technologies; Reclamation
activities; Reclamation monitoring; Financial
provisions, and; Documentation and reporting. The
objective is that the ensuing standard will help ensure
consistency and completeness in terms of the mine
reclamation planning process.
Closure drainage design for oil sands
mining — robustness for dam de-
licensing
R.J.M. Wirtz WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd., Canada
M.E. Urquhart WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd.,
Canada
ABSTRACT
Design of closure drainage channels for reclamation
of an oil sands mine site is unique, complex and
| 21
challenging. Reclaimed oil sands mines are expected
to meet to a pre-disturbance equivalency in terms
of land-use capability and be sustainable over the
long-term with little to no maintenance. In terms
of closure drainage channels, this expectation
could be interpreted as providing sustainable and
biologically productive aquatic habitats consisting
of wetlands, lakes, and watercourses. Research and
planning related to closure drainage designs being
conducted within the oil sands industry. Historically,
this research has primarily been focused on
understanding natural regional drainage systems and
applying the characteristics of the channels to the
design of closure channels in terms of longitudinal
slope, bed material, cross section, and planform. This
approach is commonly referred to as the geomorphic
approach.
Oil sands mines are large-scale and are comprised of
various operational facilities and structures including
in-pit tailings ponds, out-of-pit tailings ponds,
overburden dumps, and licensed dams. At closure
these facilities and structures will be comprised
of a wide range of materials constructed using a
variety of methods (mechanically placed/compacted
overburden, hydraulically placed tailings sand). The
facilities and structures would interface with in-situ
ground, upstream and downstream watersheds,
and often, neighbouring mines. When designing
closure drainage channels, the characteristics of
the materials that underlie the closure drainage
channels needs to be considered from a fluvial
geomorphology perspective (erodibility of material,
ground surface settlement). The consequences of
channel erosion and migration on the sustainability
of the closure landscape need to be evaluated against
the expectations of the reclaimed mine landscape.
Recently published guidelines for de-licensing oil
sands dams suggest that application of the geomorphic
approach might not be adequate for all reaches of the
closure drainage network within a reclaimed oil sands
mine. It is expected that, at some locations within the
closure drainage network, channels will need to be
more-robust against erosion and channel migration
than the geomorphic approach would allow in order
to provide acceptable risk levels for de-licensing oil
sands dams and successfully reclaiming an oil sands
mine.
This paper will provide an over view of various

industry-specific guidance documents on closure
drainage channel design and discuss considerations
and approaches for closure drainage channel design at
oil sands mines at various stages of mine development
(planning, operation, closure). Considerations for
future research into improving and demonstrating
closure channel robustness will also be explored.
SESSION 2 – LANDFORM
Highwall blasting: A cost effective way
to reshape and reduce closure liabilities
C.D. Grant Anglo American, Australia
L. Hantler Anglo Coal, Australia
ABSTRACT
In many mining operations around the world, the
highest rehabilitation costs are associated with
reshaping mining voids. It is possible to use blasting
techniques to move material from the highwall to
the mining void at much lower cost than by using
heavy machinery such as bulldozers. While this is
not a new idea, very few trials have been conducted
to determine how much material can be cast to the
final landform position and how much money can
subsequently be saved from the closure liability.
Trials were conducted at Anglo Coal Australia’s
Dawson Mine in 2013 to demonstrate that overall
rehabilitation costs can be significantly reduced by
using sophisticated blasting techniques to move
considerable amounts of highwall material into final
landform position and thus reduce the need for
more expensive earthmoving options. Four blasts
were completed, and detailed preblast and postblast
surveying allowed accurate estimates of how much
material was blasted to the final landform and how
much reshaping was required. Detailed costs were
collected for every step of the process, risks were
identified, and mitigation measures were trialled.
Results showed that, for a 25% postrehabilitation
slope, at least two-thirds of the material could be
cast blasted to the final landform. Across a range
of final landform slopes, cast blasting moved 25%–
63% more material than previously assumed in
closure cost models. This led to immediate savings
of tens of millions of dollars off the premature and
MONDAY, JUNE 1
life of mine (LoM) closure liability. There are also
significant nonfinancial benefits of the trials, such
as demonstrating to external stakeholders and
regulators that open-cut mining can be a temporary
land use and that even the most difficult of areas (i.e.,
void highwalls) can be successfully rehabilitated to
a productive postmining land use. Further trials are
planned, and an additional 10%–20% increase in cast
blast to final landform is seen as achievable.
Evolution of the Bige stockpile closure
design for the Ok Tedi Mine
K. Brand Klohn Crippen Berger Limited, Australia
M.J. Ind Klohn Crippen Berger Limited, Australia
M. Ridd Ok Tedi Mining Limited, Papua New Guinea
M. Thompson Ok Tedi Mining Limited, Papua New Guinea
L. Murray Klohn Crippen Berger Limited, Canada
ABSTRACT
The Lower Ok Tedi Dredge Project, which commenced
operation in 1998, is located at Bige in the Western
Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The project is
an important component of Ok Tedi Mining Limited’s
(OTML) environmental management program to
reduce the mine’s impact on downstream riverbed
aggradation, flooding, and vegetation dieback.
Dredged river sediments (mostly sand and silt
particles) are stored in on-land stockpiles on the east
and west banks of the Ok Tedi River (note the term
“Ok” translates to “River” in the local region language
hence the term Ok Tedi used throughout this paper).
Klohn Crippen Berger Limited (KCB) (formerly Klohn
Crippen Consultants Limited) undertook the original
site selection, geotechnical, and civil design for the
project, including surface water management and
landform design of the stockpiles in the mid-1990s.
The original design intent of the Bige project was to
store sand in a “semi-permanent” facility on the Ok
Tedi flood plain, where erosion of the stockpiles by
migration of the Ok Tedi was seen as a possibility.
The expectation at the time was that after mine
closure and recovery of the river system, gradual
erosion of the stockpiled sand would not significantly
impact the river system. In the early 2000s, following
commencement of operations at Bige, further
studies indicated that the dredged material stored
22 |
DAY 01
in the stockpiles could be potentially acid forming
(PAF) and could lead to acid rock drainage (ARD).
Therefore, modifications to the landform design were
undertaken to mitigate this risk.
The initial landform design of the stockpiles generally
incorporated side slopes of 7.5H:1V. To facilitate
surface water management from this surface, a
series of hard engineered structures including
gabion baskets, Reno mattresses, benches, graded
bench drains and inter-bench spillways. This water
management system has operated successfully over
the past 15 years on rehabilitated sections of the
stockpile. Developments in material availability,
scheduling issues and construction practicalities
associated with placing a proposed non-acid forming
(NAF) closure cover necessitated a change in design
philosophy for the surface water management
system. In 2013–2014, OTML initiated studies
to investigate the use of soft engineered water
management features including flatter side slopes,
vegetated drainage swales, and ephemeral surface
wetlands. The updated closure design approach
is intended to provide a landform that minimises
long term care and maintenance requirements, is
sympathetic to the natural environment, and includes
a stable and resilient long-term closure cover.
Assessing the evolution of a post-mining
landscape using landform evolution
models at millennial time scales
J.B.C Lowry Environmental Research Institute of the
Supervising Scientist, Department of the Environment,
Australia
G.R. Hancock School of Environmental and Life Sciences,
The University of Newcastle, Australia
T.J. Coulthard Department of Geography, The University
of Hull, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
An important goal of mine closure is the development
of an erosionally stable landform that functionally
merges with the surrounding landscape. Poor
landform design may result in severe erosion and
gullying which may deliver excess sediment to the
surrounding undisturbed landscape. In addition,
erosion may result in the exposure of hazardous
| 23
material that was intended to be contained within
the landform over geological time, thereby posing
an environmental risk. These risks mean that it is
important that the erosional stability of a landform
be carefully assessed. In this study, a conceptual
rehabilitated landform of a uranium mine in northern
Australia is assessed over a 1,000-year period using
both the SIBERIA and CAESAR-Lisflood computer-
based landscape evolution models (LEMs). LEMS
have been developed which have the capability
to capture a range of both surface (erosion and
deposition), tectonic, as well as near surface or critical
zone processes (i.e. pedogenesis). Utilising two LEM
models enables both an independent evaluation
of likely landscape evolution processes and the
relative performance and output of each model to be
assessed and compared. Overall findings show that
SIBERIA and CAESAR-Lisflood produce erosion rates
and patterns that are broadly similar. At millennial
time scales, short-term processes such as gullying
appear to be the dominant erosion features on the
proposed landform, resulting in substantial erosion
features in terms of size and amount of hillslope
material eroded and transported downslope. Overall
both models produce very similar results highlighting
the usefulness of such modelling in terms of design
assessment.
However, the use of LEMs to simulate extended
periods of time raises a number of important issues.
Current knowledge of earth surface processes is
based on long-term empirical understandings, short-
term field measurements and numerical models. In
this paper, the ability to calibrate and parameterise
models for mine site rehabilitation over millennial time
scales is investigated, specifically through assessing
the effects of the initial landscape dimensions and
associated error as well as the parameterisation used
to represent a potential post-mining environment.
The results demonstrate that subtle surface changes
as well as parameterisation can have a large impact
on landscape behaviour, erosion depth and sediment
discharge.

Five fundamentals for successful mined
land rehabilitation
M.S. Theisen Profile Products LLC, United States
ABSTRACT
Successful rehabilitation of massive soil and
vegetation disturbances from surface mining requires
a comprehensive and holistic approach. Those
overseeing rehabilitation efforts must integrate
several considerations, supported by proper planning
and execution. “Soil poor” sites associated with mining
activities offer considerable challenges particularly
when topsoil sources are scarce. Such sites will require
innovative thinking and implementation to overcome
the absence of favourable growing conditions. This
publication offers some fundamental principles to
facilitate successful mined land rehabilitation.
The first fundamental is employing creative
methodologies to develop suitable growing media
from less than desirable soils or substrates. This
can only be accomplished by first understanding
the make-up of the soil or substrate through
comprehensive soil testing for agronomic potential
and limitations. The second fundamental requires
an assessment of suitable plant species for achieving
sustainable growth and effective erosion control –
while meeting the collective post-reclamation needs
or requirements of regulatory agencies and mine
owners.
Once soil, agronomic and species selection
considerations have been addressed, it is appropriate
to begin analysing site conditions or characteristics
to assess and select necessary erosion and sediment
control measures – the third fundamental. Site
conditions, such as soils, climate, seasonality, slope
lengths, gradients and aspects, ditch and channel
flow hydraulics, pond and stream banks, wetlands
and more, must be examined and proper controls
selected.
The fourth fundamental entails proper installation
practices critical to the success of the rehabilitation
program. Complete guidelines and details must be
developed and combined with onsite supervision
to assure proper installation. Finally, once the
rehabilitation measures have been implemented
all active sites should be routinely inspected and
MONDAY, JUNE 1
maintained after each significant precipitation or
other potentially damaging climatic event. This is the
fifth and final fundamental.
End land use as a guide for integrated
mine planning and closure design
N. Slingerland Department of Civil & Environmental
Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada
G.W. Wilson Department of Civil & Environmental
Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada
ABSTRACT
The benefits of life cycle mine closure planning
and sustainability are abundant, diverse, and have
been discussed within the mining and reclamation
industries ad infinitum over the past decade;
however, when faced with the iterative nature of
mining and site constraints, closure planning at many
open-pit sites still tends to revert away from these
“progressive” or “idealistic” discussions. Research
over the last 18 years has consistently shown that
once closure activities are completed, closure and
reclamation goals are often only partially achieved
or not achieved at all. As public license increasingly
influences mine application approval, a proven track
record demonstrating the ability to leave behind a
safe and sustainable landscape can be an advantage:
this is reliant on early identification and achievement
of closure goals.
In order to optimize the mining process as a whole to
achieve closure goals as well as productivity targets,
the authors propose that closure design be included
as a fundamental element and initial step in mine
design. Building on previous work regarding mine
closure goal achievement in Canada and the United
States, this paper evaluates conventional open-pit
mine design and closure planning frameworks in order
to identify the most favorable stage(s) for practical
integration of early closure planning tasks, as well as
outlining some key challenges. Closure tasks range
from initial site inventory and regional analysis to the
management of waste rock and geomorphic landform
design. The synthesis of both mine design and closure
design frameworks is critically examined with respect
to practicality, and results in the development of a
new “closure first” optimized mining framework. We
argue that by allowing the pre-designed end land-
24 |
DAY 01
use to inform mine works and material placement,
closure goals have a greater likelihood of being
successfully achieved and efficiencies in mining
operations are realized. The proposed “closure first”
mining framework provides an opportunity for new
mining operations to achieve sustainability from both
business and land-use perspectives.
SESSION 3 – CASE STUDIES (URANIUM)
Remediation of Wismut’s Uranium mill
tailings pond Culmitzsch – Progress
achieved and challenges ahead
U. Barnekow Department of Mine Remediation/
Geotechnics, Wismut GmbH, Germany
T. Metschies Department of Mine Remediation/
Geotechnics, Wismut GmbH, Germany
G. Merkel Ronneburg branch, Project Tailings Pond
Remediation, Wismut GmbH, Germany
M. Paul Division Engineering/Radiation Protection,
Wismut GmbH, Germany
ABSTRACT
From 1960 to 1990 the former Soviet-German
Wismut company milled uranium ore and processed a
total of about 110,000 t of uranium at the Seelingstädt
mill in Thuringia, Germany. In total about 85 million
m³ of mill tailings were disposed from 1967 till
1990 into the two partial ponds of the Uranium mill
tailings pond Culmitzsch (pond area: 2.43 km2). Dry-
decommissioning in situ started in 1995. It includes
the following major remediation steps: Expelling of
pond water, collection of seepage and runoff including
water treatment, interim covering of tailings surfaces,
reshaping of dams and re-contouring of ponds, final
covering including vegetation, diversion of runoff
from the tailings pond to the receiving streams.
Interim covering will end in 2016. Reshaping of dams
will last until 2018 and of the ponds until 2027. In
2012 Wismut filed applications for final covering.
Having received the first partial permit under mining
law final covering will begin on pond B in spring
2015 and shall end in 2028. On tailings beaches
the final cover design consists of a multi-layer type
cover consisting of 2.0 m storage and recultivation
layer above 0.3...0.5 m drainage layer above 0.3 m
| 25
sealing layer made of cohesive clean soil (hydraulic
conductivity kf ≤ 1E-9 m/s) above a sealing layer made
of compacted waste rock dump material (hydraulic
conductivity kf ≤ 5E-9 m/s). On fine tailings areas the
final cover consists of 1.0 m clean soil or waste rock
dump material (mixed-grained “soil” from overburden
rock layers; Ra-226 ≤ 200 Bq/kg) above an at least 1.5
m thick layer of compacted waste rock dump material
(mixed-grained soil). The pond area is designed to be
re-contoured in shallow hills and valleys. The multi-
layer-type final cover shall be constructed on short
slopes with a slope fall of v : h = 1 : 10 to 1 : 15 with
slope length of less than 100 m. This design will grant
clean surface runoff while reducing infiltration in
sandy tailings as much as reasonably achievable. In
addition the design of the final cover may take credit
from the optimization of the site water management.
In February 2015 Wismut filed an application for
planning approval under water law for connecting
the surface runoff from the Culmitzsch tailings pond
to the receiving streams. This will include additional
earthworks, construction of diversion ditches and of
a runoff retention pond. Permitting procedures have
been and will be influenced by stakeholders, NGOs
and further participating parties with concurrent
interests. The paper presents the remediation
progress achieved, the status of the discussions and
the major challenges ahead, in particular regarding
final covering, vegetation and landscape planning,
runoff diversion and site water management.
Decommissioning of the Cluff Lake
Project
C.B. Brown Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality
Department, AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Canada
D.M. Huffman Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality
Department, AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Canada
B.J. Schmid Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality
Department, AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
The Cluff Lake Project is a former uranium mine
and mill located in the Athabasca Basin of northern
Saskatchewan, approximately 900 km north of
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Uranium mining and milling
operations commenced in 1980. During operation,
facilities included open pit and underground mines, a

mill, a tailings management area, a residential camp,
and various other support and site infrastructure
activities. Mining and milling activities ceased at the
site in 2002 after more than 20 years of production.
In the time since the completion of mining and milling
at Cluff Lake, AREVA Resources Canada Inc. (AREVA)
has focused on decommissioning activities at the site.
After a decommissioning license was granted by the
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in
2004, the majority of the physical decommissioning
occurred between 2004 and 2006. This work included
mill demolition, decommissioning of the open pits,
and covering of the waste rock pile and tailings
management area. From 2006 to 2013, personnel
remained on site for post-decommissioning activities
and follow-up monitoring. The Cluff Lake Project
reached a milestone in 2013, when the remainder
of site clean-up work was completed, a permanent
site presence was discontinued, and the site access
restrictions were removed. AREVA now conducts
routine environmental monitoring of the Cluff Lake
Project through quarterly campaigns, where a small
team is mobilized to site from Saskatoon to collect
the required environmental data. The first full year of
campaign monitoring occurred in 2014 and proved to
be an effective method for environmental monitoring.
In addition to campaign monitoring, AREVA is
completing an environmental assessment follow-up
program for the Cluff Lake Project under the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). This paper
will provide an overview of the decommissioning
history for the Cluff Lake Project site, with a focus on
the transition to campaign monitoring, the follow up
program, and the next steps for the site.
MONDAY, JUNE 1
In situ neutralization of a lake impacted
by legacy uranium tailings in northern
Saskatchewan
L.M. Christoffersen SRK Consulting, Canada
S.R. Jensen SRK Consulting, Canada
T.R. Sharp SRK Consulting, Canada
M.W. Liskowich SRK Consulting, Canada
D.E. Allen Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
ABSTRACT
The Lorado Mill processed uranium ore during
the late 1950s near Uranium City in northern
Saskatchewan. Approximately 225,000 cubic metres
of acidic tailings were deposited in and around Nero
Lake and have been a source of acidity and metal
loads to the lake. In 2013, Nero Lake had a pH of 4.3
and exceeded Canadian freshwater quality guidelines
for aluminium, uranium, and zinc. The Saskatchewan
Research Council currently manages reclamation of
the site on behalf of the Saskatchewan Ministry of the
Economy. Site reclamation included in situ treatment
of Nero Lake and the design and construction of an
engineered cover for the tailings on the lake shore.
In situ treatment consisted of neutralizing the lake
by adding lime. Neutralizing the lake with lime was
expected to precipitate dissolved metals (aluminium
in particular) and improve water quality. Pilot-scale
tests were used to develop the design basis of the in
situ water treatment system, including the lime dose
required, the minimum volume fraction of the lake
that should be dosed with lime slurry, the expected
post-treatment pH, and the post-treatment alkalinity
from different lime doses. The full-scale treatment
system was commissioned in July 2014 and operated
in August and September. 400 tonnes of lime were
added to Nero Lake over two months. Approximately
12% of the lake’s total volume (1.3 million cubic
metres) was pumped through the treatment system
and dosed with lime slurry. Two weeks after treatment
ended, the pH of the lake stabilized at 7.5 and total
alkalinity was approximately 25 milligrams per litre.
Concentrations of all dissolved metals met Canadian
freshwater quality guidelines and concentrations of
most dissolved metals decreased by more than 90%.
The results of the full-scale treatment were consistent
with the results of the pilot-scale tests. An acidity
and alkalinity load balance developed for Nero Lake
26 |
DAY 01
demonstrated the lake is expected to remain neutral
long-term. Nero Lake will be monitored during the
summer of 2015 after vernal mixing to confirm that
the post-treatment water quality has stabilized. In
situ treatment of reservoirs such as contaminated
lakes, pit lakes, or tailings ponds is a potential low-cost
alternative to conventional treatment, particularly
in cold climates with short open water seasons and
relatively high operating costs during cold weather.
Sustainable closure of two former
uranium mines
L.K. Holder Golder Associates Inc., United States
F. Shuri Golder Associates Inc., United States
B. Nielsen Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, United
States
R. Jones Barrick Gold Corporation, United States
Abstract
The White King / Lucky Lass Superfund Site consists
of two former uranium mines in south-central
Oregon. The remedy included consolidating two
large mining overburden stockpiles that contained
low levels of radioactivity and heavy metals by
moving over 535,000 cubic metres (700,000 cubic
yards) of material and then capping the combined
stockpile. An innovative armoured cap design was
used to minimise the stockpile footprint and thereby
prevent disturbing existing wetlands. In addition, the
stockpile was designed to merge into the surrounding
topography. The remedy also included stream
restoration and development of new wetlands. The
stream was returned to its pre-mining channel, with
the addition of hydraulic features to create new
wetlands. The wetlands have greatly enhanced the
ecological value of the remedy and the site.
| 27
Evapotranspiration control on
groundwater migration at a uranium
mine in the high desert
C. Ardito INTERA Incorporated, United States
J.M. Sigda INTERA Incorporated, United States
R. Blickwedel General Electric Company, United States
ABSTRACT
The St. Anthony mine is located within the Grants
uranium mineral deposit, a west-to-northwest
trending mineral belt approximately 150 km long
and 2.5–32 km wide (McLemore, 2007). In general,
these deposits are formed within aquifers as
defined by the New Mexico Water Quality Control
Commission (WQCC) regulations. As these deposits
create groundwater conditions that naturally exceed
WQCC standards for groundwater and there is little
to no premining groundwater quality data, permitting
and closure of uranium mines in New Mexico
require establishment of alternative groundwater
concentration limits.
The St. Anthony mine is a combined open-pit and
underground uranium mine near the eastern margin
of the San Juan Basin in central New Mexico. Ore
was mined from the Jackpile sandstone member
of the Jurassic Morrison Formation. The very fine-
grained Jackpile sandstone has a low permeability,
approximately 0.03 m/day, which forced development
of alternative water sources during mining operations.
Surface mining took place in two pits: the large pit,
which penetrates most of the Jackpile sandstone and
has a small pit lake; and the small pit, which does not
fully penetrate into the Jackpile sandstone. A fate
and transport analysis of uranium and several other
constituents of concern was completed to evaluate
the potential for postclosure impacts to human health
and the environment.
In its current state, the large pit of the St. Anthony
mine captures groundwater via a cone of depression
that has developed in response to evaporation of
pit water; however, reclamation alternatives that
include backfilling the large pit would eliminate
the evaporation and ultimately result in the loss of
groundwater containment. A feasibility study using
a multiple accounts analysis (MAA) (Robertson and

Shaw, 2004) resulted in the selection of both pit
backfill and pit backfill waiver options as the highest
scoring alternatives. The pit backfill waiver alternative
ranked high due to containment of mineralised
groundwater. As pit closure is the preference of
key stakeholders, and regional groundwater flow
conditions would result in the loss of containment
of mineralised groundwater, a detailed hydrologic
analysis was necessary to ensure there was no
complete groundwater pathway resulting in risk to
public health and the environment.
The climate of the southeastern San Juan Basin
is arid to semi-arid with variable precipitation
that is consistently exceeded by evaporation and
transpiration demands. Recharge into the subsurface
is negligible across most of the site because
topography and the low permeability of the surficial
materials severely constrain recharge, leaving most
precipitation to be lost to evapotranspiration. Water
balance calculations on the large pit revealed that
evaporation is the primary outflow driver and that
groundwater inflow through the Jackpile sandstone
is on the order of 26 litres per minute (l/min). Similar
calculations revealed that the small pit is a potential
intermittent source of recharge.
Our hydrogeologic analysis and groundwater
flow model revealed the following hydrogeologic
conditions: (1) the Jackpile sandstone is predominantly
a confined system; (2) precipitation is far exceeded
by transpiration during the growing season and
evaporation throughout the year, with negligible
opportunity for areal recharge of the Jackpile
sandstone; (3) current groundwater flow through
the Jackpile sandstone is controlled by evaporation
within the main pit, by evapotranspiration and
seepage in the adjacent Meyer Draw drainage, and by
outcrop evaporation; and (4) tamarisk transpiration
in the Meyer Draw drainage is estimated to occur at a
maximum rate of approximately 53 l/min.
Predictive modelling of postclosure groundwater
flow demonstrated that local groundwater discharge
to Meyer Draw via tamarisk transpiration or seepage
into alluvium in contact with the Jackpile sandstone is
more than sufficient to capture groundwater migrating
from the pits and surrounding site area. Sensitivity
analyses revealed that major changes in boundary
conditions or Jackpile hydraulic conductivity did not
MONDAY, JUNE 1
change the capture of groundwater by Meyer Draw
by transpiration and seepage. Relatively low outflow
rates are required to keep any solute plume on site
because of the Jackpile sandstone’s low permeability.
SESSION 4 – RISK ASSESSMENT
Using environmental risk assessment
to meet changing expectations for mine
closure
B. Power Azimuth Consulting Group Partnership, Canada
R. Baker Azimuth Consulting Group Partnership, Canada
Presented by A. Fikart, Azimuth Consulting Group
Partnership, Canada
ABSTRACT
Expectations for the environmental performance
of post-closure mine landscapes are changing and
risk assessment is being increasingly used to guide
closure activities. Environmental risk assessment is a
process that evaluates the likelihood and magnitude
of adverse effects to humans and ecological
resources as a result of exposure to chemical and/
or physical stressors. In relation to environmental
contaminants, we will discuss shifts in mine closure
goals, describe risk assessment concepts, and
illustrate how risk assessment can help meet those
goals. From an environmental perspective, mine
closure has typically focused on mine water release
and reclamation. However, over the past decade, the
mining industry, regulators and stakeholders have
been communicating more specific concerns related
to closure from exposure to mine contamination.
As well, First Nations have been more involved
in decision making and driving land-use goals for
the post-reclamation environment. The practice
of risk assessment is increasingly being used to
“test” whether closure plans will perform related to
environmental goals. Practice tips on conducting a
“problem formulation” in a mine closure scenario are
described. An example risk assessment framework is
then used to describe the process of assessing risks of
contaminant exposure to ecological receptors under
current and post-closure scenarios.
This paper then provides two example uses of risk
28 |
DAY 01
assessment to meet mine closure goals: (1) protection
of wildlife from mine-related contamination in the
post-closure landscape, and (2) suitability of post-
closure conditions for First Nations traditional land
use. These examples underline the importance of
planning ahead for mine closure; engaging with
regulatory agencies, First Nations and stakeholders;
and, ensuring that technical work is defensible and will
answer the important risk management questions.
This paper is targeted at readers that are new to risk
assessment and its use in mine closure.
A risk based approach to planning for
progressive reclamation in the Canadian
oil sands
D.J. Theberge Shell Canada Energy Ltd., Canada
E. Ferster Shell Canada Energy Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
The social performance standards for Canadian
oil sands operators are under constant scrutiny
from the general public, non-governmental
organisations (NGO) and special interest groups,
which has resulted in heightened, intense, and
often controversial media coverage both locally
and internationally. With multiple operating mines
within close proximity in a regional area, cumulative
effects management is a significant issue. Through
the Government of Alberta’s Land Use Framework,
the Progressive Reclamation Strategy is discussed as
part of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan, whereby
initiatives are put in place intended to improve
security, clarity and environmental performance
within the oil sands mining industry (Government
of Alberta, 2012). Included in the strategy, the Mine
Financial Security Program is designed to provide
incentives for progressive reclamation, but also
contains a mechanism for non-performance in the
form of financial penalties. The strategy also includes
clarification of the reclamation certification program,
as well as the introduction of reclamation milestones
for increased transparency. A recognised reclamation
milestone – termed “ready-to-reclaim” is described
as “areas that are no longer required for mine or plant
purposes and are available for reclamation but where
reclamation activities have not yet commenced”
| 29
(Government of Alberta, 2014). Determining which
lands within an operating oil sands mine lease meet
the definition of ready-to-reclaim is not always a
straightforward exercise – especially in the early
stages of the operation and given the dynamic nature
of open pit oil sands mining.
With rapidly evolving mine plans and regulatory
policy, selecting an area to reclaim which will not be
required for future mine operations is challenging and
difficult to accomplish with an objective and empirical
approach. The decision to reclaim a particular area
must balance the risk of completing the reclamation
against the risk that the area is not truly ready-
to-reclaim, due to some unforeseen circumstance
occurring in the future. As such, the intensity of
progressive reclamation is dependent on either the
company’s ability to accept, or mitigate, risk. The
challenge broadens when attempting to quantify risk,
when often many of the consequences are qualitative.
At Shell, an internal standard project risk assessment
process was modified and adapted specifically for
progressive reclamation planning in oil sands mining.
Several iterations of the model have occurred since it
was first adopted as a tool to assist with reclamation
planning – initially evaluating the probability and
consequences of the proposed reclamation area
becoming re-disturbed. It has since been expanded to
a multi-step process where the proposed reclamation
area is first evaluated against restrictive planning
criteria to generate the probability of the area
being re-disturbed. Restrictive planning criteria
were introduced to reduce the inherent ambiguity
in determining probability. The same area is then
evaluated to measure the consequences of the area
being re-disturbed. Other developments include the
introduction of time as a risk mitigator. Development
of the risk assessment process is iterative and
expected to evolve as improvements are realised and
reclamation certification criteria are further clarified
through the Government of Alberta’s Progressive
Reclamation Strategy.

The role of aquatic ecological
risk assessment to guide effluent
management from mine waste
N. Lower PECG, Canada
M. Quach PECG, Canada
R. Marsland MEA, Canada
ABSTRACT
Mine waste can pose a risk to the natural
environment, especially if on-site closure conditions
change. At remote locations in particular, such sites
can be viewed as an unknown risk by regulators and
often mining companies are asked to monitor, treat or
develop management options to reduce an unknown
risk. A case study is presented for a historic mine site
in northwest BC. Discharges from the mine portals
and waste dumps are entering the river, which flows
into southeast Alaska. Aquatic risk assessment was
used to evaluate the potential for contamination
of aquatic biota due to changes in water quality. To
complete the risk assessment, scientists studied
water quality upstream and downstream from
mine site discharges, as well as completing a
detailed review of historic data. The team identified
cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc as the contaminants
of potential concern, and assessed the discharges’
impact on a variety of fish species including Coho
salmon, Sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, and Bull
Trout. Although significant levels of copper and zinc
were found downstream from the mine, the drainage
was assessed to pose a low risk to fish in the river.
The potential risks to fish were measured using the
‘hazard quotient’ which, if greater than 1, can indicate
‘unacceptable’ risks to fish and other aquatic life. The
study concluded that regardless of whether a water
treatment plant were to be operating, or not, the HQs
were less than 1 for the majority of the year, including
critical time periods for fish migration and spawning.
The study identifies data gaps on the ecology of the
river, for example, the use of the river by fish during
the winter and spring thaw, and if needed, additional
data collection could be targeted to supplement the
aquatic risk assessment. This case study showcases
an approach to evaluate ecological risk at remote
locations and to guide focused data collection and
management options. This provides a more robust
determination of the need for implementation of
MONDAY, JUNE 1
treatment and management strategies that are
appropriate to reduce off-site impacts.
An environmental risk assessment
framework for developing financial
liability estimates for closing five
abandoned metal mines in northern
Saskatchewan, Canada
N.J. Healey Azimuth Consulting Group Partnership,
Canada
B.A. Power Azimuth Consulting Group Partnership,
Canada
D. Kristoff Saskatchewan Ministry of the Environment,
Canada
ABSTRACT
Public sector accounting standards require
governments to estimate and report financial
liabilities associated with contaminated sites for
which they are responsible. Abandoned mines
represent a large potential financial liability for
governments, but it is difficult to quantify these
liabilities accurately without investing significant
monetary resources in environmental investigations
at the sites. Additionally, without the benefit of a site-
specific environmental risk assessment, liabilities
may be booked on the basis of generic environmental
quality criteria such as national or provincial soil,
water and sediment quality guidelines or standards.
However, these generic criteria were not intended to
signal a need for clean-up, and their use in this context
results in an overestimate of environmental risk and
the associated financial liabilities. An environmental
risk assessment framework was developed to assist
in deriving estimates of financial liability for five
abandoned hard-rock metal mines in northern
Saskatchewan, Canada, for which there were
limited existing environmental data. The framework
accounts for potential risks to human health, plants
and invertebrates, and fish and wildlife. Risks are
estimated based on an evaluation of the potential
magnitude, spatial extent and duration of exposure;
the relative sensitivity of the exposed organism; and
the relative potency and mechanism of toxicity of the
contaminant. The framework is systematically applied
to categorise potential human health and ecological
30 |
DAY 01
risks associated with environmental contamination
according to one of four possible outcomes: (1) low
risk with low uncertainty in the conclusion; (2) low
risk with high uncertainty in the conclusion; (3) high
risk with high uncertainty in the conclusion; and (4)
high risk with low uncertainty in the conclusion.
Contamination associated with high risk and
low uncertainty conclusions was considered an
environmental liability, and cost estimates to manage
the contamination were developed. Contamination
associated with low risk and low uncertainty
conclusions was not considered an environmental
liability, and no cost estimates were developed. Risks
with high uncertainty conclusions were identified as
data gaps for further investigation. This presentation
will use the five mine sites in Saskatchewan to illustrate
the application of the environmental risk assessment
framework and demonstrate its potential application
to other contaminated mine sites for estimating
financial liabilities and identifying relative priorities
for further investigation or risk management.
Worker certification: A tool for
responsible mine closure and worker
redeployment
R. Montpellier The Mining Industry Human Resources
Council, Canada
ABSTRACT
Due to the cyclical nature of the mining industry and the
finite lifespans of mines and mills, it is not uncommon
for a worker to be employed at up to six different
mines throughout the course of his or her career. In
light of this, and to facilitate the redeployment of a
workforce following a mine closure, some employers
are turning to national worker certification as a
way to support employees in their transition to new
and continued employment in the mining industry.
By training and certifying workers to a national
occupational standard (NOS) for their respective
occupations, employers are providing employees
with nationally recognised, portable credentials —
documentation of their skills and experience they can
take with them to prospective employers.
The Mining Industry Human Resources Council
(MiHR) has launched Canada’s first and only national
mining worker certification program, the Canadian
| 31
Mining Certification Program (CMCP), which has
certified over 1,000 workers. This paper examines
the strategic approaches of Agrium Inc.’s Kapuskasing
operation, Xstrata Zinc’s Brunswick mine and
Northgate Minerals Corporation’s Kemess mine
to illustrate how employers are leveraging worker
certification as one component of a responsible
mine closure strategy that will help to support the
process of transition and make redeployment easier.
Certification provides departing workers with a
professional credential that is proof of their skills
and competencies, so potential employers have a
clear indication of what the employee is capable of
before he or she is hired. By ensuring workers are
prepared for transition in the period leading up to or
following mine closure, companies strengthen their
legacy within communities. A case study analysis of
how worker certification was implemented as a part
of responsible mine closure at these three operations
offers insights into this approach and how it supports
the overall retention of workers in Canada’s mining
industry.
Quantitative risk assessment tools to
assist with waste management and
placement guidelines
S.R. Pearce O’Kane Consultants, Australia
S. Lehane O’Kane Consultants, Australia
ABSTRACT
The characterization and assessment of waste rock
has been the subject of considerable research, and
many guidance documents have been published
internationally and within Australia related to
operational and closure risk management. While
these documents provide detailed information on
how to characterize waste rock, there is not a great
amount of detail on how to determine optimal
waste-management options from the perspectives
of operations and closure risks and outcomes.
Indeed, much closure risk mitigation has focused on
risk-mitigation measures that can be applied close
to the end of landform construction, such as cover
systems, rather than on how risk mitigation can
be more progressive in nature (i.e., incorporated
into operational variables such as waste placement
technique).

A multitude of interrelated factors and variables
contribute to assessing the closure risks of waste
management. This paper uses a semiqualitative
and quantitative methodology to approach these
assessments. Quantitative methodologies improve
confidence in these assessments by providing logical,
measureable assessments.
As part of a strategic mine-closure risk assessment
for waste management at an active mine site, the
authors recently completed a detailed risk-based
investigation of the influence of waste placement
factors on mine-closure risk. These factors include
placement method, placement height, sulphur grade
determination, and material conditioning (e.g.,
compaction) on the associated risks of waste material
storage. The assessed risks include temperature
assessments (the potential for thermal take-off
as a result of spontaneous combustion), toxic gas
production and flow, and acid production potential.
Applying a numerical modelling approach to assessing
the different waste material placement strategies
allows us to graphically present and communicate the
variation in risk through risk matrices and histograms.
Producing and integrating multiple risk matrices
as part of a site-specific, semiqualitative method
of risk assessment provides significant benefits for
optimising waste placement options and managing
closure risks in a more progressive manner.
SESSION 5 – LANDFORMS AND
EVOLUTION IN RECLAMATION
Effective, long-term monitoring of
ground deformation throughout mine
closure phases
M.D. Henschel MDA Geospatial Services Inc., Canada
S. Sato MDA Geospatial Services Inc., Canada
R. Ahola MDA Geospatial Services Inc., Canada
M.A. McParland MDA Geospatial Services Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
Satellite based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture
Radar (InSAR) ground deformation monitoring has
been effectively used to study ground change at
MONDAY, JUNE 1
active mine sites throughout the world. Frequent
acquisitions allow ground change to be monitored on
a routine and timely basis, providing mine operators
with critical insight into current ground motion
patterns which may negatively impact operations.
Monitoring of mines undergoing decommissioning
stages is no less important. Risks, such as slope failures
on pit walls, waste piles and tailings containment
structures, continue to be present as long as these
structures exist. In the absence of mining activity,
human observation of ground motion no longer
occurs regularly, increasing the importance of remote
monitoring operations.
While the importance of remote monitoring
remains, the frequency and detail of ground motion
measurements for decommissioned mines need not
be as great as for active mines. Recording periods
may be extended from weeks to months or even
years, as the lack of active mining activity will lessen
the likelihood of rapid changes in ground motion.
Measurement resolution may also be reduced in order
to allow for wider scale monitoring at a reduced cost.
This paper discusses strategies to provide effective
ground monitoring of mines undergoing closure
phases. The effects of reducing the frequency of data
acquisitions and using low resolution monitoring
methods are discussed in an effort to understand the
engineering trade-offs between coverage expense
and accuracy.
From mines to mesas: A rehabilitation
journey at a gold mine in the Pilbara,
Western Australia
C.D. Tiemann, Environment Department, Newcrest
Mining Limited, Australia
M. Wealleans, Environmental Consultant (formerly
Newcrest Mining Limited), Australia
ABSTRACT
The Telfer Gold Mine (Telfer) is located approximately
1,800 km North-North-East of Perth, Western
Australia (WA) in an arid environment that
experiences a hot wet season, followed by a warm
dry season. In 2004 Telfer embarked on a ten
year research program involving the design and
management of large waste rock dumps. Under
32 |
DAY 01
existing legislative conditions Telfer is required to
‘design and construct waste rock dumps that are
compatible with the regional physiography, stable in
the long term and doesn’t present future acid mine
drainage risks’. In order to meet this condition, the
Mesa Landform Project (the Project) was initiated,
which involved an extensive ecohydrology program,
as well as progressive rehabilitation trials focused on
replicating the natural mesas (concave slopes, flat-
topped landforms) of the Pilbara region.
The Project represents a significant divergence from
the traditional approach of surface ripped, berm
and bench style slopes, typical of older mines in
WA. This approach has been generally affected by
tunnel erosion, in addition to rill and gully erosion,
both evident in places at Telfer. The Project aimed to
determine whether these erosion features could be
overcome on man-built mesa-styled landforms and,
if proven successful, would be integrated into Telfer’s
rehabilitation strategy for eventual mine closure.
To begin, an understanding of ecohydrological
processes in the Telfer region was required and
achieved through collaboration with the University
of Western Australia. The Ecohydrology study aimed
to assess the interaction of soils, vegetation and
hydrology in the arid zone by analysing water fluxes
in a range of natural ecosystems. This information
was then used to develop designs and assessment
techniques for rehabilitation trials using the mesa
concept.
The rehabilitation trials were completed in three
stages with Stage 1 completed in 2007 on a 30 metre
high waste rock dump. The dump was battered
down to create a concave slope at angles of 16,
25 and 37 degrees. Four slope treatments using a
combination of soil and competent rock were then
applied. A series of hummock dumped treatments,
controlling surface water flow, were constructed on
the dump’s top surface. Stage 2 trials completed in
2009 involved the rehabilitation of a satellite waste
rock dump (40 hectares area and 25 metres high).
It used concave slopes at angles of 7, 16 and 37
degrees with application of hummocks as the surface
treatments. The Stage 3 trial was completed in July
2013 on a 60 metre high waste rock dump with three
slope treatments applied. The slope was battered to
concave angles of 12, 20, 25 and 37 degrees.
| 33
The ecohydrology study and progressive
rehabilitation trials showed that a mesa styled waste
rock dump landform, incorporating a concave slope
and hummock dumped capping system was stable,
supported vegetation and met government approval
criteria.
Overall the mesa concept has many additional
advantages over the standard berm-batter-berm
approach, including a smaller foot-print, reduced
surface area to rehabilitate, potentially easier land
forming and enhanced environmental and aesthetic
qualities.
Following the successful construction of the three
progressive mesa rehabilitation trials and regulatory
approval (in 2015), a further rehabilitation plan was
developed for Telfer. This included a 3 year program
encompassing up to 50 hectares which has now been
integrated into the surface mining operations.
Reclaiming mined-out pits at industrial
sands mines in Zimbabwe: A case of cost
minimization and community benefit
maximization
T. Chirinda University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
T. Zvarivadza University of the Witwatersrand, South
Africa
ABSTRACT
Industrial sands mining is a crucial economic activity
undertaken by medium-scale miners in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately, this mining practice leaves open pits,
which have to be rehabilitated in order to return the
degraded land to an economically usable condition
after mining is completed. This paper addresses two
competing priorities: minimising reclamation costs
and maximising community benefits by returning
productive land to communities after mining. Industrial
sands mining produces silica sand for use in glass
manufacturing, abrasives, foundries, and municipal
water purification and construction purposes; it also
produces pebbles for construction. This business
has a potential to hand over competitive goods and
services to mining communities if reclamation costs
are optimised. This paper seeks to investigate a cost-
effective method of land reclamation at industrial

sands mines in Zimbabwe that is compliant with the
existing environmental legislation. Land reclamation
is the process of ecological restoration whereby
the land surface is rehabilitated for a beneficial end
use like agriculture. Adequate financial reporting
regarding the reclamation process can create
investment opportunities for industrial sands mines
by reducing the environmental burden on investors.
The reclamation technique proposed in this paper
involves excavating clay and silt tailings from sand
traps at the mines and at old dump sites scattered
around the vicinity of the mines, using these materials
as backfill and applying subsidised and locally available
biosolids to the backfill material. This would be a cost-
effective means of implementing land reclamation.
We used a TreePlan® decision tree model to draw a
cost comparison to investigate whether outsourced
or in-house labour was the most viable option for the
reclamation process in terms of expected monetary
values (EMVs). A cost benefit analysis was also done
to investigate whether reclamation was economically
viable and worthwhile. The decision tree analysis
indicated that outsourcing was the most cost-
effective option for the entire reclamation process.
The cost benefit analysis showed that costs were low
and embarking on the reclamation project would be
favourable for the mines. It is encouraging to realise
that communities can be economically empowered
by this approach as they get to offer the outsourced
services. One of the most important benefits shown
in this land reclamation study is the economic benefit
to communities, which are at times relegated to the
peripheries of economic development. Reclamation
also brings immense environmental and social
benefits, as explained in the paper. The paper also
proposes adequate environmental accounting
and reporting measures for the mines’ financial
statements, which can ensure carefully considered
reclamation strategies that minimise costs and create
opportunities for the communities in the mining
areas.
MONDAY, JUNE 1
Experiences with mine closure in the
European coal mining industry: An
overview of the situation in Germany
and adjacent regions
C. Melchers Post-Mining Research Institute, University of
Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola Bochum, Germany
P. Goerke-Mallet Post-Mining Research Institute,
University of Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola
Bochum, Germany
L. Henkel Post-Mining Research Institute, University of
Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola Bochum, Germany
M. Hegemann Post-Mining Research Institute, University
of Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola Bochum,
Germany
ABSTRACT
In recent decades, the mining industry in Europe has
been characterised by a very high rate of mine closure.
One of the affected branches is the underground hard
coal mining industry. There is substantial demand for
environmentally compatible mine closure programs,
especially in light of the implementation of the new
EU Water Framework Directive. Hence, acid mine
drainage is a specific challenge.
By 2018, the last remaining active coal mines in
Germany’s largest hard coal mining area, the Ruhr
industrial region, will be closed. With a maximum
population density of 2,800 people per km², the
Ruhr district is the largest urban agglomeration in
Germany and one of the most densely populated coal
mining areas worldwide. Early coal mining activities
date back to the twelfth century. Since then, a total
of about 10 billion tons of coal has been produced.
The maximum depth of the mining process is 1,500
m below the surface, and the maximum subsidence
ranges up to 25 m.
It is necessary to sustain the drainage system
to prevent built-up areas from being flooded or
impacted by mine water. Hence, water management
measures will continue in perpetuity after coal mining
has ceased: about 70 million m3/a of mine water and
an additional 900 million m3/a of water in the polder
areas have to be pumped permanently.
Numerous shafts, deep cavities and shallow openings
call for remedial activities in order to prevent
34 |
DAY 01
damage, stabilise new structures or restore former
geomorphology. For these reasons, risk management
was established a couple of years ago. A special
challenge will be the protection of subsurface
groundwater horizons, especially drinking water
horizons, against infiltration of mine water.
The paper also summarises the results of a study
that compiles numerous European hard coal mining
areas’ experiences with mine closures. In particular,
the investigation compares the effects of rising mine
water level, impacts on the ground surface resulting
from mine subsidence/uplift and effects of the mine
water hydrochemistry at the different sites.
On this basis, advice is given to reduce closure risks
and optimise closure operations. The purpose is to
achieve lasting safety for the ground surface, the
population and the water bodies at a reasonable cost.
Identifying, mapping and modelling
infiltration into and through mine
workings
V.O. Kofoed Willowstick Technologies, United States
M.L. Jessop Willowstick Technologies, United States
D.F. Bierman Willowstick Technologies, United States
ABSTRACT
The responsibility to protect, monitor and maintain
groundwater quality will always be a chief obligation
of the mining industry. This paper considers a high-
speed, minimally invasive groundwater mapping
technology called the Willowstick Methodology.
The Method has been specifically designed for
mapping preferential flow paths or areas of highest
interconnected porosity (transport porosity) within
the subsurface. The Method has proven effective in
delineating and characterizing subsurface aqueous
systems in many complex hydrogeologic settings for
numerous mining clients in a variety of applications.
This paper includes three case studies: a tailings
impoundment seepage investigation, increased
selenium levels near mine site and an acid rock
drainage investigation.
| 35
Earthworks/Mineworks: Creating
shared visions for post-mined
landscapes/landshapes
P. Kirsch Sustainable Minerals Institute - Minerals
Industry Safety and Health Centre (SMI-MISHC),
University of Queensland, Australia
A. Hine Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of
Queensland, Australia
I. Amizlev Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Canada
ABSTRACT
In mining regions across the world, new topography
is being built daily. Layer by layer. Symbolic of the
primacy of industry and economics in the past
150 years, this material is a message for future
generations, recounting the history of its makers and
reminding us of hundreds of thousands of workers
who spent their time digging massive holes in
pursuit of essential resources. The new topography
is often absurdist. There are no artists, designers or
community advocates involved in creating alternate
shared visions. It is important to reflect on what
this means for the future of these innumerable
sites and, more broadly, the state of the land in a
post-mining future. Currently, rehabilitation of
post-mined land focuses on restoring the site to its
original ecological (but not aesthetic) state prior to
the mining intervention. With a growing disconnect
between satisfying ecological needs and envisioning
an appropriate response to the landscape, there is a
critical need for creative intervention.
This paper looks to investigate perceptions of
mining and post-mining landscapes, questioning
the aesthetically driven emphasis on the ‘natural’.
It proposes instead an opportunity to reframe the
way we look at overburden and landscape impacts
from mining, exploring the possibility of imagined
post-mine landscapes unburdened by traditional
aesthetic expectations. Concepts from Land Art, and
Earthworks in particular, are presented as models
that merit serious consideration for re-imagined
space and novel place making. These Mineworks
landscapes, conceived by regional stakeholder round
tables, have the capacity to be built by regional mining
consortia as a foundation for sustainable post mining
economies. Post-mine regeneration offers both
the motivation and the basic materials to create an

altogether new environment from a blank slate. Few
circumstances allow the opportunity to truly explore
a re-envisioning of the land on the monumental scale
available in these post-mined landscapes.
SESSION 6 – CASE STUDIES
Adaptive risk management and lessons
learned: Post-closure at the “mighty”
Sullivan mine
R.A. Peterson SNC-Lavalin Inc., Canada
S.A. Humphries SNC-Lavalin Inc., Canada
M.L. Unger Teck Resources Limited, Canada
ABSTRACT
The Sullivan mine in Kimberley, British Columbia,
operated for almost 100 years and was one of the
world’s largest producers of lead, zinc and silver.
Environmental and risk management controls were
initiated in the 1960s, including construction in 1979
of the world’s first high-density sludge treatment
plant for treatment of acid rock drainage (ARD)
associated with large impoundments of tailings,
waste rock, other process wastes and underground
mine workings. Large-scale assessment of surface
water and groundwater systems were initiated in
the 1990s in combination with the implementation
of additional mitigation measures to control ARD-
related impacts. The Sullivan mine officially closed in
2001, and comprehensive site investigation and risk
assessment results were used to develop an adaptive
site-wide risk management plan (RMP) that outlines
long-term monitoring requirements for groundwater,
surface water, vegetation and aquatic biota, with
triggers for incremental assessment and mitigation
as necessary.
Since closure, predicted improvements in
groundwater and surface water quality have
been realised; however, in some locations, RMP
action levels have been triggered and incremental
assessment and mitigation have been required. As an
example, action level triggers were reached in surface
water at the lower mine yard, where acidic seepage
high in metals from shallow groundwater discharges
was detected in the adjacent creek. This triggered
MONDAY, JUNE 1
additional investigation and implementation of
interim measures to capture the groundwater as a
longer-term solution is being developed. Triggers
were also reached in deeper groundwater in the
lower mine yard, and monitoring programs have
been adapted to these changing conditions. Other
challenges have been administrative, resulting from a
closure process spanning over a decade and changes
to regulatory policies and mine closure requirements
during this time. For example, policy changes under
the British Columbia Contaminated Sites Regulation
(BC CSR) now require protection of aquifers for future
drinking water use, which has affected applicable
water quality criteria. Soil quality criteria have also
changed for a number of exposure pathways following
active closure, changing risk assessment assumptions
and prompting additional site investigation activities
to comply with the criteria under the BC CSR. These
evolving physical and administrative conditions,
combined with variations in weather and watershed
land use, have reinforced the need for closure plans
to include appropriate post-closure monitoring,
anticipate the potential need to revisit assumptions
made during closure planning and set trigger levels
for investigating the need to adjust risk management
processes.
Century Mine Closure
M.T. Lord MMG, Australia
M.H. Adams MMG, Australia
T. J. Shearman MMG, Australia
ABSTRACT
Cessation of mining and processing at MMG’s Century
Mine is scheduled to take place in late 2015. Detailed
planning for transition of operations into the active
closure phase commenced in early 2011. This paper
briefly summarizes the seven aspects of closure that
constitute closure planning at Century and provides
some recommendations on practical measures that
can be adopted to increase the likelihood of achieving
a successful closure outcome.
These observations may be of benefit to mining
companies that wish to reduce their closure
liability and increase the potential to achieve lease
relinquishment.
36 |
DAY 01
Groundwater contamination due to
historical magnetite mine tailings
deposited in a near-shore, marine
environment
R.C. Dickin AECOM, Canada
S.E. Dickin AECOM, Canada
L. Groat University of British Columbia, Canada
K. Jia AECOM, Canada
U. Mayer University of British Columbia, Canada
R. Mills Environment Group, AECOM, Canada
M. Sanborn AECOM, Canada
ABSTRACT
In the 1960s, mine tailings were produced from the
processing of iron ore from a magnetite skarn deposit
in a near-shore intertidal marine area on the west
coast of British Columbia. The mine and processing
facility were abandoned over 40 years ago. The
tailings formed a beach that was used for recreational
purposes for many decades. Recent investigations
of the tailings identified concentrations of total
arsenic (As) (26 µg/g to 19,200 µg/g) and cobalt (Co)
(50 µg/g to 1,820 µg/g) that exceed the applicable
BC Contaminated Sites Regulation (CSR) soil and
sediment standards for parkland and marine aquatic
life land use. Groundwater from monitoring wells
screened in the near-shore and intertidal tailings had
concentrations of dissolved As (125 µg/L to 1,860
µg/L) and dissolved Co (40 µg/L to 1,040 µg/L) that
exceed applicable CSR standards for the protection
of marine aquatic life. However, water quality in
monitoring wells, located more than 30 m inland
of the high tide level and screened in tailings, meet
the applicable CSR groundwater quality standards.
A clear understanding of the tailings mineralogy
and the geochemical reactions that are causing the
elevated As and Co concentrations in groundwater
is required before remedial options can be developed
and evaluated.
environments were collected, including the saturated
and unsaturated zone in the uplands region, the
beach, as well as the shallow and deep intertidal
zones. These samples were analysed for mineralogy,
total CSR metals, and shake flask extractable metals
(using distilled water and seawater). Sequential
extraction procedures were also undertaken to
identify metal concentrations associated with the
following fractions: F1 exchangeable, F2 carbonates,
F3 bound to iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) oxides,
and F4 bound to organic matter.
The study concluded that trace (<0.01) sulphide
mineralisation (arsenopyrite and cobaltite) associated
with the skarn wall rock is the source of the As and
Co. As and Co concentrations in the tailings are
higher in the shallower tailings near the shoreline,
which suggests higher concentrations of the sulphide
mineralisation present in tailings deposited late in
the mine life. Oxidation of these sulphide minerals
in the shallow intertidal and near-shore zones is the
likely cause of elevated As and Co concentrations in
groundwater and intertidal porewater.
A conceptual site model was developed to assist in
understanding the geochemical reactions governing
the release of As and Co, and to allow assessment
of the geochemical effects that could occur after
implementation of various proposed remedial
options. In the uplands freshwater zone, As and Co
appear to be sufficiently adsorbed and sequestered
by secondary Fe and Mn oxides or other secondary
minerals that the groundwater quality standards
are not exceeded. However, As and Co in the near-
shore water table fluctuation zone are much higher,
likely because the large daily water table fluctuations
promote the oxidation and release of As and Co
from the sulphide minerals present in the tailings
and/or inhibit the attenuation potential for these
contaminants.

Concentrations of As and Co in soil, intertidal

sediments and groundwater were measured along
a profile, parallel to the groundwater flow path
that extends from the uplands into the intertidal
zone. Representative tailings samples from various
depths and subject to different oxidation-reduction

| 37

Treatment of mine drainage with high
topographical constraints: Case study of
the Bodennec site (France)
J.C. Jacob BRGM, France
M. Save BRGM, France
ABSTRACT
The Bodennec mine site produces a low flow, near
neutral mine drainage which contains 8 mg.l-1 of
dissolved ferric iron. The water quality objectives
given by the French authorities are 3 mg.l-1 of total
ferrous iron in the outlet in the Rudalveget River. The
present water treatment installations already in use
are not effective enough. The average concentration
of total iron in the outlet is around 4/5 mg.l-1. These
installations are comprised of three settling ponds. A
sodium hydroxide pilot plant has been built on site to
assess the feasibility of a low maintenance and low
chemical consumption water treatment plant. This
pilot plant is made of a small pump controlled by a flow
meter which injects a small volume of concentrated
sodium hydroxide solution into the drainage. The
system is supplied in electricity by a solar panel
connected to a battery for night-time functioning.
Sodium hydroxide consumption is very low because
given the neutral pH, there is no need to decrease iron
solubility through a significant pH raise. At pH 6, a
small increase of the pH is enough to greatly increase
ferrous iron oxidation kinetic. Chemically induced
iron (oxy)hydroxide precipitates have a far better
settling velocity than biogenic ones. Precipitation
and settling are thus far more efficient. Injecting
small amount of concentrated sodium hydroxide
solution allow to build a small sodium hydroxide tank
(10 m3) and to refill it only once a year. This simple
and robust system does not use pH probe because
pH in the drainage is quite steady. Low maintenance
and low chemical consumption make this system an
economical solution that can be interesting for near
neutral mine drainage on site with limited surface
available for usual passive treatment plant. The final
plant is expected to be built in 2016.
MONDAY, JUNE 1
Final closure at the Georgetown Canyon
phosphate ore processing facility – case
study
P. Kos Norwest Corporation, United States
M.J. Hart Nu-West Industries Inc., United States
J.B. Williams JBW Consulting, United States
ABSTRACT
The historic Georgetown Canyon industrial/fertiliser
facility was built on fill material in Georgetown
Canyon, near the city of Georgetown in southeastern
Idaho. Phosphate ore from nearby mines was
processed at the facility from 1957 to 1964. Initial
closure activities, in 2001 and 2009–2010, resulted
in removal of buildings, tanks, structures and other
features, but water in Georgetown Creek continued
to flow under the site through a 700 m (2,300 ft.) long
corrugated metal pipe (CMP) culvert. Final closure
at the site required decommissioning the culvert
and replacing it with a functioning stream channel,
among other activities. Goals for the closure project
included constructing a stable channel for final
restoration that, established fish passage and habitat,
avoided structural foundations and areas with known
contamination, and minimised construction volumes.
This case study demonstrates successful reclamation
in a mountainous environment using universal
engineering practices and fish habitat guidelines
applicable to species present in the western United
States and Canada.
The channel design provides fish passage during low-
flow periods and maintains overbank stability during
flood flows. The channel alignment includes meanders
to avoid foundations and areas of contamination and
to reduce flow velocities by increasing the channel
length and reducing channel slopes. The channel
profile maintains stable flow velocities and uses
a series of rock weirs and plunge pools to provide
gradient control and fish habitat. Random boulders
provide additional fish habitat. The channel substrate
includes sand and gravel for fish spawning purposes.
Floodplain vegetation includes native grasses, shrubs,
and trees that provide habitat and erosion protection.
The channel was constructed in the summer and
fall of 2010 and commissioned in October 2010.
Pre-construction activities included estimating
38 |
DAY 01
construction cost using a risk-based approach to
quantify uncertainties. Construction challenges
included managing site water, generating
appropriately graded materials from local sources,
and intercepting unmapped facilities. Georgetown
Canyon is widely used by hunters and recreationalists,
and Nu-West constructed campsites along the channel
to benefit the local community and protect reclaimed
areas. Immediately following commissioning, the
stream flow did not reach the channel outlet due
to low-flow conditions in the stream. The alluvial
aquifer was depleted and needed to be recharged.
Water level monitoring demonstrated that the water
level in the alluvial aquifer later increased, and the
stream resumed continuous flow during spring runoff
in 2011. In the four years since commissioning, the
channel has remained stable, and reclamation cover
on the channel slopes has met expectations. Activities
have been limited to minor maintenance and routine
water level and water quality monitoring. The lessons
learned during design, construction, and monitoring
activities at the Georgetown Canyon facility can be
used to aid future reclamation projects in their design
and execution phases.
Ekati Long Lake containment facility
reclamation research3
L. Novy Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation, Canada
G. Koop Tetra Tech EBA, Canada
M. Wen ERM Rescan, Canada
W. Petherbridge EcoSense Environmental Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
The Ekati Diamond Mine is a surface and underground
diamond mine operated by Dominion Diamond
Ekati Corporation. It is located near the Lac de Gras
Northwest Territories, Canada approximately 300
km north of Yellowknife and roughly 200 km south of
the Arctic Circle. The Ekati Long Lake Containment
Facility (LLCF) is a five celled containment area for
storage of processed kimberlite generated during
the processing and extraction of diamonds from
kimberlite ore. The LLCF has been in operation since
1998 and deposition of processed kimberlite has
occurred within the three northern cells with the
remaining two cells being used for water quality
“polishing” to help meet discharge criteria.
| 39
The Interim Closure and Reclamation Plan for Ekati
outlines a plan to cover the LLCF kimberlite surface
with a combination of rock and vegetation. The
cover system looks to fulfill the closure objective of
physically stabilizing the processed kimberlite and
creating a landscape safe for wildlife and human use.
Cell B of the LLCF has reached its capacity and is being
used as a reclamation research area. The purpose of
the reclamation research is to identify a long term
cover design that can be expanded to the whole LLCF.
A winter drilling investigation in Cell B of the LLCF
was undertaken in 2013. The objective of the
investigation was to characterize the processed
kimberlite and its porewater chemistry. Results
from the investigation indicated that permafrost has
aggraded into the kimberlite and surface zone pore
water concentrations were higher when compared to
process plant discharge.
In fall of 2013 various areas of Cell B were seeded
with annual and perennial vegetation ground covers.
Further seeding of Cell B was completed in the
summer of 2014. Seed from a variety of sources
that includes locally harvested and commercially
available native plants and farm crops was applied
at different rates using different seeding techniques.
In the winter of 2013 rock was placed in various
configurations within the seeded areas to evaluate its
effects on vegetation growth and erosion control. A
total of 25 hectares has been seeded in Cell B since
the fall of 2013 and the results of initial monitoring
are positive regarding establishment of long term
ground cover on the kimberlite.
3
There is no full paper to accompany this abstract.
DAY 02 – TUESDAY, JUNE 2
THEME MAKING FIRST NATIONS PART OF THE MINE OPERATIONS AND
KEYNOTE 2 CLOSURE
Chief Clarence Louie, Osoyoos Indian Band, Canada

THEME CHANGING WATER TREATMENT STANDARDS AND THE IMPACT ON

KEYNOTE 3 MINE CLOSURE
Randy Knapp, SENES Consultants, Canada

PLENARY 4 NOW AND THEN: EIGHT DECADES OF LESSONS IN CLOSURE

PLANNING – CASE STUDIES FROM WEST AFRICA
Philipa Varris, Golden Star Resources Ltd., Ghana

PLENARY 5 MINE CLOSURE IN CANADA: A PERSPECTIVE ON THE PAST, PRESENT

AND FUTURE
Clem Pelletier, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Canada

PLENARY 6 FIELD STUDY OF BIOBASED TECHNOLOGIES FOR MINE

REHABILITATION PURPOSES
Claudia Ortiz, Department of Biology, University of Santiago, Chile

SESSION 7 FIRST NATIONS AND COMMUNITIES

SESSION 8 VEGETATION

SESSION 9 CASE STUDIES

SESSION 10 FIRST NATIONS AND COMMUNITIES

SESSION 11 MODELLING

SESSION 12 CASE STUDIES (GIANT MINE)

DAY 02
KEYNOTE SESSION 2
Theme keynote 2 | Making First Nations
part of the mine operations and closure1
Chief Clarence Louie Osoyoos Indian Band, Canada
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Since December 1984
when first elected as
Chief of the Osoyoos
Indian Band, part of the
Okanagan Nation in south
central British Columbia,
Clarence Joseph Louie has
consistently emphasized
economic development as
a means to improve his people’s standard of living.
Under his direction (20+ years), the Band has become
a multi-faceted corporation that owns and manages
nine businesses and employs hundreds of people.
In 1998 the Osoyoos Indian Band Development
Corporation was formed to manage and provide
strategic direction to the existing businesses and as
well as seek out new economic opportunities. Other
achievements under Chief Louie’s tenure include the
negotiated settlement of three
Specific Land Claims, the successful negotiation
of over 1,000 acres of lease developments, the
acquisition of hundreds of acres of land to add to the
reserve, the purchase of a viable off-reserve business,
the financing of a major golf course development, the
initiation of the Osoyoos Indian Taxation By-law, the
financing and building of a new pre-school/daycare
and grade school/gymnasium, construction of a new
Health Center/Social Services building and in 2008
the building of a 1st class Youth Centre. The Osoyoos
Indian Band has modeled not only sustainable
business development, but also socio-economic
development, whereby the community’s social needs
are improved. Chief Louie’s constant message is,
“Socio-economic development is the foundation for
First Nation self-reliance, our communities need to
become business minded and begin to create their
own jobs and revenue sources, not just administer
underfunded government programs. Each of our First
Nations must take back their inherent and rightful
place in the economy of their territory. Native people
1
There is no abstract or full paper to accompany this presentation.
2
There is no full paper to accompany this abstract.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
must change their mindset from; Spending Money
To Making Money”. As confirmation of the Osoyoos
Indian Band’s commitment to business, the Band
owns and operates nine businesses on the reserve,
including: vineyards, retail stores, a construction
company, a Readi-Mix company, a championship
golf course, eco-tourism businesses and activities
in the Forest Division. In 2002 the Band opened the
first Aboriginal winery in North America-Nk’Mip
Cellars. The winery is a joint venture with Vincor
International. Although economic development is
the means to achieving self-sufficiency, Chief and
Council continues to emphasize the importance of
maintaining the Okanagan language and culture
in all aspects of the band’s activities including
business. The establishment of the Nk’Mip Desert&
Cultural Center is a testament to this commitment of
balancing business while investing time and money
in culture. This eco-cultural center provides visitors
an opportunity to experience the Okanagan culture
and explore the desert lands that are a part of their
traditional territory. The Nk’Mip Desert & Cultural
Center is also an example of the continued growth of
the band’s businesses.
Theme keynote 3 | Changing water
treatment standards and the impact on
mine closure2
R. Knapp SENES Consultants, Canada
ABSTRACT
Effluent treatment
standards are evolving
with lower limits on
conventional pollutants
and the introduction
of new parameters for
control. Of specific note
are requirements for sulphate and possibly TDS
control. Not only do these represent material costs
to existing mining operations, but the ramifications to
mine closure and long-term water treatment are even
more significant. This presentation will review the
implications of these new regulatory requirements
with specific emphasis on how this could impact mine
closure and long term costs.
42 |
DAY 02
PLENARY SESSION 2
Plenary 4 | Now and then: Eight decades
of lessons in closure planning – case
studies from West Africa
P.A. Varris Golden Star Resources Ltd., Ghana
M.B. Thorpe Torex Gold Resources Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
The Bogoso operations of Golden Star in Ghana are
like a time capsule of closure planning: dig around
and you can find all sorts of treasures. Mined by a
number of operators over the past 80 years, including
Marlu Gold Mining Areas Ltd., Canadian Bogoso
Resources Ltd., and Billiton Bogosu Gold Ltd., before
its acquisition by Golden Star in 1999, the concession
hosts more than 40 pits and 25 waste dumps under
various stages of rehabilitation and closure. With
such a vibrant and extensive mining history, the site
is host to legacies that date back to the early formal
mining of the 1930s, sites mined and closed in the
challenging economic conditions of the 1990s and
examples of modern day integrated closure planning
and implementation.
In stark contrast to the 1930s belief that “nature
will take care of herself,” ecosystem reconstruction
by Golden Star now incorporates the careful
identification of next land use alternatives based on
engineering requirements for the management of
reactive materials and the capability of the available
resources to sustain the nominated use, overlain
by community desires and expectations. Assisted
by the bi-modal rainfall pattern of the region,
reclamation programs include the propagation of
species of conservation significance to complement
demonstration farms (forest timber production) and
re-forested areas.
The kaleidoscope of past and present closure
planning efforts highlights the importance of well-
executed baseline assessments and proactive closure
planning that adapts to reflect changes in mine plans,
the operating environment and community needs.
These aspects, combined with stringent application
of techniques to understand the suitability of the
materials available for reclamation, as well as
techniques to validate execution, are critical to
| 43
successful outcomes, and the converse avoidance of
the need for interventions and the associated liability.
Showcasing ecosystem reconstruction that has been
applauded by executives of the Forestry Commission,
and sites that have been deemed to have achieved
final completion against requirements of the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Golden Star
Bogoso operations provide examples of the evolution
of mine closure and associated expectations. The
examples range from sites exhibiting the long-term
outcomes of failure to remedy poor substrate quality
to rehabilitated sites that provide livelihoods for
local farmers. The developed dump rehabilitation
strategies and opportunities for mined-out pits are
presented in this paper. The ability to follow the
evolution of mine closure in tropical West Africa
provides a unique insight into the opportunities
and pitfalls of closure planning, the integration of
community needs, constraints to next land uses and
how these remain unchanged across the decades.
Plenary 5 | Mine closure in Canada: A
perspective on the past, present and
future3
C.A. Pelletier Environmental Resources Management
(ERM), Canada
E. Prelypchan Environmental Resources Management
(ERM), Canada
K. Etches Environmental Resources Management (ERM),
Canada
ABSTRACT
With more than half a century of involvement in
providing environmental services to the mining
sector in Canada and abroad, Mr. Clem Pelletier is
well-placed to reflect on the past, present, and future
of mine closure. Mr. Pelletier’s career has shared a
timeline with the approach to mine closure’s shift
as ad hoc and opportunistic to a priority in the mine
cycle. Much has changed in Canadian mining over the
past five decades to shape this emphasis on closure. A
vastly increased number of mines spread across the
country now include project sites that occupy areas of
significant size and complexity owned by juniors, mid-
tiers, and majors, all focusing on profitability in a highly
dynamic financial market. Technologies for mining
3
There is no full paper to accompany this abstract.

have advanced and the scientific understanding of
geochemistry and remediation technologies have
progressed, along with the expectation that they
will be applied during closure. The environmental
movement of the 1960s and 70s, which started a
public conversation about the legacies of mining,
gave a voice to affected communities, and helped
shape domestic policy on environmental and mining
regulations, which in turn has changed how mine
closure and reclamation is done in Canada.
The increasing understanding of long-terms risks
related to mine closure has heightened industry
awareness around financial assurance for closure,
with the view that closure cannot be an exercise
in perpetual care and maintenance; it needs to be a
means of returning the land to other useful purposes.
An eye towards closure must therefore influence
every stage of the mine cycle, from exploration
onwards. In Canada, this emphasis is supported by
federal and provincial/territorial legislation, financial
security guidelines, and strict enforcement. While
advancements in mine closure and reclamation
have been made, closing mines remains one of the
key challenges for this industry. Water and tailings
management in particular are still key technical risks
for successful mine closure, and lasting benefits to
local communities remains an essential consideration
in planning mine developments and thus closure.
This paper presents an overview of the shifting
approach to mine closure from 50 years ago to
today, as witnessed by Mr. Pelletier, and anticipates
how increased public awareness, changes in risk
tolerance, technical innovation, and an emphasis on
environmental accountability will continue to drive
advancements in an increasingly complex and vital
practice.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
Plenary 6 | Field study of biobased
technologies for mine rehabilitation
purposes
C.C. Ortiz Department of Biology, University of Santiago,
Chile
M.A. Wilkens Department of Biology, University of
Santiago, Chile
D.V. Barros Department of Biology, University of
Santiago, Chile
J.K. Pizarro Department of Geography, University of
Santiago, Chile
ABSTRACT
This article presents results of studies of the
performance of biobased technologies for treating
copper mine tailings under field conditions. The
technologies were developed to be applied during
operation and/or the closure and abandonment stage
of mines to mitigate the environmental impacts of the
residues. Both solid and liquid wastes have a complex
physicochemical composition characterised by a
basic pH, heavy metal content (e.g., copper), and high
sulphate content. We first developed a strategy at
the laboratory stage in order to establish the critical
parameters to consider in the pilot scaling stage. The
systems are currently operating to treat a hectare of
tailings substrate and an approximate volume of 8L/s
of water derived from a tailings dam in the Second
Region of Antofagasta, in Chile.
For biobased technologies, tolerant native plants and
microorganisms were identified, characterised, and
acclimated for use in the field. After 13 months in the
field, 72% of the individual plants were established,
dispersion of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) had
decreased up to 46%, and about 60% of the copper
was removed from the site near the plant roots. For
the treatment of liquid residues, we used a native
consortium of sulphate-reducing bacteria, achieving
up to 23% of sulphate abatement after two weeks of
treatment. Copper removal occurred at a lower rate.
The main contribution of this work is the evaluation
of biobased technologies in field experiences under
natural conditions on a scale that allows a realistic
cost and feasibility assessment. The results obtained
to date indicate that biobased treatments can be
recommended as an effective strategy with low
44 |
DAY 02
investment and operating costs. Also, they provide
an excellent option for rehabilitation and reclamation
of mining sites. The current challenge is to improve
the performance of the biological systems to render
them more effective, competitive, and accepted by
environmental regulators.
SESSION 7 – FIRST NATIONS AND
COMMUNITIES
Mine closure and First Nations –
social licence strategies for effective
community engagement
R.E. Breadmore Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development Canada - Contaminants and Remediation
Division, Canada
G.J. Lafferty Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development Canada - Contaminants and Remediation
Division, Canada The results obtained to date from the GSL
ABSTRACT
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Canada (AANDC) has custodial responsibilities for
many contaminated sites situated on federal lands in
Canada’s North. Through the Northern Contaminated
Sites Program (NCSP), the Department manages
legacy impacts from mining, oil and gas and military
activities. The objective of the NCSP is to reduce,
and where possible eliminate, risk to human health
and the environment along with associated financial
liabilities to Canada. Working within Treasury
Board’s Federal Approach to Contaminated Sites
with funding through the Federal Contaminated
Sites Action Plan (FCSAP), the NCSP is delivered in
the Northwest Territories by the Contaminants and
Remediation Division (CARD) that must function
within complex regulatory requirements for health
and safety and environmental protection. Of the
numerous approvals, permits and licences required
for project execution, the one that must be obtained
early in the project life cycle is our “social licence”.
A “social licence” or “social licence to operate” (SLO) is
defined by Gunningham, Kagan and Thornton (2004)
as “the demands on and expectations for a business
enterprise that emerge from neighbourhoods,
environmental groups, community members and
| 45
other elements of the surrounding civil society”. For
the NCSP and CARD, social licence with aboriginal
stakeholders is obtained through active community
engagement throughout all project phases; from
remedial planning to the execution of remedial
measures through to closure and long term monitoring.
Community engagement within CARD has been
modelled largely after the successful Discovery and
Colomac mine remediation projects. Project planning
for those projects involved up to two (2) years of front-
end community meetings, leadership updates, site
tours and remedial options selection and Remedial
Action Plan finalization. Community capacity was
developed through traditional knowledge studies
and high-school level science camps as well as job
shadows and apprenticeship programs during the
remediation phase. These models helped shape
CARD’s engagement strategies including those
adopted for the Great Slave Lake (GSL) Remediation
Project.
engagement strategy indicate a sound understanding
of the project among the stakeholder groups and
strong community support. This suggests that CARD
has obtained its social licence for the GSL Project; the
GSL Project Team must now maintain the licence.
First Nations engagement in
mine closure: Sä Dena Hes mine
decommissioning and reclamation
C.M. Jeffrey Amec Foster Wheeler, Canada
M.L. Unger Teck Resources Limited, Canada
J.C. Pugh Amec Foster Wheeler, Canada
ABSTRACT
The Sä Dena Hes mine, which produced lead and zinc
concentrates, is located approximately 70 km north of
the Town of Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada and
lies within the traditional territory of the Liard First
Nation. The decision to enter the site into permanent
closure was made in 2013. Under the mine’s licenses,
reclamation must be substantially completed by 31
December 2015. Teck Resources Limited retained
Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure
in 2013 to carry out the implementation of Teck’s
closure plan. The involvement of First Nations

personnel was one of the main project priorities.
During the short 2013 construction season, First
Nations personnel worked over 60% of all on-site
man-hours. The bulk of construction activities
needed to be completed in 2014 to prepare for
final reclamation activities to be carried out in 2015
during the final construction period. The strategy for
completing the aggressive 2014 project phase within
a limited timeframe included engaging larger general
contractors that could handle the large scopes of
work with stipulations during the tendering process
of required First Nations engagement as part of
the contractor selection process. Some of the site
works, including items such as road maintenance and
pipeline removal, were specifically left out of tender
packages and awarded directly to local First Nations
contractors to further promote their engagement
in the project. Other First Nations engagement
included hiring environmental monitors and first-aid
attendants. The 2014 season saw more than 50% of all
Teck-contracted man-hours on-site worked by First
Nations personnel. Overall, First Nations personnel
have worked 53.2% of all man-hours (26,754 out of
50,242 total man-hours) on Teck-contracted project
aspects.
Making the most out of Zimbabwe’s
Marange diamonds: Leaving a
lasting positive legacy for distressed
communities
T. Zvarivadza University of the Witwatersrand, South
Africa
ABSTRACT
Diamonds were discovered in the Marange diamond
fields (MDF) in June 2006, leading over 30,000
fortune seekers from different parts of the world
to flock there. In November 2006, the Zimbabwe
government launched “Operation No Illegal Mining,”
which led to the violent displacement of artisanal
and small-scale miners (ASM) and the takeover of the
fields by government forces. Corruption ensued, and
the number of illegal ASMs increased to over 36,000
by 2008, prompting the government to launch
another operation, coded “Operation You Will Not
Return.” In July 2009, official mining licenses were
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
issued to three large-scale mining (LSM) companies to
mine in the MDF. Rampant corruption and patronage
characterised the license issue such that only those
inclined to the ruling party got licenses. As observed
by several researchers, the owners of the licensed
companies are mainly from the Zimbabwe Central
Intelligence Organisation, the National Army, the Air
Force, the National Police, and the ruling party’s top
brass. The companies do not contribute significantly
to the treasury.
Following an assessment of how events have
transpired since the discovery of the diamonds,
this paper identifies several constraints to deriving
maximum value from the exploitation of the Marange
diamonds for the benefit of all Zimbabwean citizens,
especially the distressed communities within the
Marange mining district. This paper explains how a
political environment characterised by corruption
and patronage leads to complications in proper
mine closure planning and severe damage to the
environment. Compelling achievements that are
necessary for proper closure planning, envisaged for
mining operations in an enabling, free, and fair political
environment, are not achievable when mining is done
in the opposite political environment. These include
redistribution of proceeds from mineral wealth to
ensure the establishment of health facilities, including
efficient hospitals, clinics, and sewer systems;
promotion of education and investment; provision
of reliable water supplies, energy, and a sound
transportation infrastructure; creation of sports
facilities to facilitate growth of sportsmanship; and
extension of employment opportunities at all levels in
LSM mining operations to communities in which they
operate. This lack of redistribution of proceeds from
mining presents several issues that negatively impact
mining communities after mine closure. This paper
details constraints on maximum value realisation
and effective closure plan implementation, including
political instability, corruption, patronage and rent
seeking, bad governance and institutions, unstable
policies, lack of strategic planning, and unfavourable
relationships between large-scale and small-scale
miners. The author proposes several strategies to
overcome the constraints for the benefit of all. The
strategies include using Zimbabwe’s comparative
advantages: the presence of the MDF, the biggest
find of alluvial diamonds in the world covering an
46 |
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area of 60,000 hectares and with a value of over
US$800 billion; sound infrastructure; and one of
the best educations systems in the world, capable of
ground-breaking research and development. Other
strategies explained in detail in the paper include
improving political stability; rooting out corruption,
patronage, and rent seeking behaviour; implementing
favourable mining policies, good governance, and
institutions; considering society and the environment
in mining decisions; and making use of linkages and
clusters that form around the diamond value chain, to
mention just a few.
Best practices for wetland reclamation
for Alberta oil sand mines
T. Charette CPP Environmental, Canada
J. Martin Suncor Energy, Canada
ABSTRACT
Over the next century, hundreds of wetlands will
be reclaimed in the mineable Oil Sands Region of
Alberta, Canada. They will become common features
of the final reclaimed landscape. Environmental
Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) operating
approvals for oil sands mining stipulate that “the
reclaimed soils and landforms are [to be] capable of
supporting a self-sustaining, locally-common boreal
forest, regardless of the end land use.” To achieve
desirable end states, there is recognition that an
integrated approach, including watershed hydrology,
water quality prediction, and biological, or food-web
approaches, are required.
There are presently seven open pit oil sands mines
operating in the 475,000 ha surface mineable
Athabasca Oil Sands Area. Located entirely within the
Boreal Plain, this area consists of common geology,
climate, and vegetation. Because of this, regional best
practices and guidance documents are developed
jointly by operating companies, government and
stakeholders. One of these documents, the Guidelines
for Wetlands Establishment on Reclaimed Oil Sands
Leases (the “Wetlands Guide”), was published at
the end of 2014 as a significant update from the
previous version. It presents an integrated approach
to the planning, design, construction, monitoring,
adaptive management, and certification of wetlands.
| 47
The Wetlands Guide is meant to be a resource
for planners, landform design teams, regulators,
stakeholders and Aboriginal peoples with respect to
reclaimed wetlands in the oil sands region.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how
ecological research and knowledge on natural
landforms and wetlands in the Boreal forests of
northern Alberta support closure planning and
design. The focus of the information in this paper is
on depressional wetlands, that is, marshes and open
water wetlands, reflecting the knowledge base for
these types of wetlands.
SESSION 8 – VEGETATION
Improving geotechnical stability of
saturated mine tailings by dewatering
with deep-rooted vegetation
M.P. Dobrowolski Iluka Resources Ltd and The University
of Western Australia, Australia
S.A. Rowlands Iluka Resources Ltd., Australia
R. Hattingh Iluka Resources Ltd., Australia
ABSTRACT
Tailings produced from the density separation of
mineral sands from clay, silt, and sand materials can
remain geotechnically unstable for some time due to
their high water content. This is especially true when
tailings are disposed in mining voids that restrict free
drainage, since evaporative drying is limited to the
top layer of the tailings. Solar/evaporative drying of
the saturated tailings can be effective, depending on
the climate, but this requires costly earthworks and
disturbs a larger area. Using deep-rooted vegetation
in this biologically benign material may offer a cost-
effective alternative to accelerate drying tailings at
depth to achieve the desired geotechnical stability.
Two trials are being undertaken in historic
tailings disposal areas on mineral sands mines in
Southwest Australia, a region with high potential
evapotranspiration during summer. The tailings
disposal methods at the two sites differed: one
was mainly fines (clay and silt-sized particles), and
the other was a mixture of fines and sand tailings
stabilised by flocculant. Both disposal methods have

resulted in saturated tailings at depth, which may
be geotechnically unstable in the medium term.
The local groundwater level at both sites remains
below the saturated tailings, making it possible for
deep-rooted vegetation to dry a substantial depth
of tailings without the tailings being recharged from
surrounding groundwater. At the first trial, where
the tailings have been covered with overburden
and topsoil, trees chosen for their waterlogging
tolerance, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Melaleuca
rhaphiophylla, and Casuarina obesa, were densely
planted in plots. The soil profile within and outside
of the plots is being monitored for changes in soil
water content by measuring neutron thermalisation.
Water content acts as a proxy for geotechnical
stability, and given the accuracy of this method,
the long-term water balance of the tailings can be
assessed separately from the seasonal changes
expected with predictable winter rainfall recharge
and summer drought. After 9 months of growth, trees
at this trial are drawing water nearly 2 m deep at the
interface of the overburden and tailings material. The
second trial, which is being established, will monitor
changes in geotechnical stability using direct cone
penetrometry, allowing greater spatial assessment
of stability changes than the fixed access points used
with neutron thermalisation. This trial will test similar
species’ ability to dewater tailings of higher fines
content at a site with a similar Mediterranean climate
but lower rainfall; the aim here is to test the general
applicability of vegetation to penetrate roots into
tailings for effective dewatering. This paper presents
a detailed rationale, design, and preliminary results
of these trials aiming to improve the geotechnical
stability of mineral sands tailings.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
A plant ecophysiological approach to
assess the performance and potential
success of mine revegetation
S. Ebbs Department of Plant Biology and Center for
Ecology, Southern Illinois University, United States
L. Glaeser Department of Plant Biology and Center for
Ecology, Southern Illinois University, United States
M. House Department of Plant Biology and Center for
Ecology, Southern Illinois University, United States
D. Vitt Department of Plant Biology and Center for
Ecology, Southern Illinois University, United States
ABSTRACT
The Canadian oil sands industry is actively engaged in
the revegetation and reclamation of sites associated
with bitumen mining. One current reclamation
research effort sponsored by Syncrude Canada Ltd.,
referred to as the Sandhill Fen Research Watershed
(SFRW) project, is taking place on a former open pit
mine in northern Alberta. One aspect of this project
involves the establishment of a wetland on the
former mine, which has since been back filled with
soft tailings. A component of the active research
taking place at the SFRW is the evaluation of using
plant ecophysiological parameters as markers of
success. The parameters being used include rates of
photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance,
and additional derived parameters (e.g., water use
efficiency). These ecophysiological measures provide
quantitative information on the physiological status
of the plants and a potential assessment tool for plant
performance during the early stages of reclamation.
Additionally, this approach could provide insight into
the trajectory of the plants in the reclaimed vegetation
community, and the potential success/stability of
the reclamation long term. Comparable data from
the same plant species growing on disturbed and
undistrubed benchmark sites is being collected. These
sites can provide a frame of reference for predicting
reclamation trajectories, as well as expectations for
plant physiological performance as a function of time.
Ecophysiological data collected one year after the
initiation of the project demonstrated that plants
in the wetland were showing similar performance
to plants on the benchmark sites, suggesting that
the reclamation was on a comparable ecological
trajectory to those reference sites. For example, an
48 |
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array of ecophysiological parameters was monitored
for water sedge (Carex aquatilis), a key species
planted in the pilot wetland. Photosynthesis rates for
water sedge in the Sandhill Fen pilot ranged from 2.2
– 20.5 μmoles CO2 m-2 min-1 as compared to values
ranging from 1.4 – 14.2 μmoles CO2 m-2 min-1 for
plants on the benchmark sites. Water use efficiency
values ranged from 0.9 to 6.1 for water sedge in the
pilot site as compared to 0.6 to 4.8 on the benchmark
sites. Across the SFRW, there is a gradient of soil
moisture from dry to inundated. Plant performance
relative to this moisture was monitored closely to
offer guidance on how water levels influence plant
establishment. The results thus far illustrate the
value of this ecophysiological approach in providing
markers of success for wetland reclamation efforts.
The results also suggest that this same approach
might be applicable to other mine closure scenarios,
providing a means to relate the ecological trajectory
of reclamation to relevant benchmark sites.
Selecting graminoids to increase
substrate macroporosity for the
revegetation of milled tailings of a gold
mine
M. Guittonny-Larchevêque Université du Québec en
Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), Canada
ABSTRACT
In forested regions, the revegetation of milled mine
tailings should aim at tree establishment to decrease
the environmental impacts of mining and foster social
acceptability. However, tree establishment on fine
grain-sized mine tailings is difficult due to physical
restrictions, in particular low macroporosity and
saturated hydraulic conductivity, which decrease
substrate aeration and may impede root growth.
Compared to trees, graminoids, which are routinely
seeded on fine-grain mine tailings to stabilise the
surface and decrease erosion, can better tolerate
physical restrictions associated with mine tailings.
This study aimed to identify which graminoids
could be used to improve the structural properties
of tailings through root development and further
facilitate tree root development. We also examined
whether water stress exposure modifies graminoid
root effects on the tailings structure.
| 49
Five graminoid species with differing root system
morphology were selected for a pot experiment
under greenhouse conditions: Lolium perenne L.,
Avena sativa L., Festuca rubra L., Bromus inermis
Leyss., and Phalaris arundinacea L. The grasses were
seeded on low-sulphur tailings from a gold mine (100
pots = 10 repetitions x 5 species x 2 watering regimes)
and on conventional growing substrate as control
(i.e., peat). All pots were NPK-fertilized. Germination
and survival rates were monitored. Two months after
seeding, plant aerial and root development were
measured and tailings macroporosity (i.e., air-filled
porosity, pore diameter > 50µm) and density were
determined. All graminoids increased the tailings’
macroporosity, with a positive linear relationship to
root biomass. B. inermis showed the best germination
and survival rates and the greatest increase in
substrate macroporosity. Its root system showed
the greatest mean root diameter and volume of the
tested species. Reduced watering increased specific
root length, resulting in similar macroporosity in
tailings compared to normal watering, despite lower
root biomass production.
Achieving biodiversity conservation
goals in mine development, operation
and closure
S. Hilts Teck Resources Limited, Canada
W. Franklin Teck Coal Limited, Canada
T. Gullison Hardner & Gullison Associates, Canada
ABSTRACT
In 2011, Teck adopted an aspirational, long-term
(2030) vision to achieve a net positive impact on
biodiversity by maintaining or re-establishing self-
sustaining landscapes and ecosystems that lead to
an agreed set of viable, appropriate and diverse long-
term land uses in the areas where Teck operates. In
the same year, Teck completed a high-level internal
guidance manual, which described emerging trends
in biodiversity management and provided a tool kit to
help sites with initial stages of biodiversity planning.
In 2012, a company-wide scan and relative
prioritization of biodiversity issues at Teck’s operating
and advance project sites was conducted. The
purposes of this exercise were to inform the selection

of two sites for pilot testing of Teck’s biodiversity
planning workbook and the prioritization of the
remaining sites for corporate/technical support.
Teck next engaged its personnel from operating sites
and other corporate functional units to develop a
draft Net Positive Impact Strategy in order to provide
direction on: the scope of Teck’s Net Positive Impact
Vision; how sites should use the mitigation hierarchy
to pursue Net Positive Impact; and the biodiversity
targets a site should seek to achieve. A key aspect
of Teck’s Strategy includes the use of quantitative
metrics to demonstrate NPI on beneficial, valued, and
sustaining ecosystem and biodiversity elements that
are relevant to its operations and activities. These
elements include: natural habitats and ecosystems;
critical landscape functions (e.g. connectivity); highly
threatened and/or vulnerable populations and species
of plants and animals; and ecosystem services.
A draft biodiversity management planning workbook
was piloted in 2013 at the two sites selected in 2012.
Then, in 2014, the spreadsheet-based workbook
and guidance document for developing site-specific
biodiversity management plans were rolled out to all
sites. Teck’s operations are committed to developing
biodiversity management plans by the end of 2015
that set out how NPI may be achieved, on the basis
of information that has been gathered and assessed
to date.
Experience with applying Teck’s biodiversity
management vision, targets and tools has produced
several key learnings, including: Teck’s Net Positive
Impact-based approach is often more in line with
communities of interest’s expectations than other
approaches prescribed by environmental assessment
agency policies; the NPI-based approach can motivate
improved efforts at the avoidance, minimization and
rehabilitation steps of the mitigation hierarchy; and
carefully selected and managed offsets will often
be required to replace ecosystem and biodiversity
elements that cannot be restored on site in a
meaningful time frame. Challenges that have been
revealed through those same experiences include:
developing metrics for NPI planning and performance
monitoring that achieve credibility and comparability;
demonstrating ‘additionality’ of conservation actions;
ensuring the longevity of offsets and identifying
available offset opportunities.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
SESSION 9 – CASE STUDIES
Engineered flow-through closure of an
acid pit lake; a case study
C.D. McCullough Golder Associates/Edith Cowan
University, Australia
C. Harkin Yancoal Premier Coal Ltd., Australia
ABSTRACT
The Lake Kepwari flow-through trial has monitored
both lake and river ecology and water quality from
two years flow-through, plus one year post breach
monitoring (2012).
The key conclusion of the three year flow-through
trial is that that social and environmental risk and
benefit to the CRSB and Lake Kepwari is best met by
flow-through as a closure strategy. Lake water quality
has been significantly improved through nutrient
addition and acidity neutralisation. Improved water
quality, particularly in regard to elevated pH and
reduced metal/metalloid concentrations has now
significantly reduced the socio-environmental risk of
closure of this landform.
This water quality improvement has also led to
improvements in aquatic biota biodiversity and
abundance; and also changed biota assemblages to
a more functional lake more typical of a freshwater
ecosystem. This improvement also better enables the
lake to meet identified end use values of recreation/
aesthetics and livestock drinking than the no flow-
through strategy. River flow-through particularly
remediated pH above recreational guideline pH
values in the upper 10 m epilimnion waters in which
people would swim.
The Lake Kepwari closure strategy firstly seeks to
maintain key CRSB values for aquatic ecosystems,
swimming and livestock watering; then provide for
lake water quality improvements to meet recreational
criteria and to improve wildlife values. However,
pit lake risk reduction and lake end use value
improvement does not appear to have occurred at the
expense of CRSB water quality and aquatic ecology
which have been maintained. Flow-through appears
to have significantly increased both total volume in
the lower CRSB and also flow peak events and may
50 |
DAY 02
further assist CRSB social and environmental values.
Additionally the pit lake appears to be fulfilling a
theoretically predicted function of reducing CRSB
nutrients loads; elevated as a result of farming land
use practices within the shared catchment.
In line with adaptive management principles, water
quality assessment of Lake Kepwari and the CRSB
(inlet and outlet) is continuing until the lake is
relinquished back to the state. Due to the low risk
apparent, monitoring is now undertaken through a
less intensive Operational Monitoring Strategy rather
than the previous more intensive trial program.
From tailings basin to aquatic
ecosystem: The ecological recovery
of two waterbodies in Kirkland Lake,
Ontario
A. Chute Klohn Crippen Berger, Canada
N. Dombrowski Kirkland Lake Gold, Canada
pike (Esox lucius), spottail shiner (Notropis
hudsonius), blacknose shiner (Notropis heterolepis),
and common shiner (Luxilus cornutus). Young-of-
year northern pike and yellow perch were captured,
along with large adult individuals of each species. The
ecological recovery of Kinross Pond and Eastmaque
Basin assessed during this study indicates that in the
years after Lakeshore Basin becomes part of a closure
lake, it will potentially sustain a relatively complex
community of fish, and benthic invertebrates. This
study has shown that viable aquatic ecosystems can
be restored in bodies of water previously used for
industrial purposes, specifically for the storage of
gold mine tailings. Removal of these tailings, and the
passage of time, can return a tailings storage basin to
a pond or lake with a functioning aquatic ecosystem,
with little additional rehabilitation measures.

ABSTRACT
A study of the aquatic ecosystems of Kinross Pond
and the Eastmaque tailings basin were conducted
in the summer of 2012 to assess the recovery of
these former tailings facilities. The objective of the
study was to evaluate the potential for a closed
tailings basin, proposed as a closure lake, to support
aquatic life once it is flooded at closure. A study
of water quality, sediment quality, and aquatic
communities was conducted on the Eastmaque
Basin and Kinross Pond as analogue representation
to the proposed closure lake. Fish populations
were sampled using minnow traps, seine nets, and
gillnets. Benthic invertebrate, sediment, and water
quality sampling were also completed in each
pond. Kinross Pond and Eastmaque Basin support
different, but productive, fish communities. Kinross
Pond supports a fish community composed of four
small-bodied fish species including northern redbelly
dace (Chrosomus eos), finescale dace (Chrosomus
neogaeus), golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
and brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans). Evidence
of recruitment between size classes of each species
(i.e. the presence of young-of-year) was documented.
Eastmaque Basin supported five species of fish
including yellow perch (Perca flavescens), northern

| 51

Optimizing application rates of waste
residuals in mine soil reclamation
programs using response surface
methodologies
G.S. Piorkowski Stantec Consulting Ltd., Canada
G. Price Department of Engineering, Faculty of
Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Canada
N. Tashe Stantec Consulting Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
Soil amendments are often required to facilitate
vegetation growth on mine spoils. Determining the
rate of amendment application required to maximize
plant growth is challenging since plant responses
depend on the plant species used and the combined
properties of the mine spoil and soil amendment.
Experimentation remains the best method for
evaluating the type and rate of amendments required
to promote plant growth in mine soils. The utility and
usage of optimization-centric experimental design
methods, based upon response surface methodologies
(RSM), for determining optimum amendment blends
and application rates was investigated in this study,
specifically using the mixture-amount (MA) subset
of RSM. The optimum blend of municipal solid
waste (MSW) compost, alkaline-stabilized biosolids
(ASB) and wood shavings (WS) was determined for
four distinct spoil substrate types of an operating
quarry under greenhouse and field plot settings.
The amendment blend was found to be relatively
consistent among the different substrate types
and comparable between greenhouse and field
studies, indicating that the synergistic properties
of the amendment blend was more important for
plant growth than particular soil or meteorological
factors. Combining the different soil types within a
whole-site model allows for the statistical model to
better explain site-scale variance in the parameter
optimization. In this study, the optimum amendment
mixture was determined to be 59% ASB, 40% MSW
compost and 1% WS in the greenhouse and 57% ASB,
42% MSW compost and 1% WS in the field plots. The
optimum amendment application rate, however, was
lower in the greenhouse versus the field investigation,
being 82 Mg/ha and 104 Mg/ha, respectively.
RSM approaches, particularly mixture-amount
experiments, offer a valid alternative to optimizing
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
mine soil amendment programs as they provide an
optimization-specific experimental design and model
development process and require fewer experimental
units when comparing multiple amendment types
in comparison to standard treatment-comparison
experimental designs. Amendment blends can be
readily optimized in a controlled greenhouse setting,
but field plots are required to determine the rate
of blended amendment that should be added for
optimized plant growth.
The rehabilitation of the Bicapa–
Tarnaveni waste storage facility
M. Dey SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd., United Kingdom
C. Brough SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd., United Kingdom
R. Bowell SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd., United Kingdom
D. Runciman SC Ecotech Wastes SRL, Romania
V. Turea SC Ecotech Wastes SRL, Romania
Presented by C. Williams SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd.,
United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
The former Bicapa–Tarnaveni sodium dichromate
production plant in Romania was closed in 2001 after
almost 50 years of operation, leaving behind a legacy
of hexavalent chromium-contaminated groundwater
and an exposed waste storage facility (WSF). The
WSF contains chromite ore processing residues
(COPR) consisting of residual hexavalent chromium,
partially processed chromite ore and other waste
products. During operation, the COPR was pumped
as slurry into the WSF and dewatered. The reclaimed
water was then returned to the processing plant.
The current estimate for the closure of the WSF is
approximately US$ 31 million for a geotextile cover.
This would encapsulate the WSF to minimise meteoric
flushing of the WSF, thereby significantly reducing
further mobilisation of hexavalent chromium. In
addition to the cover, a pump and treat scheme
would also be needed to remediate the contaminated
groundwater within the vicinity of the operation. It is
likely that this would operate in perpetuity due to the
potential for further release of hexavalent chromium
from the WSF. Whilst this standard approach would
significantly reduce the risk to the environment, it
would not remove it.
52 |
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As an alternative solution, SC Ecotech Wastes is
currently assessing the viability of reprocessing the
waste, thereby not only recovering the chromium
from the contaminated site but also turning it into
a commodity. In addition to the chromium, both
magnesium and calcium may also potentially be
recovered as saleable commodities. The reprocessing
option would also utilise the contaminated
groundwater within the processing circuit and
eliminate the requirement for a further treatment
scheme. If proven to be financially viable, this
solution would not only remediate the site but would
also permanently remove any risk associated with
chromium from the site.
This paper provides background information on the
site, an assessment of the reprocessing technologies
and a provisional assessment as to the viability of the
alternative solution.
| 53
SESSION 10 – FIRST NATIONS AND
COMMUNITIES
Social impacts of mine closure: engaging
employees and host communities in
planning for closure
S. Costa New Gold Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
Planning for mine closure usually focuses on a
detailed reclamation plan designed by experts to
mitigate environmental impacts; however, less is
known about the social aspects of mine closure
and how to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of
closing a mine. Industry best practices highlight the
need to engage host communities in planning for
mine closure, still there are limited case studies that
show what works best to face the social challenges of
closure. New Gold’s Cerro San Pedro Mine, located
in Mexico has taken a participatory approach to
define the company’s Integrated Closure Strategy,
engaging with key stakeholders to understand the
social impacts of closure and find feasible economic
alternatives for a local and regional longer-term
development.
This paper provides an overview of the engagement
process that the Company undertook to discuss
aspects of mine closure and the future without the
mine with host communities and employees. The
engagement process is part of a broader approach to
integrated closure planning and was led by a reputable
non-governmental organization specialized in
creating spaces of dialogue and consensus-building.
The process used both qualitative and quantitative
methods. Findings of this engagement process
revealed the specific challenges and opportunities to
strengthen economic activities alternative to mining
such as agriculture, tourism, and small business
development; in addition to identifying potential
partners. Outcomes of the engagement process
may be summarized as: i) raising awareness and
responsibility of mine closure, both environmental
and social impacts, ii) building a common vision of
the future without the mine, iii) reaching consensus
among different stakeholders, enabling participation
and ownership of a shared disposition that addresses

social impacts of mine closure.
Lessons learned include, among others, the relevance
of engaging employees and communities, not only in
implementing mine closure, but also in identifying
social impacts of mine closure and building together
a feasible sustainability path forward.
Challenges of integrating mine closure
plans mid-way through the life of mine
in Mongolia
M.B. Dagva QMC LLC, Mongolia
G.L. Ainsworth QMC LLC, Mongolia
T. Davaatseren Erdenet Mining Corporation, Mongolia
K. Vladimir Erdenet Mining Corporation, Mongolia
O. Erdenetuya Erdenet Mining Corporation, Mongolia
ABSTRACT
In 1978 Erdenet Mining Corporation (EMC or
Erdenet) was established in accordance with a joint
venture agreement between the governments of
Mongolia and the former Soviet Union (51% & 49%
respectively). As one of the largest ore mining and
processing operations in the world, the company
produces approximately 530,000 tons of copper
concentrate and 4,500 tons of molybdenum
concentrates annually. Erdenet town was established
in 1974 specifically for the mine and now has a
population of around 110,000.
One of the major shortcomings of the literature
and legislation on mine closure is “best practice”
principles requires closure planning to commence
at the inception of mine feasibility, therefore,
essentially developed for new mining ventures.
However, Erdenet has been in operation for 36
years, and understandably, best practice in 1978
in some instances may not meet the expected
standards of today. Over the last decade for example,
advancements in the construction of Tailings Storage
Facilities incorporating impermeable geo-membrane
HDPE liners and under drainage collection systems
have dramatically reduced seepage and ground water
contamination.
In parallel, Mongolia has evolved from a communist
system of government into one of the youngest
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
democracies and one of the fastest growing market
economies in the world. Unfortunately, institutions
are still developing and policies change frequently,
resulting in inconsistencies with implementation and
regulation.
This paper discusses the challenges of integrating
best practice mine closure into an established mining
operation and its subsequent liabilities, considering
the advancements in technical knowledge and mining
practices since the mine’s inception, and the potential
influences of changes in mine management, political
parties and policies.
This paper will also briefly address the potential
obstacles of securing closure financial provisions
for an established mining operation given the above
mentioned challenges.
Managing the socio-economic impact of
tin mining in Bangka Island, Indonesia –
preparation for closure
E. Nurtjahya Universitas Bangka Belitung, Indonesia
F. Agustina Universitas Bangka Belitung, Indonesia
ABSTRACT
Tin mining in Bangka Belitung islands has been
exploited for about hundred years. Following the
issuance of 1999 ministry of trade and industry
decree that tin is not an export item to be watched
over and regulated, Bangka regent issued a decree
giving permission for people to mining tin in 2001.
Consequently, unconventional miners (tambang
inkonvensional – TI), the term used to describe local
small-scale tin mines, has expanded significantly
since 2000.
Bangka island has a surface of 11,900 sq km and is
mainly lowland below 50 m with some hills up to 700
m and climatic differences within the island are small.
Its climate is hot and wet with an average annual
rainfall of approximately 2,400 mm. The mining
activities are spread across the island and run by one
publicly listed tin mining company, dozens of private
companies and thousands artisanal mining groups.
On one hand tin mining activities increase the wealth
of the people, but on the other hand they decrease
54 |
DAY 02
the environmental stability. Offshore mining reduced
water quality as total soluble solids (TSS) increased
and pH decreased; change of sea bed caused the
change of benthic flora and fauna, plankton diversity,
and the increase of the mortality index of coral reefs
and their associated fishes. Fish caught in the offshore
mining site decreased. Inland mining activity reduced
soil fertility, and flora and fauna diversity. Inland
mining reduced the number of individuals, species,
and plant families. In some areas, illegal mining causes
floods in rainy season, and damage roads and bridges.
The socio-economic secondary data were collected
from various sites in Bangka island through a
literature reviews. Besides inadequate commitment
and political will of the local and national government,
low law enforcement seems to be a dominant factor
for low environmental awareness. Managing those
findings may be used to accelerate the mine closure
program which has been started by the biggest tin
mining company. This paper illustrates some of the
opportunities that may be alternatives to accelerate
the mining closure initiative.
SESSION 11 – MODELLING
Developing a geo-environmental model
for long-term post-mining management:
the former Salsigne Gold Mine Area
(France)
F. Le Loher, French Geological Survey (BRGM), France
F. Cottard, French Geological Survey (BRGM), France
P. Chartier, French Ministry of Environment / Languedoc-
Roussillon Division, France
ABSTRACT
The Salsigne mine in southern France was one
of the largest gold and arsenic mines in Europe,
producing 105 tons of gold and almost 200,000 tons
of arsenic compounds over a century period. The
site is characterized by a complex geological context
associating gold-bearing sulphide deposits hosted
by carbonate meta-sedimentary rocks and thrust-
controlled ore emplacement. Different types of
sulphidic ores have been processed by several pyro-
metallurgic and hydrometallurgical methods, one
| 55
after the other or combined over time. These have
generated significant quantities of mining waste,
mainly in the form of tailings which was the source of
a serious arsenic contamination in the surrounding
soils, surface and groundwater. The mine was closed
by the operator in 2004 and highly contaminated
areas were rehabilitated by the French government
at the same time.
Since 2006 and, on behalf of the French State,
BRGM runs a comprehensive monitoring program to
monitor the residual impacts related to mining and
metallurgical waste disposals, as well as the flooding
of underground workings. A geo-environmental
model has been designed to help understand the
natural processes taking place at different sites
and, in particular, at the La Combe du Saut former
mineral processing site. This required the integration
of current monitoring data with results from
specific investigations conducted on groundwater
geochemistry. The model took also into account
other data such as ore deposit geology, watershed
characteristics and information related to historical
operations.
The use of a geo-environmental model is a
practical approach for integrating past and current
monitoring data within the complex geological and
hydrogeological context. During the post closure
phase, it provides the authorities with low-cost means
to help control long-term residual risks and prioritize
effective remedial actions. It can also be used to
review solid waste management practices applied in
the 1980s and 1990s with the objective of proposing
new guidelines for operational mines on aspects like
waste storage design, location, construction and
closure options.

Integrated surface water and
groundwater modelling for oil sands
reclamation
R.M. Nagare WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd.,
Canada
Y.J. Park Aquanty Inc., Canada
J. Pal WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
Reclamation of oil sands tailings ponds will be a
challenging long-term process. Management of saline
pore-water in the tailings sand is thought to be critical
for the successful reclamation on both a landform
(single tailings pond) and site-wide scale. The broad
objective of returning the disturbed landscape to a
pre-disturbance equivalency requires understanding
and evaluation of environmental performance of
conceptual reclamation designs. Various research
on challenges of reclamation of tailings ponds as well
as research into the hydrology of the natural boreal
landscape has identified the following desirable
hydrologic characteristics of reclaimed tailings
ponds: (1) a water balance that maximises outflow to
limit “evapoconcentration” of salts and sustain end-
of-pit lakes; (2) a shallow subsurface flow system to
limit transport of salts from within tailings ponds; and
(3) depth to groundwater table in the uplands that
limits potential for upward migration of salinity.
Understanding and evaluating the environmental
performance of conceptual reclamation designs
with respect to the above desirable characteristics is
challenging given the high potential of groundwater-
surface water interaction expected to occur
within a reclaimed landscape. If based on a strong
conceptual model, integrated surface water–
groundwater modelling (integrated modelling) can
provide powerful tools to evaluate the potential
environmental performance of a reclaimed landscape.
Transient simulations, driven by long-term climatic
forcing, could allow for detailed understanding of
water balance under wet, average and dry climatic
cycles. Coupling the surface and sub-surface domains
could allow for a more realistic representation of
water movement through the landscape than found in
uncoupled models. The coupled modelling approach is
thought to be of critical importance, especially under
boreal settings, where the coupling is complex and
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
occurs at many levels (e.g. shallow rooting zones and
turning on and off of evapotranspiration in wetland
areas). Challenges remain with scaling of models,
especially for coupled flow and solute transport
modelling. This paper discusses the practical issues
and application of integrated models to the complex
problem of understanding and evaluating the
potential environmental performance of reclaimed
tailings ponds.
Use of contaminant dispersion
modelling to guide close-out of the
former Beaverlodge Lake Mine Site,
Canada
C.E. Lucas ARCADIS Canada Inc, Canada
B.E. Halbert ARCADIS Canada Inc, Canada
M.S. Webster Cameco Corporation, Canada
ABSTRACT
Although mining activities ceased in the early 1980s,
dissolved radium-226, selenium and uranium levels
remain above background in the area surrounding the
former Beaverlodge uranium mine and mill facilities
in Northern Saskatchewan (Canada). In recent years
work has been undertaken to develop a final site
clean-up strategy which would allow for ultimate
close-out of the area. Contaminant sources include
residual mine features such as several small open pit
mines, underground mine workings, waste rock piles,
the former mill site and tailings deposits. In order
to aid the decision making process, contaminant
dispersion modelling has been carried out in the
post-decommissioning period for the immediate and
downstream environment employing a tool called
the Beaverlodge Quantitative Site Model (QSM)
(developed by SENES Consultants). Model calibration
was carried out using 13 years of water quality and
occasional sediment data employing a Markov Chain
Monte Carlo computational procedure. In addition
to modelling contaminant dispersion, the QSM
has a built-in pathways assessment module which
calculates the resulting risks to human and ecological
receptors that may frequent the site.
The QSM was developed to assess a wide range of
remedial activities and predict future environmental
conditions (surface water, sediment quality and
56 |
DAY 02
potential risks) both with and without site remediation.
Potential remedial activities incorporated into the
QSM include cover of waste rock piles, sediment
remediation (cover or dredge), stream diversion,
elimination (infill) of waterbodies, sedimentation rate
manipulation, tailings area remediation and water
treatment.
Since development of the QSM, the model has been
used in numerous ways including as a communication
tool during discussions with regulatory bodies
(provincial and federal) and during stakeholder
consultation and has played an important role in
the consensus building process. As well, the QSM
provided insight into the potential short-term and
long-term benefits of various remediation strategies
that would otherwise been difficult to ascertain.
QSM results combined with data on capital and
operating costs highlighted remedial activities which
were generally felt to be a good use of resources
and identified others which stakeholders felt were
unjustified. The final remediation plan for the site is
based upon this feedback.
SESSION 12 – CASE STUDIES (GIANT
MINE)
Giant Mine remediation project
C. Wells Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Canada, Canada
ABSTRACT
Following the discovery of gold in the Yellowknife,
Northwest Territories area in the 1930’s, Giant Mine
officially opened in 1948. Gold at the Giant Mine was
found locked in minerals, which needed to be roasted
at extremely high temperatures. Unfortunately, this
roasting process also released gases with a highly
toxic by-product, arsenic trioxide. Throughout the
1950’s controls were put in place that minimized
emissions to the air; however, this also resulted in the
collection of 237,000 tonnes of highly toxic arsenic
trioxide dust. At the time, scientists and government
agencies agreed that storing the waste in underground
stopes and chambers was an appropriate, long-term
management alternative.
| 57
When ore processing ceased in 1999, the care
and control of the mine fell to the Department
of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Canada, and attention focused on the environmental
issues left behind, including the arsenic trioxide
stored in underground chambers. The Giant Mine
Remediation Project was created in 2005 with the
overall goal to protect human health and safety, and
the environment. To do so requires the long-term
containment and management of the arsenic trioxide
waste, on-going water treatment and clean-up of the
surface elements of the site. The main objectives of
the Giant Mine Remediation Project are to minimize
risks to public and worker health and safety, minimize
the release of contaminants from the site to the
surrounding environment, remediate the site in
a manner that encourages public confidence, and
implement an approach that is cost-effective and
robust over the long term.
The Project has recently completed an Environmental
Assessment process under the Mackenzie Valley
Resource Management Act, the governing legislation
in the Northwest Territories for projects with the
potential to have an impact on land or water. The
Project Team is now proceeding with a clearly
defined list of requirements established through the
process for the project, but faces many challenges
going forward, including technical considerations,
regulatory and jurisdictional constraints,
consultation and engagement requirements, and
resource pressures. It will require a great deal of
ingenuity, planning, and collaboration to address
these challenges and deliver a successful project for
the remediation of the Giant Mine site.
Innovative process for stabilizing the
subsurface at the Giant Mine Site
D. Kennard Golder Associates Ltd., Canada
C. MacInnis Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development Canada, Canada
ABSTRACT
The former Giant Mine, now under the control
of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Canada (AANDC) on behalf of the Federal
Government, is one of Canada’s largest contaminated

sites. A key component of mine closure is to backfill
underground voids to prevent collapse of portions of
the mine that could pose immediate risks to public
and worker safety and lead to failure elsewhere.
In the case of the Giant Mine site (Site), there is the
additional risk that underground collapse could allow
surface water to flood the mine eventually. Severe
environmental consequences could result from
such a flooding event due to the presence of arsenic
trioxide dust in the underground stopes. To mitigate
risks related to underground stability at the mine
site, an innovative short-term advanced remediation
backfilling program is underway, while the long-term
overall remedial plan for the site continues to be
developed.
AANDC engineers working with Public Works and
Government Services Canada, along with industry
leaders in mine closure, developed an innovative and
efficient approach to stabilising the underground
voids using tailings paste backfill. Paste backfill is
commonly used in operating mines to maximise
production, but its use in mine mitigation and
remediation is limited. The Giant Mine project team
utilised thousands of tonnes of tailings that had
been deposited on surface as a waste by-product
during historical production mining as the primary
component of the backfill required to stabilise the
underground voids. It is cost-effective to use on-
site tailings material for underground backfilling,
but its use also reduces the future effort required to
remediate surface tailings pond areas.
The project was initiated by carrying out field-scale
tests to determine first whether the on-site tailings
could be used to provide suitable backfill material
and, second, what amount of binder (cement) would
be required. The early testing showed that suitable
backfill material could be produced using the on-site
tailings and a small amount of cement.
Tailings were extracted from the surface ponds and
paste was produced by adding water and cement
to the tailings in a mobile mixing system. The paste
was delivered to the targeted underground voids
via boreholes drilled from surface. Backfill was
contained within the targeted voids by constructing
underground barricades.
Few examples of using frozen tailings material to
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
make backfill in large volumes under extremely cold
temperature conditions exist.
Decontamination and deconstruction
of the Giant Mine roaster complex:
Risks, challenges, lessons learned and
successes
M. Larivière Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development Canada, Canada
D. Hango Public Works and Government Services
Canada, Canada
C. Corrigan AECOM Canada Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
Giant Mine is located within the city limits of
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It
operated from 1948 to 1999, producing over 7
million ounces of gold during its lifespan. This ore
body is such that it required an oxidation process
to extract the gold. Chemical roasting was the only
efficient oxidation process available when Giant
Mine was developed. Roasting operations began
in 1949, converting raw ore into calcine that was
further processed, and sulfur dioxide and arsenic
vapor, which were vented directly to the atmosphere.
The first air emissions controls were introduced in
1951 and captured arsenic in the form of arsenic
trioxide. The complex expanded over time as more
efficient technologies became available and were
incorporated into the process train. According
to some estimates, as much as 20,000 tonnes of
arsenic trioxide would have been released into the
atmosphere by the Roaster Complex (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation, 2014), whereas 237,000
tonnes were collected by the emissions controls
measures and are currently stored underground,
inside mined out rock chambers (Senes Consultants
Limited and SRK Consulting Engineers and Scientists,
2010). Arsenic trioxide is highly toxic; as little as 1 to
2.5 mg/kg of arsenic trioxide is a potentially fatal dose
(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,
2014).
When control of the Giant Mine property was
transferred to the federal department of Indian
Affairs and Northern Development in 1999, the
Roaster Complex included some of the most
58 |
DAY 02
contaminated structures in Canada. It contained free
and poorly contained arsenic trioxide dust, asbestos,
cyanide and other hazardous substances. As the
complex progressively deteriorated over time, the
risks it posed to neighboring communities, to on-site
workers and to the environment increased with the
rising likelihood of building collapse and of releases of
arsenic, asbestos and cyanide. The decontamination
and deconstruction of the Roaster Complex was
undertaken in response to these unacceptable risks
to human health and the environment. The technical
aspects of demolishing such a highly contaminated
complex were a significant source of difficulties, and
multiple measures, programs, plans and procedures
were put into place to protect workers, the public
and the environment. The urgent nature of the work
also introduced its own challenges to the planning,
contracting, community engagement, regulatory and
execution requirements for the project. A functioning
project team, consisting of individuals from across
governmental departments, communications officers,
health and safety officers, managers, consultants and
contractors, was critical to successfully meeting the
multifaceted demands of this project. In the end,
over a two year period, the project team successfully
dismantled the 10 structures that comprised the
Roaster Complex; segregated the non-hazardous
and hazardous wastes; removed and containerized
over 3,000 tonnes of arsenic-contaminated materials
from the complex; and did so without adverse effect
to the on-site workers, neighboring communities or
the environment.

| 59
DAY 03 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
THEME MINE CLOSURE — PAST, PRESENT AND PERPETUITY
KEYNOTE 4 Rick Siwik, Siwik Consulting Inc., Canada
THEME UPDATING AUSTRALIA’S LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE
KEYNOTE 5 DEVELOPMENT (LPSD) MINE CLOSURE HANDBOOK FOR 2015:
CLOSING THE GAPS AND UNDERSTANDING THE MINERAL
RESOURCE LEGACY
Harley Lacy, MWH Global, Australia
PLENARY 7 CLOSURE PLANNING FOR THE LARGEST COPPER PRODUCER IN
THE WORLD
Björn Weeks, Golder Associates, Canada
PLENARY 8 INTEGRATED CLOSURE PLANNING: CASE STUDIES ON CHANGING
OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES TO REDUCE CLOSURE LIABILITIES
Carl Grant, Anglo American, Australia
PLENARY 9 USING GENOMICS IN MINE RECLAMATION
Heath Garris, Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Canada
SESSION 13 COVERS
SESSION 14 ECOSYSTEM RECONSTRUCTION
SESSION 15 TREATMENT AND CASE STUDIES
SESSION 16 MISCELLANEOUS
SESSION 17 ECOSYSTEM RECONSTRUCTION
SESSION 18 CASE STUDIES

KEYNOTE SESSION 3
Theme keynote 4 | Mine closure — past,
present and perpetuity
R.S. Siwik Siwik Consulting Inc., Canada
M.D. Clemens McMaster University, Canada
ABSTRACT
Mines and metallurgical
processes may last 10
to 20 years. During this
operating period, tailings
facilities are utilised as
water and tailings storage
facilities. However, once
ore processing ceases, a
tailings facility may continue to operate in perpetuity.
Designing a tailings facility only for storage presents
an interesting paradox; facilities need to meet design
requirements for short-term storage but must also
address waste disposal in perpetuity.
This paper explores the Canadian mining industry’s
waste storage practices and their impact on local
communities, First Nations groups and the natural
environment. Historically, most waste-related
decisions were made between mining companies and
provincial government representatives responsible
for the promotion of mineral extraction. This paper
reviews the history of waste storage in Canada,
including the evolution of design and decision-making
criteria for site selection, containment methodology
and closure standards.
The paper then investigates current processes for
mine closure design from a variety of angles, including
regulatory, engineering, social and environmental
impact, and financial and management perspectives.
It explores the ways in which mining companies
approach waste disposal facilities in perpetuity.
Design for closure in perpetuity requires a strategy
and management process that goes beyond the
traditional approach used to design storage facilities.
This paper thus introduces a new paradigm that
challenges the mining industry to move from mere
conceptual design of tailings and waste facilities to
execution-level closure plans. Rather than designing
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
these sites for tailings storage, mining companies
should design facilities that accommodate final
disposal and permanent closure. This paper examines
the management approval and closure evaluation
processes. Establishing a more rigorous decision-
making and project delivery process for closure
design that includes community engagement will
improve the forecasting of planned decommissioning
and restoration provisions and reduce perpetual
closure risks.
Theme keynote 5 | Updating
Australia’s leading practice sustainable
development (LPSD) mine closure
handbook for 2015: Closing the gaps
and understanding the mineral resource
legacy
H.W.B. Lacy MWH Global, Australia
K.E. Bennett MWH Global, Australia
ABSTRACT
Throughout 2014/15, with contributions from
13 highly competent sub-authors, the authors
completed a major revision of the 2006 Mine Closure
and Completion Handbook for the Australian
Government. The original document went through
a thorough gap analysis, with the intention being to
close these gaps and bring advancing paradigms and
ideas from a rapidly evolving mining industry into the
handbook so that it truly represents current leading
practice.
The 2015 Mine Closure Handbook (the handbook)
introduces a number of aspects intrinsically linked to
closure, including legal and regulatory requirements;
cumulative impacts; impacts on local and regional
biodiversity; climate change; post-mine land use
opportunities; physical, chemical and geochemical
characterisation of soils and mine wastes; and
engineered landform design. Interaction and
consultation with the community regarding closure
during mining is considered integral throughout the
handbook. The interrelationships of these aspects
throughout the seven phases of the mining cycle are
described in the handbook and now include post-
closure management as a site moves toward post-
62 |
DAY 03
mining land use and relinquishment.
This handbook introduces the mineral resource
legacy framework for general discussion around the
issue of legacy associated with the mineral industry,
and the cyclical nature of mining and subsequent
responsibilities in managing that legacy. The
interrelationships in the discovery and utilisation
of minerals involve mining companies, communities
and government, and are represented simply in the
framework.
Planned mine closure and relinquishment is still at
the early stage of implementation in Australia. There
are limited examples in Australia’s mining history
in which mine closure planning has been applied
from conception through to relinquishment. This is
largely attributable to the timeframe of most mining
operations and the relatively recent development of
integrated mine closure planning throughout mining
life cycles. However, the handbook showcases some
of the work undertaken by the mining industry and
minerals sector in applying the principles of leading
practice mine closure, and the authors touch on
those examples particularly relevant to legacy and
community as case studies.
PLENARY SESSION 3
Plenary 7 | Closure planning for the
largest copper producer in the world
E. Sanzana Codelco, Chile
B. Weeks Golder, Chile
S. Fernandez Codelco, Chile
ABSTRACT
CODELCO, the National Copper Corporation of
Chile, is the single largest producer of copper in the
world. Drawing on mineral reserves located entirely
within Chile, CODELCO’s annual production makes
up roughly 10% of the world total. In 2013, taking
advantage of extensive changes in Chile’s mine
closure laws, CODELCO undertook an ambitious
program of updating and harmonizing the closure
plans for all 8 of the operating divisions that make up
the company. These divisions represent a challenging
variety of conditions for closure, ranging from mines
| 63
that are recently entering into operation, to mines
that have over 100 years of operation, with sites
facing possible partial imminent closure, to those
that have 60 years or more of anticipated life. This
long mining history has created some of the largest
mining facilities on the planet to be closed, including
open pits, foundries, and waste desposits. These
sites include Chuquicamata, which has the world’s
largest open pit, and El Teniente, which is the largest
underground mine. The largest single tailings facility
to be closed will have an estimated area of roughly
6000 ha at closure.
Climatic conditions at the mines range from the driest
desert in the world, to a moderate Mediterranean
climate. Mine sites range from those at sea level to
sites that are located at nearly 4.000 m.a.s.l., in the
Andes Mountains
This paper presents the case study of how one
corporation confronted a changing regulatory
landscape to establish a unified vision for closure
planning, incorporating the results of past closure
planning works, harmonizing closure criteria while
respecting radically different operating conditions
and costs, and planning ahead to sustainably meet
future closure legal requirements.
Special challenges are discussed, including the closure
of historic sites, closure of very large deposits, and
the closure of facilities located very close to inhabited
areas. Meeting the challenges of closure planning
for all 8 divisions of CODELCO within a limited
time frame required planning that incorporated
historic, operative, and new project knowledge in
each division, environmental skills, benchmarking
studies to evaluate and optimize closure techniques,
and identifying ways to unify cost estimating criteria
while respecting regional differences.

Plenary 8 | Integrated closure planning:
Case studies on changing operational
strategies to reduce closure liabilities
C.D. Grant Anglo American, Australia
P.R. Botha Anglo American, South Africa
ABSTRACT
Integrating closure planning with life of mine (LoM)
and other mine-planning processes during various
time frames is not a new idea. While most would
agree on the benefits of such an approach, examples
where the potential is realised remain the exception.
We propose that this is often because of a lack of
ownership by the existing mine leadership teams
as closure is seen as something that is distant and
potentially someone else’s problem. There is often
a compelling case for changing current operational
strategies from both an operational expenditure
perspective and a closure liability viewpoint. A sound
business case can be made on either or both fronts with
immediate benefits to the current mine management
team. It is critical that the proposed change is framed
in a business case context. This paper presents three
case studies from Anglo American mining operations
around the globe. The first case involves a change in
mining fleet and strategy in Australia’s largest open-
cut coal mine. Terrace mining, involving progressively
backfilling voids, was implemented instead of
traditional dragline strip mining. The second case
involves the use of a revised waste rock deposition
(WRD) strategy to impound fine and coarse tailings at
an open-pit diamond operation in South Africa. The
fundamental shift in philosophy here was undertaken
at effectively no additional operating cost and
resulted in the LoM closure liability being reduced
by 35%. It also improved the stability of the tailings
deposits and eliminated the requirement for an
additional storage facility, saving significant capital.
The third case involves a change in waste rock dump
construction methodology at a large iron ore open-
pit operation in South Africa. Changing WRD to the
final landform allowed progressive rehabilitation
to commence, reducing liability, while an additional
opportunity to consolidate numerous waste rock
dumps into one megadump fully utilized available
airspace and decreased the disturbance footprint.
Work continues at this location to further integrate
planning processes and realise the full potential
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
value, which has been estimated at more than a 20%
reduction in closure liability. These case studies
demonstrate that changes to operational strategies
that reduce closure liabilities can be made if site
leaders accept ownership based on a compelling
business case. The key to closure planning is not to
defer closure costs but to eliminate future closure
activities through integrated closure and LoM
planning.
Plenary 9 | Using genomics in mine
reclamation
L.H. Fraser Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers
University, Canada
H.W. Garris Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers
University, Canada
S.A. Baldwin Chemical and Biological Engineering,
University of British Columbia, Canada
J.D. Van Hamme Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers
University, Canada
W.C. Gardner Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson
Rivers University, Canada
ABSTRACT
Mine closure succeeds when healthy, self-
sustaining ecosystems develop on previously
mined lands. Regulations require reclamation
of ecosystems; however there are few specified
targets, and those that are presented are vague.
Genomics technologies may provide the key to both
understanding the elements necessary to recreate
functional ecosystems and provide sufficient
benchmarks for success. In this review, we highlight
the use of genomics to meet mine closure goals,
enhance ecosystem development and optimize
ecosystem services inherent in self-sustaining
reclaimed ecosystems. We outline practical steps for
applying genomics technologies to characterize the
composition and activity of microbial communities in
soils and treatment substrates. From this framework,
we address the state of the science and how recently
developed techniques have transferable value
to mine reclamation. We then define three areas
where genomics technologies have already proven
effective at informing management and reclamation
of mine sites in the form of bioreactors, passive
treatment systems and novel gene discovery. Finally,
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we speculate on the future applications of genomics
technologies and the necessary steps to integrate
these data into comprehensive management of
mined sites.
SESSION 13 – COVERS
Instrumentation and early monitoring
results of the south waste rock dump at
Century Mine
P.L. Defferrard MMG Century, Australia
T.K. Rohde EMGA Mitchell McLennan, Australia
M. Lord MMG Century, Australia
ABSTRACT
In 2010 a store and release cover was constructed on
the south waste rock dump (SWRD) at Century Mine.
The function of the cover is to reduce percolation
into the underlying potentially acid-forming (PAF)
waste rock. The performance of the cover is currently
being assessed using volumetric water content and
matric suction sensors. Monitoring has been ongoing
since October 2012. This paper describes the design
premise for the store and release cover, monitoring
instrumentation installation methodology and early
measured performance of the cover trials.
Performance evaluation of reclamation
soil cover systems at Cluff Lake mine in
northern Saskatchewan
L.A. Barber O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
B.K. Ayres O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
B. Schmid Safety, AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
Cluff Lake uranium mine, owned and operated by
AREVA Resources Canada Inc., is located in northern
Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin. Cluff Lake mine
operated from 1980 to 2002, and decommissioning
work began in 2004 following an environmental
assessment. Decommissioning of Cluff Lake mine
included construction of reclamation cover systems
over a tailings storage facility and waste rock pile.
The objective of this paper is to review the design,
| 65
construction, and performance of the cover systems
based on field monitoring data. The primary design
objectives of the cover systems are to reduce
percolation of meteoric water into the waste,
attenuate radiation emanating from stored waste to
acceptable levels, and provide a growth medium for
development of a sustainable vegetation cover. The
waste rock cover system is an enhanced water store-
and-release design, while the tailings cover system
is a water store-and-release design. Both cover
systems, which were completed in 2006 and seeded
with agronomic and native plant species, incorporate
positive drainage to promote runoff during wet
precipitation conditions. Instrumentation was
installed during construction of the cover systems to
facilitate evaluation of their hydrologic performance
over time under site-specific climate conditions.
Field data have been collected and analysed since
2006, for a total of eight full years of monitoring. The
cover systems are performing as expected and are
on a trajectory to design net percolation rates and
sustainable vegetation cover. Soil-plant-atmosphere
numerical modelling is planned to facilitate further
understanding of the current and long-term
performance of the cover systems at Cluff Lake.
Evaluation of cover systems for closure
of tailings storage facilities at North
American Tungsten Corporation’s
Cantung mine
G.C. Allen O’Kane Consultants, Canada
L.K. Tallon O’Kane Consultants, Canada
D. Flemming North American Tungsten Corporation Ltd.,
Canada
S. Shaw pHase Geochemistry, Canada
B.K. Ayres O’Kane Consultants, Canada
ABSTRACT
The North American Tungsten Corporation Ltd.’s
(NATCL) Cantung tungsten mine (Cantung) is located
in the Nahanni area of the Northwest Territories,
Canada (62°N). Intermittent mining has occurred at
Cantung since 1962, resulting in five current tailings
and exfiltration ponds (TPs), three planned dry stack
tailings storage facilities (TSFs) and a thin deposit
of historic tailings located on the floodplain of the

Flat River. As part of ongoing reclamation activities
at Cantung, cover systems are being evaluated for
the planned TSFs to reduce the acid-generating
potential of these proposed landforms. The proposed
dry stack TSF cover system design will be informed
by data gathered at the current TP1 and TP2
tailings cover system. To understand the influence
of water and gas flow dynamics on performance of
cover systems at TP1 and TP2, a numerical model
with inputs informed by the tailings containment
area monitoring plan (TCAMP) program was used
to estimate water flux and diffusive oxygen flux
to the tailings material. The numerical model was
constructed to allow for a changing oxidation rate
over time for each discrete layer of tailings material
within the model, representing the consumption of
pyritic materials with time. The final cover system
design for the planned dry stack TSFs will depend on
acceptable infiltration and oxygen ingress rates that
reduce loadings to acceptable levels in the receiving
environment over the long term.
Stainless steel covers – an alternative
closure method for remote abandoned
mines
D. Sanscartier Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
J. Lambert McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd., Canada
C. Reid Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
D.E. Allen Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
ABSTRACT
Project CLEANS (Cleanup of Abandoned Northern
Sites) involves the decommissioning and rehabilitation
of remote abandoned uranium mines on public land in
northern Saskatchewan, Canada, with the objective
of transferring them to the provincial Institutional
Control Program for long-term maintenance and
monitoring. The majority of the 37 sites in Project
CLEANS have vertical openings to the underground
that require proper closure to ensure long-term
public safety. In Saskatchewan, the legislated
requirement is to close openings to the underground
with a reinforced concrete bulkhead designed by a
professional engineer. This is challenging in remote
locations with no road access or where access is limited
to an ice road for a six-week period during the winter.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
Since 2005, stainless steel covers have been used as
a closure method for Project CLEANS sites. Recently,
an evaluation of closure methods was carried out to
identify the most appropriate closure method for
these mine sites. High-performance concrete and
several types of steel covers (weathering, galvanised
and stainless) and aluminium were compared with
respect to the following design criteria: sufficient
service life (200 years) and durability, ease of
transport, prevent unauthorised access, endure
climate change, forest fires, and additional loading
(e.g., animals, snowmobiles), minimise field fitting, and
cost effectiveness. Structurally reinforced stainless
steel plate was identified as the preferred material.
The approach to designing a closure is to first perform
a site investigation to determine the closure size and
points of attachment to the surrounding bedrock. A
3-D model of the terrain is then developed in order
to optimise the shape of the closure. This provides a
complete and secure closure with a limited amount
of material use, while maintaining a clear load path
to the anchor points. The covers are fabricated at a
qualified facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and
then trucked to the sites on ice roads and site access
trails. The covers are installed by a local contractor
and the design allows some flexibility for field fitting.
Quality assurance and control includes inspections
during fabrication and after installation. Between
2005 and 2012, ten mine openings were closed with
stainless steel covers. Since 2013, two shafts and
five raises have been successfully closed using the
more stringent design and quality assurance process
described above. Although the stainless steel covers
require an exemption from the Saskatchewan Mines
Regulations prior to implementation, they are now
accepted by regulators as a safe and durable mine
closure method for remote sites.
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Closure of legacy waste rock piles: Can
we achieve passive treatment to manage
residual seepage in the short term?
G. Meiers O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
M. O’Kane O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
D. Mayich David Mayich Consulting, Canada
P. Weber O’Kane Consultants (NZ) Ltd., New Zealand
C. Bradley O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
J. Shea Public Works and Government Services Canada,
Canada
ABSTRACT
Closure and reclamation of waste rock piles using
engineered cover systems and water treatment of
seepage is a common technique for management
of acid rock drainage/metal leaching (ARD/ML)
to mitigate adverse impacts to the receiving
environment. Linking cover system performance (i.e.
net percolation and/or oxygen ingress) to impacts to
the receiving environment provides a rational basis
for cover system design criteria. Two general models
are used in the mining industry to predict long-term
seepage and closure costs. One model assumes that
loading of contaminants to the environment will
remain unchanged under reduced flux rates (net
percolation) where contaminant concentrations
increase proportionally as a function of decreasing
flow; the other assumes that a reduction in the flux
rate will result in decreased contaminant loads for
constant contaminant concentrations in flow. Both
models will have a transition point at which reduced
loading to the receiving environment will occur as the
flux decreases.
Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation implemented a
program for the closure of historic coal mines located
near Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, with Public Works
and Government Services Canada providing project
management. The Victoria Junction waste rock pile
was reclaimed with an engineered cover system
comprising a 60 mil HDPE geomembrane, a granular
drainage layer and an overlying growth medium.
It was estimated following closure that active
treatment of seepage waters impacted by ARD/
ML would be required for ~20 years before passive
treatment systems could be established; however,
this has occurred within seven years with significant
| 67
cost savings realised. Reclamation of the site reduced
the risk of potential loading under various failure
scenarios. An acidity mass balance was used to
provide an understanding of past (uncovered waste
rock pile and active treatment), current (covered
waste rock pile and passive treatment) and long-term
(100 years) loading under progressive changes to
water collection and treatment activities. The acidity
mass balance will serve to inform management
decisions in ongoing closure planning. The case study
presented here demonstrates that it is possible to
eliminate the need for active treatment of seepage
for legacy sites.
SESSION 14 – ECOSYSTEM
RECONSTRUCTION
Does the concept of novel ecosystems
have a place in mine closure and
rehabilitation?
R.N. Humphries Celtic Energy Limited, United Kingdom
M. Tibbett University of Reading, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
The validity and practical use of the “novel
ecosystem” concept and model, as applied to the
restoration and rehabilitation of vegetation and
ecosystems, is currently being hotly debated amongst
environmental academics and conservationists. The
use of the concept and model has been advocated to
select alternative target vegetation and ecosystems
to those of the pre-mining situations for rehabilitating
closed mines in some circumstances.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept
and its practical use in mine closure rehabilitation
planning and evaluation. The underlying basis for the
concept and its threshold based model are examined
and tested in terms of the arguments for and against
it, as proffered by its advocates and critics, using
historical and recent evidence from the UK and
Australia.
The novel ecosystem concept and its model have
merit as a theoretical framework for debate but
might not be particularly useful in the mine planning
and regulatory context, especially if applied in an

uncritical and uninformed manner. For example, there
may be risks of excusing poor mine closure outcomes
as “novel” when they are in fact wholly inadequate.
We give examples of where novel ecosystems seem
to work and where the concept seems to fail, and
suggest reasons. There is a case for matching more
appropriate vegetation and ecosystem targets
with some post-mining conditions in the Australian
context, and probably elsewhere.
Potential applications of the “novel ecosystem”
concept to mine rehabilitation, in the form currently
construed, may be a potential risk to sustainable
ecosystem outcomes if used as an excuse for
restoration failure. Given the lack of clarity and
agreement on what constitutes a novel ecosystem,
particularly in a post-mining context, we conclude its
adoption as a tool for mine rehabilitation is premature
and encourage an open debate between regulators,
miners, and scientists to provide a safe framework for
any future application of the concept.
Phytoremediation to improve pit lake
water quality
M.E. Wen Environmental Resources Management (ERM),
Canada
C.A. Pelletier Environmental Resources Management
(ERM), Canada
K. Norlund Environmental Resources Management
(ERM), Canada
G.W.R. Wolff Environmental Resources Management
(ERM), Canada
D. Berthelot BHP Billiton, Canada
ABSTRACT
The flooding of open pits is a key feature of closure
plans for many metal mines. Once filled, pit lakes
typically discharge to the environment. Pit lake
water requiring treatment prior to discharge can
represent a significant cost of long-term closure care
and maintenance. We present phytoremediation
technology that has been successfully used in many
industries as a relatively low-cost technique to
attenuate contaminants in water. Phytoremediation
describes the use of plants to mitigate environmental
contamination. In the context of mine pit lakes,
phytoremediation is the biologically mediated
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
removal of contaminants using photosynthesizing
organisms to improve water quality. The relatively
low-cost option of phytoremediation can make
it an attractive alternative to conventional lime
neutralisation for metal contamination resulting
from metal leaching and acid rock drainage.
Phytoremediation has also been investigated for
treatment of other contaminants in mine water.
Metal mine pit lakes present an opportunity to use
phytoremediation to treat waters affected by metal
leaching and acid rock drainage. Within a pit lake,
the greatest opportunity for phytoremediation of
water is in the limnetic zone, which usually occupies a
much greater area and volume than the littoral zone.
However, other important variables may influence
the potential success of phytoremediation.
Phytoremediation has been used successfully for
more than a decade to treat metal-contaminated pit
lake waters at the closed Island Copper Mine. We
discuss how the phytoremediation program at the
Island Copper Mine has been designed to treat pit lake
waters to meet permit requirements and significantly
reduce metal loads in the lake. Through this case
study we also explore the relationships between
the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of
the water column and show how an understanding
of this relationship is critical to planning, designing
and identifying the potential success and risks of
phytoremediation treatment of mine pit lakes.
Potential impact of improved
rehabilitation methods on the water
balance of an opencast coal mine
M.W. Palmer Jones & Wagener (Pty) Ltd, South Africa
A. van Zyl Terrasim, South Africa
C. Smith Anglo American Coal South Africa, South Africa
ABSTRACT
The ingress of water to opencast coal mine workings,
both during operations and post closure, is an ongoing
problem in the coal mining industry. This is particularly
true in the Mpumalanga coal fields of South Africa,
where mines typically operate with a significant water
surplus. The use of soil stripped ahead of mining is the
current best practice for capping of mine spoils. The
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thickness and quality of soil used as capping material water treatment costs both during operations and
varies according to the availability of soil, which is post closure.
often extremely limited due to poor utilization of
soils or only thin soils present in the pre-mining soil
profile. Consequently, the rehabilitated area often Mine reclamation and surface
has severely limited land use potential. water balances: An ecohydrologic
This paper details infiltration modelling and water classification system for mine-affected
balance modelling carried out for a proposed watersheds
opencast mine in the Mpumalanga Province of South J. Straker Integral Ecology Group Ltd., Canada
Africa. The mine expects that, by carefully managing
T. Baker Integral Ecology Group Ltd., Canada
topsoil and subsoil utilisation during mining, the soil
cover thickness on the rehabilitated spoils can be S.L. Barbour Civil and Geological Engineering, University
maximised. Expected soil cover thicknesses range of Saskatchewan, Canada
from a minimum of 500 mm to 3500 mm or greater, M. O’Kane O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
with an average of 900 mm topsoil overlying a subsoil S. Carey School of Geography and Earth Sciences,
layer. The objective is twofold. Firstly to minimise McMaster University, Canada
the water make in the opencast workings, thereby
D. Charest Teck Resources Limited, Canada
minimising water management and treatment costs,
and secondly to create a rehabilitated environment ABSTRACT
post closure that is sustainable in the long term and
Understanding reclamation effects on surface
can potentially be suitable for a range of commercial
water balances in mine-affected watersheds is
land uses. An analysis was done on the typical soils
critical to both prediction of, and design for, water
found within the proposed mining area, to be used for
movement through the post-closure landscape, and
topsoil and subsoil. The soils will be stripped ahead
for development of appropriate reclamation and
of mining and used to create the rehabilitated cover.
revegetation treatments for mine closure. Substantial
Infiltration modelling was conducted to determine
effort has been invested in increasing knowledge of
the rates of seepage through the opencast backfill, for
the effects of mine-waste cover systems on key water-
different soil cover thicknesses. These seepage rates
balance terms such as net percolation, but tools to
were then applied to the mine water balance model
extend that knowledge to effects of cover systems on
to estimate the effect on the overall water make and
vegetation establishment and the subsequent effects
consequently the water treatment requirements.
of these vegetation-substrate interactions on water-
From these analyses, it was deduced that as the
balance terms are lacking. The concept of a “soil
topsoil thickness was increased, there was a marked
moisture regime” is used worldwide to understand
decrease in the infiltration rate, and consequently
edaphic conditions and plant communities. However,
the mine water make and required treatment rate.
in most applications, soil moisture regime is a
However, for subsoil thicknesses greater than 500
relative or unquantified parameter estimated from
to 1000 mm, no noticeable decrease in infiltration
the presence of indicator plants or soil properties
rate was realised for increased topsoil thicknesses.
observed in natural ecosystems. Applications of these
Various scenarios of topsoil and subsoil thickness
approaches to post-mining landscapes are challenging
were modelled to estimate the impact of layer
because soils/surficial materials are reconstructed
thickness on the mine water make. The modelling
and reference plant communities are often not fully
indicates that a reduction in post closure mine water
re-established. Some quantitative approaches to
make of between 15% and 30% can be practically
estimation of properties that influence soil moisture
achieved at the mine, with a reduction of up to 35%
regime (e.g. available water storage capacity) have
being achievable with thicker cover layers. This
been developed, but these are generally based on
reduction in water make will have a direct impact
agricultural soil science, and have limited utility to
on operational costs, in terms of volumes of water
many post-mining materials.
pumped from the rehabilitated workings, as well as

| 69

The authors propose new methods for estimating
soil moisture regime in post-closure landscapes,
using concepts from existing biogeoclimatic
ecosystem classification systems and analyses of
effects of particle-size distribution on soil water
retention. Key variables in the proposed estimation
model include regional and local climate, material
particle-size distributions (including distributions
typical of mine-waste materials), organic-matter
accumulation, and topography. This paper discusses
methods development of this estimation approach,
and presents suggestions for broader application of
the approach for quantifying surface-water-balance
components (e.g. net percolation) and for reclamation
planning (e.g. revegetation species selection) in
closure landscapes.
Ecosystem reconstruction: A global
assessment of methods of estimating
soil water regimes for mine reclamation
and closure
J. Straker Integral Ecology Group Ltd., Canada
T. Baker Integral Ecology Group Ltd., Canada
M. O’Kane O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
R. Shurniak O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
S.L. Barbour Civil and Geological Engineering, University
of Saskatchewan, Canada
S. Carey School of Geography and Earth Sciences,
McMaster University, Canada
ABSTRACT
A primary challenge in mine reclamation and ecological
aspects of mine closure is the estimation of water
retention by surficial materials (mine wastes and/or
other materials used in mine-waste cover systems).
The magnitude and timing of this retention affect
both the types of ecosystems (plant communities)
that can be established on a given reclaimed site or
landform and the partitioning of meteoric waters on
the site or landform into runoff, evapotranspiration
and net percolation. The disciplines of ecology/soil
science and engineering have knowledge applicable
to addressing this problem, but the application of
that knowledge is subject to limitations, and the work
and approaches are generally de-coupled between
the disciplines. In ecology, the principle means of
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
estimating soil water retention (often termed the “soil
water regime” or “soil moisture regime”) rely on the
presence of intact landscapes and plant communities,
and on the inferred behaviour of natural surficial
materials and geology. In mine reclamation and
closure settings, this inferential evidence is lacking,
which makes direct application of established tools
for estimating soil water regimes difficult.
In a companion paper, the authors propose new
methods of estimating soil water regimes in post-
closure landscapes, using concepts from existing
biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification systems and
analyses of effects of particle-size distribution on
soil water retention. Key variables in the proposed
estimation model include regional and local climate,
material particle-size distributions (including
distributions typical of mine-waste materials) and
organic-matter accumulation, and topography.
This paper discusses the testing of these proposed
methods on a global basis, using data on surficial-
material physical properties and water retention from
mines in different geographic and climatic settings.
SESSION 15 – TREATMENT AND CASE
STUDIES
Beyond ML/ARD: The many faces of
neutral mine drainage in the context of
mine closure
D.A. Bright Royal Roads University/Hemmera, Canada
N. Sandys Site Assessment and Remediation, Hemmera,
Canada
ABSTRACT
The ability to predict and manage the interactions
between mine wastes and water, with the associated
implications for aquatic ecosystem impairment, has
evolved immensely over the last two decades and
continues to rapidly change. The major focus to the
present time has been on drainage chemistry from
sulfidic ores and wastes, since oxidation of pyrite,
pyrrhotite, and similar sulphide minerals has been
the root cause of serious water quality issues at
many mine sites world-wide. There are also many
examples, however, of compromised surface water
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and groundwater quality as a result of geochemical
processes that involve neutral to alkaline dissolution
and aqueous transport. Neutral mine drainage
(NMD) is often taken to mean down-gradient runoff
from sulfidic source materials that are undergoing
oxidation, following the subsequent reaction with
neutralizing minerals such as carbonates, resulting in
water with circumneutral pH, high hardness, and high
sulfate levels. There is no standardized definition of
NMD and this term is increasingly used by researchers
and managers to describe a variety of geochemical
processes and issues. The predictive models and tools
for managing environmental effects of NMD are more
poorly developed than for acidic rock drainage (ARD),
especially since predictions depend more on complex
interpretations of mineralogy and geochemistry.
The flux of various trace major elements and
materials from mine spoils to the hydrosphere is
generally far greater for ARD than NMD; however,
the potential for ecosystem-scale impacts from
NMD is expected to increase in proportion with an
increased spatial scale of mining projects in general.
A simplified classification is provided herein of the
various types of NMD that have been encountered
as a starting point for developing new predictive and
management approaches for NMD. Several of the
tools for preventing NMD-related environmental
impacts, applied during mine development and
closure planning, are very similar to the tools that
have been developed for ARD; however, the tools
and approaches for NMD place greater emphasis on
management actions at the watershed scale, and on
groundwater-surface water interactions.
Developing the Hollinger open pit mine
– leaving a positive legacy
T. Sulatycky Reclamation Operations Business Unit,
Goldcorp Inc., Canada
D. Bucar Reclamation Operations Business Unit,
Goldcorp Inc., Canada
P. Buttineau Porcupine Gold Mines, Goldcorp Canada
Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
The Hollinger Mine, first discovered in 1909 by Benny
Hollinger, was the largest gold producer in the prolific
Porcupine Gold Camp located in Northern Ontario,
| 71
Canada, producing over 20 million ounces of gold
between 1910 and 1989. Between the mid 1980’s
and 1990’s, the mine site was left in a state of partial
abandonment by a previous owner. Due to the mining
methods of the day, the upper levels of the mine
were often mined to surface or left voids with thin
crown pillars creating areas of potential instability, in
addition to the dozens of shafts and raises. Around
the turn of the century, rising water levels in the mine
caused the sand backfill used to support underground
voids during operation to mobilize deeper in the mine.
The loss of backfill caused large subsidences to occur
on surface around the property, putting many areas
at high risk. One measure implemented immediately
to protect public safety was to surround the property
with chain-link fence and conduct routine monitoring.
This locked up 96 hectares of land in the middle of
the City of Timmins. Between 2000 and 2006, the
prior mining companies worked with the Ministry of
Northern Development & Mines to rehabilitate mine
hazards that were public safety concerns outside of
the core Hollinger property.
In 2007, the property was acquired by Goldcorp Inc.
Given the proximity of the mine to the community,
Goldcorp could not in good faith accept a perimeter
fence as an acceptable method of closure and began
investigating other options such as selectively
backfilling areas, constructing concrete caps
over voids, or removing unstable crowns through
blasting, and fencing. Technically, several options
were considered higher-risk, given the complexity
and amount of uncertainty. The preferred option
consistently landed on removing crown pillars and
allowing the voids to flood thereby preventing a fall
hazard.
In 2012, a Closure Plan Amendment was submitted
and approved by the Ministry of Northern
Development and Mines to develop an open pit
mine that would centre over the historic mine site.
In 2014, following a period of extensive community
consultation and with all necessary permits in hand,
Goldcorp began the construction phase, which
included stripping overburden, blasting surface
bedrock to create flat benches, and building the
perimeter Environmental Control Berm (ECB). All
activities required removal of residual gold and
historical mine hazards while working toward final
reclamation of the land.

Goldcorp continues to work with the City of Timmins
on a subsequent land-use plan such that at the end
of the five-year project, the property can become an
area usable by the community for future generations.
Additionally, working with the local Aboriginal
community on the application of traditional
knowledge combined with practices of modern
rehabilitation techniques, Goldcorp’s end goal is to
remove public hazards and allow an appropriate post
mining land use of the property.
Using applied research to reclaim a
northern Canadian uranium mine
B.H. Cranston Paragon Soil and Environmental Consulting
Inc., Canada
L.A. Leskiw Paragon Soil and Environmental Consulting
Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
In areas where soil conditions are poor, successful
revegetation and reclamation depends directly on the
ability of the soil amendments to ameliorate growing
conditions. The primary objective of this study was
to evaluate the efficacy of various amendments
to improve soil conditions, supporting growth and
survival of planted boreal forest species. A secondary
objective was to evaluate the success of forest floor
transplants for moss and lichen establishment.
This study was conducted at a reclaimed site at the
Cameco Key Lake uranium mine in Saskatchewan,
Canada. Soil amendments applied included
commercial peat, lake sediments, flax straw, LFH-
mulch, NPK fertiliser and manure pellets, as well as a
control (no amendment). The lowest survivorship of
planted vegetation (including forest floor transplants)
was observed in plots treated with fertiliser (69%
survival), relative to all other amendments (81%
survival); survivorship was not directly facilitated
by any soil amendment. Growth of planted species
(2013–2014) was greatest in the manure pellet
(11.4 cm), LFH-mulch (11.4 cm), and peat plots (9.7
cm). Manure pellet and LFH-mulch treatments also
encouraged the natural establishment of the most
species (5 species per plot). Moreover, natural moss
establishment (Polytrichum juniperinum) in the
manure pellet plots in 2014 was so extensive (~63%
cover) relative to all other treatment plots (typically
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
<5% cover) that manure pellet plots are now easily
identifiable using 2014 satellite imagery. Forest floor
transplants were also confirmed to be a successful
method of introducing lichen and moss species to a
reclaimed site.
The poor growing conditions associated with mine
spoil can directly inhibit the establishment and
survival of all but the most tolerant plants. The results
suggest that the addition of organic soil amendments,
particularly manure pellets, can improve growing
conditions for planted seedlings as well as for
naturally established vegetation, facilitating the
development of self-sustaining, locally common
vegetation communities.
Opportunities to incorporate mine
closure into mine planning
S.E. Ames AMES Mine Closure and Reclamation
International, Canada
ABSTRACT
Most early mine operations did not include closure
planning. When closing an abandoned mine,
you are faced with all of the problems that are
left, for example, old equipment and structures,
contamination, unstable landforms, and no soil to
reclaim the disturbed areas. Closure planning is now
a requirement for not only new but operating mines
around the world with a focus on meeting the end
land use objectives and regulatory requirements.
Early closure planning at the mine development
stage provides an opportunity to design landforms
for successful closure and more easily meet the end
land use objectives of the site while complying with
regulatory requirements. These opportunities may
be lost if closure planning is delayed. For example, the
options for the reclamation of waste rock piles may
be reduced if planning is carried out later in a project.
Early planning can reduce future closure costs, for
example, when planning minimizes re-handling
of mine wastes. This also affects bonding costs.
Innovative approaches for closure which provide
long term site and environmental sustainability at
post-closure increase the opportunity for regulatory
and stakeholder approval allowing a project to
be permitted sooner. Early closure planning also
provides for the coordination of all aspects of mine
72 |
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development that will allow the closure of the project
to occur as planned. There are real challenges of
coordinating the disciplines involved, for example,
the engineers, wildlife biologists, soil scientists,
and water specialists to develop a cost effective
and sensible plan for closure. These inputs and
considerations in mine planning result in a closure
plan that is generally based on current conditions of
the mine site and ensure there is more opportunity
to return the site to its former condition, as much
as practical. Sometimes, temporary or early closure
is required. For example, some early infrastructure
may be buried by later infrastructure so if a project
is stopped, the closure requirements will be different
than if the project proceeded. Early planning for
these situations may also affect closure and bonding
costs with these unexpected situations.
This presentation will discuss opportunities that were
realized when mine planning occurred early in the
project and the challenges and approaches that were
encountered when closure planning occurred during
operations and when a site had been abandoned.
These approaches can be used in mines in Canada and
all over the world. Closure planning allows the closed
mine site to partially disappear into the surrounding
environment as mines are only borrowing the site for
a period of time.
Passive biological treatment of acid
mine drainage with recovery of copper
A. Schwarz Centre of Water Resources for Agriculture
and Mining (CRHIAM), Universidad de Concepción, Chile
N. Pérez Centre of Water Resources for Agriculture and
Mining (CRHIAM), Universidad de Concepción, Chile
G. Chaparro Centre of Water Resources for Agriculture
and Mining (CRHIAM), Universidad de Concepción, Chile reactivity per m3 than conventional systems currently
ABSTRACT
In central Chile, acid mine drainage (AMD) is
characterised by high concentrations of copper,
which can be recovered. Passive biochemical reactors
are eco-friendly technologies for the treatment
of AMD. They use organic substrate mixtures to
drive microbial sulphate reduction and to promote
the formation of metal sulphide precipitate. The
performance of conventional passive biochemical
| 73
reactors, however, is limited by metal toxicity, and
metal recovery is difficult. This investigation works
on a new passive biological treatment, the diffusive
exchange bioreactor, which can be tailored to resist
metal toxicity. This is achieved by having separate
zones for AMD movement and sulphate reduction, and
by allowing the diffusive exchange of solutes between
these zones. This treatment makes higher reaction
rates possible because it can use much finer organic
materials as substrates. A key innovation of this
research is its use of vertical tubular screens to convey
the AMD through the reactor while simultaneously
allowing transverse diffusive exchange of dissolved
species with the substrate. The tubular screens act
as reactors for precipitate formation, settling, and
accumulation, and precipitates can be periodically
recovered from the screens. This design promotes
higher reaction rates, eliminates clogging, and
facilitates the recovery of valuable metals. Our goal
is to optimize this diffusive exchange system. Hence,
we evaluated organic substrate source, method of
inoculation, operation with toxic drainage, and three
bench-scale prototypes.
We assessed the sulphate reduction potential of
several organic substrate mixtures in batch reactors.
Then, we ran three diffusive exchange reactor
prototypes using the optimum substrate mixture.
During the first month, the prototypes were fed with
sulphate solution only, to determine their sulphate
reduction potential. Then the reactors were fed with
strong copper-rich AMD, characteristic of central
Chile’s mining operations, for two additional months.
The organic substrate mixture based on cellulose
fibres showed the highest sulphate reduction rates.
Adding this organic source into the biological diffusive
exchange reactors allows a reduction in the size of
biological passive treatment systems, as it has more
in use. During AMD feeding, all prototypes achieved
significant metal removal and acidity neutralization.
The ratio between conductive and reactive volumes
and the amount of interface between these volumes
affected removal performance. Importantly, copper
precipitates accumulated at the bottom of the
screened tubes and did not affect the hydraulic
performance of the reactors.

SESSION 16 – MISCELLANEOUS
Sustainability appraisal for mine closure
E. Petelina, Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
D. Sanscartier, Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
S. MacWilliam, Saskatchewan Research Council, Canada
R. Ridsdale, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
ABSTRACT
Rehabilitation of mine sites, if effective, has obvious
benefits and supports sustainable development
goals such as reducing the risk to human health and
the environment, restoring ecological services and
preventing the spread of pollution. However, these
activities may be associated with negative impacts
such as emission of air pollutants and greenhouse
gases, occupational risks, noise, traffic and use of
limited financial resources. The consideration of
sustainability concerns in the design of mine closure
is not a new concept, but the use of decision-support
frameworks to guide the selection of a rehabilitation
alternative offering the most sustainable outcome
is still not widespread. Sustainability appraisal/
assessment (SA) is a practical tool that can be applied
for this purpose. This reflects a shift from a traditional
rehabilitation approach that focuses primarily on
cost, regulatory acceptance, duration and technical
feasibility.
This paper’s goal is threefold: (i) to provide an overview
of a SA approach applied to assess the environmental,
economic and social benefits, and limitations of soil
organic amendment options to promote revegetation
for a northern mine closure, (ii) share lessons learned
during this exercise, and (iii) propose improvements
to the approach applied.
The SA approach was based on a tiered framework
developed by the UK Sustainable Remediation Forum
for remediation of contaminated land and consists
of: (i) a preliminary qualitative screening of options’
sustainability, (ii) a semi-quantitative assessment
based on multi-criteria analysis of stakeholder
opinion, and (iii) quantitative analyses including a
life cycle assessment and a life cycle costing analysis.
In addition to identifying a preferred revegetation
option, several lessons were collected during the
study and improvements for the conceptual SA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
framework were suggested. Some lessons learned
were: the tool helped identify sustainability gaps
and ways to improve the rehabilitation alternative;
the term “sustainable” is relative and depends on
stakeholders’ viewpoints; stakeholder engagement
is essential; and trade-offs between sustainability
criteria are inevitable. Our experience showed
that the SA is a powerful tool which can ensure the
application of sustainable rehabilitation practices for
site closure and should be integrated from the very
beginning to optimise outcomes.
Teck’s Elkview operations: Visualizing
an integrated approach to conceptual
closure and reclamation planning
D. Harrison Golder Associates Ltd., Canada
D. Crockett Golder Associates Ltd., Canada
L. Eykamp Teck Resources Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
Surface mining has the potential to impact both
natural and cultural landscapes. Hence, reclamation
and closure planning is an integral part of the
mine development process — one that presents an
opportunity for increasingly effective and sustainable
solutions. Reclamation and closure planning,
including landscape design, can address post-mine
scenarios as they relate to a range of environmental
and social objectives. This study examines the role
of landscape design and visualisation techniques to
support an integrated reclamation planning process
that increases landscape performance and better
communicates technical information related to post-
mine scenarios. Teck’s Elkview operation provides
a case study of progressive integrated landscape
design and visualisation techniques in closure and
reclamation planning. This study examines landscape
design efforts that help create more naturalistic
landforms and their potential benefits related to
environmental management and building strong
community relationships.
Regulators and stakeholders are placing increasing
demands on mining companies to develop post-
mining landscapes that demonstrate a more natural
appearance. Post-mine landform design can meet
this objective while concurrently providing other
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benefits such as enhanced wildlife habitat. This study
explores methods for developing diverse landforms
and revegetation patterns that blend with adjacent
natural landscape character; these effectively
integrate drainage systems to control surface flows,
reduce erosion, minimise long-term maintenance,
and create micro-topography that supports wetlands
and tree, shrub, and forb cover that promotes
biodiversity.
While the contribution of visual aesthetics to
landscape performance is difficult to evaluate,
the use of data-driven three-dimensional (3D)
visualisations can support improved public
acceptance of post-mine landform and revegetation
design options by illustrating design intentions and
reclamation strategies. Visualisations play a role in
communicating technical project design information,
supporting community involvement by identifying
interests and priorities, and building awareness and
understanding of post-mine reclamation scenarios.
Advanced visualisation techniques are able to adapt
to changes in project design and play a role much
larger than graphic support.
Assessing the level of difficulty of
vegetation establishment on reclaimed
sites
B.H. Cranston Paragon Soil and Environmental Consulting
Inc., Canada
L.P. Waterman Paragon Soil and Environmental
Consulting Inc., Canada T. A. Gray, Tetra Tech Inc., United States
ABSTRACT
Regulatory approvals for oil sands mining in
Alberta, Canada, require that disturbed land be
reclaimed to a self-sustaining, locally common
boreal forest ecosystem; biodiversity is also a key
stakeholder concern. Not all ecosites are readily
reclaimed, yet conceptual reclamation plans often
make assumptions that discount this challenge. To
this end, we have developed a ranking system that
uses measurable values to determine the level of
difficulty to establish target vegetation on upland
and transitional reclaimed sites. The ecosite phase
reclamation targets of the Athabasca Oil Sands
(Alberta, Canada) were used as a model system.
| 75
Six metrics were used to determine the relative
difficulty to reclaim each upland and transitional
ecosite phase: time required for target vegetation
establishment, level of management required,
difficulty associated with achieving the requisite
edaphic (soil moisture and nutrients) regime,
sensitivity to changing soil chemistry, utility of direct
soil placement and erosion potential. Each metric was
given a weighted value (1 through 4) according to its
overall influence on the difficulty of reclaiming each
ecosite phase. The weighted values of metrics deemed
difficult, neutral and easy for a particular ecosite
phase were multiplied by −1, 0 and +1, respectively.
The values for all six metrics were then summed for
each ecosite phase, yielding an overall value for the
difficulty to reclaim each phase. Values below −2
were deemed to be difficult, −2 to +2 were deemed
neutral and values exceeding +2 were deemed not
difficult (“easy”) relative to the innate challenges of
reclaiming anything on the scale of mineable oil sand
leases.
This method of quantifying the level of difficulty in
establishing target vegetation communities can be
applied to any post-disturbance reclamation project.
Its adoption would have broad-scale implications on
activities from reclamation planning to revegetation
practices and monitoring techniques.
Update on mine closure, sealing and
abandonment practices
R. E. Gray, DiGioia, Gray and Associates, United States
W. P. Balaz Jr., Tetra Tech Inc., United States
ABSTRACT
The 2nd Edition of the SME Mining Engineering
Handbook was published in 1992 by the Society for
Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc. Chapter
8.7 was entitled “Mine Closure, Sealing and
Abandonment”. The 1992 chapter covered regulatory
requirements (in the US); mine closure practices for
surface mines, underground mines, and mine facility
removal; sealing of underground mine openings; and
abandonment, including post mining liabilities. The
authors will discuss how the practices described in
1992 have changed over the past 22 years

A brief summary of the 1992 paper is provided for
historical context prior to presenting the issues with
mine closure practices identified by the regulatory
agencies. Innovative mine closure practices and
design concepts are presented to illustrate new
approaches to addressing mine closure issues. A
central tenet of the design approach is understanding
the influence of site conditions on the design and
having sufficient data to characterize and quantify
site materials being used for mine closure.
A case study of cost effective detailed
waste characterization techniques for
closure of abandoned uranium mines
A.S. Orechwa Tetra Tech Inc., United States
D.C. Workman Tetra Tech Inc., United States
ABSTRACT
Mining activities that occurred during the 1950s
and early 1960s at the North Cave Hills in Harding
County, South Dakota, are a significant part of
South Dakota’s uranium mining history. Under the
General Mining Laws, per the Atomic Energy Act
of 1946 and Public Law 357, unrestricted strip
mining took place within the North Cave Hills during
this time. More than 1 square kilometer of mine-
affected land has been approved by the U.S Forest
Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency as a non-time critical removal action under
the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 2007.
Cleanup levels for surface soil are established for
total arsenic and radium-226 based on a site-specific
risk assessment. While numerous scientific studies
have been conducted at the site, none of these has
characterized the site at the level of detail achieved
using the sampling methods presented here. This case
study presents the methodology and results of two
different sampling methods used to independently
characterize the distribution of heavy metals and
radionuclide soil concentrations at an abandoned
uranium mine. Statistical evaluations used in sizing
sampling grids, evaluation of the feasibility of utilizing
double sampling methods versus simple random
sampling, geostatistical mapping to establish cleanup
boundaries, and an economic evaluation of the final
methods selected are presented in this paper.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
A site-wide X-ray fluorescence (XRF) field survey
involving collection of more than 800 measurements
was conducted on a defined square sampling grid
pattern. A strong correlation was established (r =
0.95) between in situ XRF arsenic measurements
and laboratory-reported total arsenic concentrations
in surface soils. This correlation was the basis for
development of a site-specific regression model
used in estimating total arsenic concentrations
in surface soils. Additionally, a continuous mobile
gamma radiation survey was conducted on a defined
square sampling grid pattern. A strong correlation
(r = 0.96) was established between gamma exposure
rate and radium-226 concentrations in surface soils.
This correlation was the basis for development of a
site-specific regression model used in estimating the
radium-226 concentrations in surface soils. More than
60,000 gamma exposure rate measurements were
collected and used in the estimation of radium-226
concentration within 5,988 block-averaged
100-square-meter (m ) grids. Advanced geospatial
2
analysis techniques were applied to the arsenic and
radium-226 data sets, and cleanup boundaries were
estimated. The surficial extent of soils with arsenic
and radium-226 concentrations above the cleanup
levels were estimated at 14 percent (87,817 m2) for
arsenic and 2.7 percent (16,682 m2) for radium-226 of
the total study area. An economic analysis compared
the incurred cost of the case study with conventional
soil sampling methods that would achieve the same
data quality objectives. A project savings factor of 4.4
was calculated for the XRF field survey and 84 for the
gamma survey. The data and information collected
during this study were used to develop site-wide
removal action designs that will be implemented
as part of the mine closure process. It is concluded
that there is significant economic benefit in using
the sampling approaches presented in this report to
characterize mine waste.
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DAY 03
SESSION 17 – ECOSYSTEM
RECONSTRUCTION
The influence of coal mine spoil physical
properties on the spatial distribution of
lichen-rich communities
D.S. Whitlock Cranfield University, United Kingdom
J. Rickson Cranfield University, United Kingdom
N. Humphries Celtic Energy Limited, United Kingdom
R. Thompson Celtic Energy Limited, United Kingdom
M. Tibbett University of Reading, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
Coal mine spoil tips have been recognised as a UK
Biodiversity Action Plan habitat owing to the presence
of a host of unique flora and fauna assemblages and, in
particular, “lichen heaths.” The natural revegetation of
abandoned spoil tips in South Wales, UK, has created
some of the most dynamic habitats and historic
landscapes for lichen colonisation. The sensitivity of
lichen habitat to vegetation successional processes
and anthropogenic factors is leading to their gradual
extinction without intervention. Such is the threat
that there is a requirement for the reconstruction of
coal spoil tip habitats following the eventual closure
of a recently consented surface mine.
While recent colonisation of coal spoil elsewhere has
been documented, this has been opportunistic and
has not involved the deliberate reconstruction of
the habitat following mining. Experience elsewhere
indicates that the physical properties of the
landform and spoil material are important factors
in colonisation. However, little is known about the
factors relating to the high rainfall environment in
South Wales. In order to provide guidance for the
recreation of the lichen habitat, a detailed study was
undertaken to determine the relationships between
the spatial distribution of vegetation class patches and
the physical proprieties of coal mine spoils in South
Wales. The aim was to understand the key physical
factors aiding the establishment and development of
lichen species on the mine spoils.
Lichen-dominant patches were observed in the field
during a physical properties survey and sampled for
laboratory analysis alongside two other vegetation
| 77
classes (bare ground and a moss-heather mix).
Relationships were identified between vegetation
class and physical properties, including slope aspect,
slope gradient, slope form, erodibility (through
laboratory simulated rainfall experiments) and
the particle-size distribution of the slope-forming
materials.
The results demonstrate that several physical
properties of the coal mine spoil have significant
influence on the spatial distribution of vegetation
classes. It was found that the lichen-dominant
patches were best established on southwest-facing
slopes, with slope gradients ranging from 22 to 32o,
where higher successional vegetation classes were
less abundant.
While this study provides a better understanding
of the spatial distribution of vegetation classes in
the replication of coal spoil lichen habitats, it also
identified that a singular rule-based approach might
not be applicable across multiple coal mine spoil
habitats without further research owing to the nature
of mine spoil sites. Even so, knowing the influence of
key physical properties on vegetation distribution
will aid design decisions relating to the replication of
lichen communities following mine closure.
The triad plant-soil-microbes, an
ecofriendly way to reconstruct healthy
ecosystems on mining sites: A global
perspective
M.B. Nadeau SymbioTech Research, Canada; Viridis Terra
Innovations, Canada
D.P. Khasa Centre for Forest Research, Canada;
Université Laval, Canada
ABSTRACT
Mining requires the removal of belowground rock-
sand materials for extracting valuable minerals and
fossil fuel. Overburden and by-products, including
waste rocks and fine tailings, are usually put back to
original locations or piled elsewhere in the surrounding
mining area. These by-product materials create
newly-formed and vegetation-free ecosystems, in
which soils are structurally disrupted, poor, without
organic matter, and often contaminated by heavy

metals or organic compounds. These highly disturbed
soils generally have low beneficial microorganisms,
which are fundamental to nutrient cycling and
plant nutrition. The ultimate goal of ecosystem
reconstruction is to recover a healthy soil system
capable of supporting plant communities. Therefore,
successfully integrating soil microorganisms in
ecosystem reconstruction activities can be very
helpful in accelerating the recovery of healthy soil
systems and sustainable plant communities on mining
sites after mine closure. In this paper, we will discuss
the role and importance of saprophytic and symbiotic
microorganisms for trees, shrubs, and herbaceous
plants in degraded lands, and for soil restructuring.
Saprophytic microorganisms play a very important
role in ecosystem nutrient cycling. Soil organic
matter, which is mainly made of dead plant, animal,
and microorganism tissues, contains significant
nutrient pools unavailable to plants, under insoluble
forms. In the process of decomposition, dead
tissues are degraded by saprophytic fungi, bacteria,
and actinomycetes and moved into soil horizons,
thereby improving soil structure, water infiltration,
and retention before making their journey to
plants through mycorrhizal associations. Organic
amendments and residual wastes are often used for
capping tailings before revegetating contaminated
mining sites in order to enhance plant survival and
establishment. Many of these amendment materials
such as wood chips and char do not usually harbor
effective saprophytic microorganisms when amended
on tailings. Hence, some reclamation specialists use
the technique of introducing consortia of microbes
before amending organic materials in order to favour
rapid biomass decomposition. The performance of
different saprophytes in degrading and decomposing
organic compounds will be presented and their
possible use in ecosystem reconstruction will be
discussed.
Many studies have demonstrated the ability
of root-associated symbiotic microorganisms
(microsymbionts) to protect plants against toxic
environments and promote their health, growth,
and nutrition in poor soils. Mine tailings usually
have low inoculum potential. Hence, inoculating
seeds or seedlings with microbial inoculants such as
ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, arbuscular mycorrhizal
(AM) fungi, ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, nitrogen-fixing
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
bacteria (e.g. Rhizobium sensu lato, Frankia spp.),
and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR),
before outplanting, can tremendously increase plant
health, growth, and establishment success on mining
sites. Case studies on using plant-microsymbiont
associations for mine revegetation and ecosystem
reconstruction will be discussed with emphasis
on in vivo and in situ experiments conducted by
our research team in Canada (Alberta oil sands
and Quebec gold mine), Burkina Faso (gold mine),
Madagascar (ilmenite mine), and South Africa (iron
mine).
Effect of soil cover system design on
cover system performance and early
tree establishment
L.A. Barber O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
J. Bockstette Renewable Resources, University of
Alberta, Canada
D.O. Christensen O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
L.K. Tallon O’Kane Consultants Inc., Canada
S.M. Landhäusser Renewable Resources, University of
Alberta, Canada
ABSTRACT
Syncrude completed construction of a field-scale soil
cover system trial at the Aurora North mine operations
in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada in 2012. Syncrude,
university researchers, and consultants developed the
study design with an overall objective of determining
appropriate soil cover system designs and capping
depth(s) for overburden reclamation at the Aurora
North mine operation. Specifically, the study was
designed to address the uncertainty of reclaiming
upland areas using coarse textured surficial soil
materials that contain embedded naturally occurring
oil sand that is comprised of petroleum hydrocarbons
over lean oil sand overburden that also contains
petroleum hydrocarbons. The trial consisted of 36
one hectare cells, made up of 12 treatment options
varying in capping material thicknesses and types.
All treatments were constructed in triplicate. The
research cells were instrumented and planted with
three native boreal forest tree species in varying
densities.
Key mechanisms and processes that influence cover
78 |
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system performance and tree growth include freeze/
thaw cycles and water retention characteristics.
Instrumentation was installed to monitor water
balance parameters and groundwater, and to collect
pore-water. Initial results indicate that peat surface
cover system materials had the lowest net percolation
due to higher water storage capacity, and exhibited
delayed soil warming and freezing. Tree mortality was
3% on salvaged forest floor soil capping treatments
and 4% on peat capping treatments. Tree seedling
growth after three growing seasons was up to 48%
higher on treatments capped with mineral dominated
forest floor material compared with treatments
capped with organic peat material. The influence of
lower subsoil material types and their arrangements
on tree seedling performance is still unclear. This is
a long-term study and results will serve to identify
appropriate cover system configurations and guide
future reclamation operations in oil sands mining.
Land reclamation in Canada’s mining
sandbox: do novel ecosystems require
novel approaches?
P. Audet EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc., Canada
B.D. Pinno Canadian Forest Service, Canada
E. Thiffault Université Laval, Canada
ABSTRACT
Boreal forests in northern Alberta have a growing
anthropogenic footprint due to a rapidly expanding
oil sands mining industry. While land reclamation
is a necessary aspect of responsible industrial
development, these activities nearly always affect
higher order landscape components such as the
broader landform, its hydrology and biogeochemistry,
which present significant obstacles when attempting
to reinstate near natural landscapes. The fact that
some highly disturbed ecosystems following oil
sands mining have been carefully rehabilitated and
“certified reclaimed” suggests that successful land
reclamation is possible. Yet, the number of sites still
“under reclamation” far exceeds the number that has
been reclaimed, indicating that this path is neither
smooth nor direct.
Focusing on the oil sands mining landscape of
northern Alberta, this analysis seeks to situate
| 79
current and anticipated challenges affecting the
reclamation of boreal forest following oil sands mining
by describing: (a) how Alberta’s regulatory criteria
(e.g., Equivalent Land Capability) shape reclamation
practices and targeted end-goals, and (b) how these
approaches embody latest trends and priorities in the
area of restoration ecology. Echoing wider opinions
regarding the management of degraded landscapes, a
significant development across the field of restoration
ecology is the acknowledgement that highly assertive
disturbances, such as mining, can (and often do) cause
irreversible effects to natural landscapes leading
to the emergence of novel ecosystems. And so, land
reclamation and conservation frameworks that
target the return of the post-disturbance landscape
to its pre-disturbance condition may not always be
possible or even practical. We are then challenged
to identify potential barriers and opportunities for
reclamation practices in these post-disturbance
landscapes that do not compromise higher standards
of environmental stewardship.
Effective strategies for the reclamation
of large mines
David Polster Polster Environmental Services Ltd.,
Canada
ABSTRACT
Mine reclamation has evolved significantly since
the first Technical and Research Committee on
Reclamation symposium in 1977. Early efforts
based on experience in the agricultural and forestry
sectors have encountered problems. Dense covers
of seeded agronomic grasses and legumes can
prevent woody species growth while forests planted
in compacted, low nutrient waste rock generally
fail to thrive. Understanding the ecology of natural
recovery processes provides a suite of solutions
where these natural processes do the “work” of
restoring the site. Pioneering species have evolved
to re-build productive soils on drastically disturbed
sites (landslides, etc.). Later successional species are
designed to establish in the sheltered cover provided
by these pioneering plants. Natural successional
processes ensure that disturbed areas are vegetated
by the appropriate species arranged in a suitable
successional trajectory. Wet sites follow wetland

trajectories while dry sites follow upland recovery
patterns. Identification of the filters or constraints
that are limiting recovery on drastically disturbed
sites is the first step in defining recovery strategies.
A common filter found in many mine sites is severe
compaction from years of use by heavy equipment.
Simply ripping with a large bulldozer does not
adequately address compaction and fails to create
the micro-site diversity needed for vegetation
establishment. Slopes on most waste dumps are at
the angle of repose and will not revegetate naturally.
Similarly, the size sorting of materials on waste
dumps means that coarse textured materials end
up on the lower slopes. The lack of moisture holding
capacity with these materials means that vegetation
establishment is limited. Mining wastes are generally
lacking nutrients that are essential for plant growth.
In some cases chemical extremes (e.g. acid rock
drainage) prevent vegetation establishment and
growth. Non-native, invasive species (weeds) can
overwhelm recovery processes. Excessive herbivory
due to un-natural ungulate population levels can
limit recovery. Where seed sources are relatively
close (500 m or less) recovery happens naturally
and new forests arise on the disturbed sites without
intervention. Understanding how natural systems
address these filters and then using these solutions
to overcome the filters associated with mining
sites allows these natural processes to reclaim the
disturbances associated with large mines. Allowing
the reclaimed sites to take advantage of these
recovery systems will reduced costs and provide
improved results. It is hypothesized that strategies
based on the natural recovery processes will be more
effective than traditional reclamation systems. This
paper describes the methods employed in establishing
natural processes on drastically disturbed sites.
Examples from Western Canada are used to illustrate
specific points and results.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
SESSION 18 – CASE STUDIES
Optimization – a rationalized approach
to developing mine closure objectives
A.R. Butler NRA Environmental Consultants, Australia
T.R. Anderson NRA Environmental Consultants, Australia
A. Sexton Ernest Henry Mine Pty Ltd – a Glencore
Company, Australia
ABSTRACT
The progressive development of regulatory
requirements and controls (regulatory creep) over
the life of an operation can result in environmental
monitoring programs with no clear purpose and
inefficiencies in data collection and research efforts.
This is particularly the case where rehabilitation
completion criteria are ill-defined or ambiguous, as is
common in Queensland Australia but arguably more
widely.
In circumstances where environmental monitoring
is conducted to achieve compliance, the various
environmental values (i.e. land, water and air)
tend to be treated as ‘silos’ rather than integrated
components. Poor understanding of the synergies
between components can result in a lack of
coordination between technical disciplines and
missed opportunities for efficiencies. Rehabilitation
success at a landscape scale requires that these
values be considered collectively. If rehabilitation
objectives are well-defined, operational monitoring
and rehabilitation research can be rationalized to
meet immediate compliance or operational needs,
and concurrently generate a data-set suitable
for validating rehabilitation completion and for
quantifying the residual risk post-closure. This, in
essence, is the optimization approach presented
and is illustrated with examples from a case study at
Ernest Henry Mine (EHM), a copper mine in north
west Queensland, Australia.
The optimization of site information is a conceptually
simple approach, strategically staged to manage a
complex risk, further supported by the realization
of associated commercial benefits (direct cash
flow savings, investment returns, and reduced
liabilities including bonds). The initial focus at
EHM was on amending licensing and approval
80 |
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conditions to deliver well-defined end land use
and measurable rehabilitation objectives. This
was followed by planning to achieve and validate
rehabilitation objectives through an integrated
approach, implemented during the operational
phase, which rationalizes environmental monitoring,
management and research resources devoted across
environmental disciplines.
Optimization aims to achieve a reduced workload and
realize cost savings through focusing environmental
and rehabilitation monitoring efforts to serve the
dual function of compliance and providing supporting
data and documentation to demonstrate pro-active
progression towards closure.
Key factors in developing and
implementing a successful mine closure
plan — Denison sites 20 years after
closure
R. Pedlar-Hobbs Denison Environmental Services,
Canada
I. Ludgate Denison Environmental Services, Canada
S. Lanteigne Denison Environmental Services, Canada
ABSTRACT
Mine closure planning and reclamation measures
have evolved over the past three decades, as the early
1980s concept of “planning for closure” has become
standard practice. As closure and reclamation
considerations have become routine aspects of mine
development from the earliest stages of the mining
life cycle, mines that were previously developed in the
absence of closure plan legislation have also designed
closure plans for current operations and planned
expansions, and many have initiated progressive
reclamation while still in operation. Canadian mines
that developed, operated, and closed prior to the
legislated requirement for closure planning face
greater challenges in designing and implementing
successful reclamation plans, as they generally took
no measures to reduce the operational footprint and
prevent impacts to the environment. Often, these
sites have limited funds available for closure plan
design and implementation as they are no longer
generating revenues for the mining company or
have been abandoned, and reclamation efforts have
| 81
become the responsibility of the government.
Regardless of the stage of the mining cycle during
which closure planning is initiated, there are key
factors to consider in designing and implementing
a successful plan. These include defining clear
reclamation objectives, assessing available options
to meet those objectives, gathering adequate data
for evaluating options, having a flexible and adaptive
plan that can be revised during implementation if
required, and developing a focused and integrated
monitoring network to track performance of the plan
over time. The stage of the mining cycle during which
this process is initiated will determine the reclamation
options that are available as well as the time frame
and the cost of achieving success. Measurements of
successful reclamation are also different for mines
developed before and after closure plan legislation
was adopted. Therefore, there is a need to develop
site-specific performance indicators based on
objectives established through collaboration with
regulators, stakeholders, and affected First Nations.
This will allow for a balance of expectations regarding
what can and cannot be achieved during the stages of
mine closure.
The discovery of uranium in the region of Elliot
Lake, Ontario, during the post-World War II era, led
to the development of 12 mines between 1955 and
1958. Three of these — Denison, Stanrock, and Can-
Met — are owned by Denison Mines Inc. By 1996, all
three mines had ceased operations and begun the
decommissioning process, which included designing
and implementing closure plans for each facility. This
paper illustrates how the key closure planning factors
were, and continue to be, essential to the success of
the plans designed and implemented at the Denison
Mines Inc. uranium mine sites in Elliot Lake over the
past 20 years.

Process-driven design and piloting of
a site-specific constructed wetland for
copper and selenium treatment in the
Yukon
M. Haakensen Contango Strategies, Canada
V. Pittet Contango Strategies, Canada
J. Spencer Capstone Mining Corporation, Minto Mine,
Canada
J.H. Rodgers Jr Clemson University, United States
J.W. Castle Clemson University, United States scale CWTS was converted to a hybrid bioreactor/
ABSTRACT
When designed and executed in a scientifically guided
manner, Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems
(CWTSs) can treat various contaminants in water.
A process-driven treatment plan was developed to
convert contaminants in the water to minerals in the
soil, improving water quality and decreasing risk to
the environment. This site-specific CWTS is being
developed for Capstone Mining Corporation’s Minto
Mine (Yukon), using a scaled phased approach to allow
for improvement, optimization, and flexibility for
modifications along each step. These phases are: 1) site
assessment and information gathering, 2) technology
selection and conceptual design, 3) pilot-scale testing
and optimization (controlled environment), 4) on-site
demonstration-scale confirmation and optimization,
and 5) full-scale implementation. The first 3 phases
have been completed successfully, with Phase 4
underway. Performance highlights include successful
application of microbial profiling technologies
(genetic and growth-based) to guide system design
in a site-specific context. Microbiome technologies
applied in a site assessment and throughout pilot-
scale testing allowed for identification of natural
copper- and selenium-attenuating microbial
communities and ecosystems at the mine site,
correlation with native wetland plant species, and
confirmation of the enhancement of beneficial
microbial populations through design of the CWTS.
The pilot-scale CWTSs confirmed plant amenability
to transplantation and the design selected for further
testing on site achieved 92% removal of copper
(mean influent 146 μg/L, outflow 11.3 μg/L) and
41% removal of selenium (mean influent 10.2 μg/L,
outflow 6 μg/L) using synthetic influent that was
designed to mimic the worst-case water chemistry
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
of a long-term closure scenario. A mass-balance of
the pilot-scale systems confirmed that the elements
were sequestered to sediments of the CWTS, with
less than 0.5% of the copper and 2% of the selenium
transferred to the plant leaves. The pilot-scale
system allowed for selection of the optimal design
(from three different designs) and for different water
chemistries to be tested for treatment, mimicking
early closure (containing ammonia and nitrate) and
long-term closure (no longer containing ammonia
and nitrate). At the conclusion of testing, the pilot-
CWTS to evaluate its potential to function as a semi-
passive treatment system, should the need arise
(e.g., change in regulatory requirements or change of
influent water chemistry). Conversion to the hybrid
bioreactor/CWTS allowed identification of critical
aspects of the transition period and improvement
of selenium removal, having influent of 12 μg/L and
outflow of 3.9 μg/L, with lowest recorded outflow
concentration of 1.9 μg/L (84% removal). Data from
the pilot-scale testing were used to calculate system-
specific removal rate coefficients, allowing for more
accurate sizing estimates for full-scale and modeling
effects of seasonal flow-rate and water chemistry
variations. The optimized design was applied to
constructing a demonstration-scale CWTS at the
Minto Mine during fall 2014 to refine findings and
calculations, including seasonal variations.
Evaluation of acid generation in mine
rock at an iron mine 25 years after
closure
M. Venhuis EcoMetrix Incorporated, Canada
S. Shaw EcoMetrix Incorporated, Canada
R.V. Nicholson EcoMetrix Incorporated, Canada
S. Bartle Consultant, Mining Engineer, Canada
J. Stirling ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Canada
ABSTRACT
The Sherman iron mine, in Ontario Canada, began
operation in 1968 and produced 22 Mlb of iron pellets
before closing in 1990. The banded iron deposit
yielded magnetite ore and had associated carbonate
and sulphide facies. At the start of the operation,
some sulphide mine rock was used for road fill and
82 |
DAY 03
some was stockpiled prior to recognizing the potential
risks of acid generation with high sulphide rock. After
recognizing the acid generation potential in 1977, the
sulphide rock from roads, some stockpiles and from
developing pits was relocated and deposited in the
340 ha tailings impoundment. At closure, the five
pits were allowed to fill with water, most developing
outflow within about five years.
The closure plan requires that the water leaving the
site meet the Provincial Water Quality Objectives
(PWQO) for Ontario for several metals and pH. At
closure, the off-site flows were near but typically
exceeded the PWQO values for metals but have
always achieved the pH objective between 6.5 and 8.5.
Water quality continues to improve over time and the
off-site flows have met the PWQO objectives since
1995. Acid Base Accounting (ABA) results suggest
that there is sufficient neutralization potential in the
vast majority of mine rock to prevent acid generation.
However, there are some features such as a road
embankment and a small rock stockpile that exhibit
acidic drainage conditions, including low pH and
elevated iron concentrations. The local watersheds
have, however, assimilated the residual acid drainages
and have continued to meet PWQO values, to date,
in the off-site flows. A detailed investigation was
undertaken to assess the state of the environment
with a focus on the small areas with residual acid
and metal sources and the measurable effects on the
downstream aquatic environment. Mine rock was
characterized in detail to verify geochemical stability
of those materials that have remained neutral over
the 25 years since closure.
metallurgical process waste. Issues with waste
residues include their mass and volume, long term
stability and environmental impact, the methods
required for safe disposal, and the metal value that
may be recovered through reprocessing or offtake.
Well planned management of residues is required not
only at sites that are currently in production but also
at legacy sites and projects that are in permitting/
planning stages. In order to navigate the challenges
presented by management of residues many industrial
players are employing novel technologies in order to
achieve sustainability. In this paper three case studies
will be examined in which new or unconventional
technology is used to improve sustainability and
reduce the cost of residue management at different
stages of mine life. One involves recovery of copper
value from low grade stockpile decades after the
stoppage of active mining. The second details a new
arsenic management plan at an operating copper
smelter focused on dramatically reducing the volume
of arsenic waste. Finally, the third describes a novel
approach to environmental control for selenium to
ultra-low discharge limits.

Utilizing novel technology for residue

management and sustainable mine
closure
P. Littlejohn BioteQ Environmental Technologies, Canada
D. Kratochvil BioteQ Environmental Technologies,
Canada
A. Consigny BioteQ Environmental Technologies, Canada

ABSTRACT
An important aspect of mine closure is the
management of waste residues such as waste rock,
tailings, water treatment by-products, and other

| 83
POSTER ABSTRACTS
SUPPORT OF SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF ABANDONED MINING AREAS IN
GERMANY BY IMPROVEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

FRENCH POST-MINING MANAGEMENT: INTEGRATED INSTITUTIONAL, LEGAL,

AND TECHNICAL ORGANIZATION

AN EXAMPLE OF INTEGRATED SAFETY OPERATION MANAGEMENT IN THE

PONTGIBAUD LEAD-SILVER FORMER MINE DISTRICT (FRANCE)

SOIL BIOENGINEERING APPLICATION IN A RECONSTRUCTED WATERWAY ON AN

ALBERTA OIL SANDS OVERBURDEN DUMP

INTEGRATED SURFACE/SUBSURFACE MODEL SUPPORTS PROOF-OF-CONCEPT

FOR CO-DISPOSAL OF ARD TAILINGS AND WASTE ROCK

ENVIRONMENTAL DNA: A REVOLUTIONARY SAMPLING TECHNIQUE FOR

AQUATIC ECOLOGICAL STUDIES

BRALORNE-TAKLA MERCURY MINE: A CASE STUDY FOR COLLABORATIVE

REMEDIAL PLANNING

LOW-COST NURSERY INOCULANTS FOR SHRUBS REDUCE RECLAMATION COSTS,

ACCELERATE CO2 CAPTURE AND DERIVE NITROGEN FROM THIN AIR IN ALBERTA

MINE RECLAMATION: DEVELOPING SOILD GUIDELINES FOR WILDLIFE AND

LIVESTOCK, FIRST NATIONS/CANADIAN CONSUMERS OF MEAT

IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF RECLAIMED SITES WITH REMOTE

SENSING DATA

COMPARISON OF SEVERAL BIOCHEMICAL REACTORS TREATING METAL-RICH

MINING-RELATED EFFLUENTS IN TERMS OF THEIR METABOLIC POTENTIAL

Support of solving the problems of
abandoned mining areas in Germany
by improvement of the university
education
M. Hegemann Post-Mining Research Institute, University
of Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola Bochum,
Germany
P. Goerke-Mallet Post-Mining Research Institute,
University of Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola
Bochum, Germany
L. Henkel Post-Mining Research Institute, University of
Applied Sciences TFH Georg Agricola Bochum, Germany
ABSTRACT
Since thousands of years mining operations take
place on Earth. In this case a distinction is possible
between a relatively short phase of exploration, a
long production phase and a very long to “eternal”
post phase. In historic times usually little is cared
about the last phase, but consequences of mining
activities can occur often after a long time.
While sufficient qualified personnel will be trained
for the first two phases, thoughts of the education
for the post mining phase exist only marginally. In this
process knowledge of various fields are necessary
like exploration, collection of information, pre
protection, and final protection. In Germany is given
more prominence to the aspect of sustainable use
and development of mining areas, there are also new
chances given by post mining areas.
Therefore a master’s course has been approved at
the University of Applied Science Georg Agricola
in Bochum, Germany, in 2013, which is to fulfil the
diverse requirements of a post mining engineer.
The contents of the master course are described in
headwords.
In 2013 the master´s programme started with 25
students, a continuous new enrollment is expected
for the future. The training will be optimized through
international contacts and projects.
POSTER ABSTRACTS
French post-mining management:
Integrated institutional, legal, and
technical organization
A. Louis Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development
and Energy, France
R. Hadadou GEODERIS, France
G. Vigneron Mine Safety and Risk Prevention Department
of French Geological Survey (BRGM), France
ABSTRACT
Earliest French mining laws were set out around
the eighteenth century. Since 1791, it is the rule
that ground belongs to the nation. The bases for
current legislation were established in the 1810
law. Since then, many changes have been made,
especially regarding personnel safety, environment
consideration and former mine works management.
Post-mining awareness was given rise in 1990 with
the definitive cessation of mining operations in the
largest French mining fields, like coal mines in Nord
Pas-de-Calais and iron mines in Lorraine (Briey-
Longwy-Thionville). When the operational sites
closed, much safety and dismantling activity was
conducted by the operators. But this activity was
not sufficient to control all of the remaining impacts
or risks. As a consequence, a 1999 law formalized
shutdown procedures of mining operations. It
established a Mine Risk Prevention Plan, enhanced
ways of communication between stakeholders and
organized the prevention of residual mining hazards.
From this moment, the French government takes
responsibility for damage caused by mine operations
when the operator is no longer able to (meaning its
failure or cessation of its activity). Therefore, the law,
framed in the French Mining Code, gives substantial
responsibility to the State. To undertake it, French
State built a four-branched post-mining structure:
(i) administrative and political control on behalf of
the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development
and Energy (and its regional representatives), (ii)
expertise, granted to a public venture formed with 30
employees of BRGM and INERIS, called GEODERIS,
which principal missions are to manage and diffuse
information on post-mining risks, to develop hazard
maps, to identify and analyze risks related to mining
activity and to develop a risk-based inventory
for abandoned sites containing mine wastes, (iii)
Research, granted to a scientific venture including
86 |
POSTER ABSTRACTS
BRGM, Mines ParisTech, University of Lorraine
and INERIS, without exclusivity although and (iv)
guaranty of people and goods safety on former
mining sites and technical mining skills maintaining
granted to Mine Safety and Risk Prevention
Department of BRGM. In this structure, fully
operational since 2006, BRGM’s activity splits into
monitoring, exploitation of dewatering facilities and
water treatment schemes, safety engineering work,
case studies, archive and information management
(mining information, GIS, databases, etc.), technical
support for government, land management and so
on. BRGM has about one hundred agents spread in
four regional units (named UTAM). Each year, about
twenty projects are conducted to ensure on-site
safety. BRGM is given a budget of almost 33 M€ per
year by French Environment Ministry to prevent
mining risks through more than 1850 facilities and
sites spread over the whole country but also to
enhance phenomena comprehension.
An example of integrated safety
operation management in the
Pontgibaud lead-silver former mine
district (France)
P. Sabourault French Geological Survey (BRGM), France
D. Niemiec Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development
and Energy, France
M. Dietz French Geological Survey (BRGM), France
A. Pidon French Geological Survey (BRGM), France
I. Girardeau French Geological Survey (BRGM), France
ABSTRACT
The Pontgibaud lead-silver mining district, which
was one of the largest in Europe, has been mined
extensively since ancient times but especially during
the second half of 19th century, in three mines that
were legally abandoned in 1939. The mines were
located on quartz veins mineralized in silver-bearing
galena and hosted by gneissic rocks (They produced
50,000 tons of lead metal and 100 tons of silver).
Almost 60 open accesses, hazardous shafts and
galleries remain a century after the mines were closed.
These sites were inventoried in 2005 as part of post-
mining activity so that suitable safety measures that
would not harm protected fauna could be proposed.
| 87
In addition, four ore beneficiation plants were
associated with these sites and fed the large
Pontgibaud foundry with 90% lead enriched
concentrates. Tailings were also produced by the
beneficiation plants. These beneficiation plants
also generated as much tailings disposals through
the following operations: milling-grinding, washing,
gravimetric separation and decantation of fines. The
total volume was about 300,000 m3. Tailings disposals
impact the surface water owing to high concentrations
of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and zinc. Absence of organic
substances, high slopes of disposals and residual
contaminants hampered vegetation from re-growing
for more than a century. Now the deposits are highly
eroded from run-off, gully erosion and wind. This
greatly impacts waterways (the Sioule River) and
surrounding land.
All these sites are located in Auvergne, a very
touristic region with a remarkable faunistic interest.
As a consequence, an environmental impact
assessment had to be performed in order to integrate
recommendations into the site safety engineering
rehabilitation program.
The work consisted essentially in backfilling 20 unsafe
shafts and closing the entry of almost 40 remaining
adits or crosscuts with concrete plugs allowing bats
to pass.
Regarding tailings disposals, safety work was
designed to limit the impact on water and soil with:
»» Tailings heaps reshaping;
»» Grass-seeded earth covering in view of stabilizing
the new facility while respecting the local
landscape;
»» managing surface water with a peripheral drain to
limit transport during heavy rains.
The first disposal site has been rehabilitated in 2014;
remodelling work on the other sites has been planned
for 2015-2016. The rehabilitation programme for the
whole district is likely to last more than 10 years.

Soil bioengineering application in a
reconstructed waterway on an Alberta
oil sands overburden dump
P. Raymond Terra Erosion Control Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
Oil sands mining and processing disturbs large tracts
of land with the potential for soil erosion and natural
habitat degradation. Reconstructed waterways
(swales), constructed within mine dump structures
are designed to drain precipitation and snow melt
water from their created catchment basins. This
paper describes how soil bioengineering applications
were developed to assist in the rehabilitation of these
reconstructed waterways and as a potential template
for mine closure design.
Soil bioengineering applications are efficient and
affordable tools for reclamation of degraded sites and
the creation of wildlife habitat within the oil sands
mining sector of northern Alberta. The pioneer plant
species used in these applications included willow
(Salix spp.), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) and
dogwood (Cornus spp.) as well as emergent aquatic
vegetation such as sedges (Carex spp.), bulrushes
(Scirpus spp.) and cattails (Typha latifolia). These
plants are found within the Fort McMurray region
and within the mines, growing on disturbed sites,
indicating a suitable environment for these plants.
Their root systems will act to anchor the soil while
the above ground portion of the plants will create
roughness and reduce water velocity. The vegetation
of these establishing native pioneer species will
provide surface erosion protection and allow for
natural successional processes to take place.
In 2003 a waterway swale was retrofitted into an
Alberta oil sands overburden dump. In the spring of
2004 an erosion control design was developed and
implemented using a soil bioengineering approach
and consisted of the following:
»» Twenty nine brush sills installed across the swale.
»» Smaller diameter cuttings installed in the middle
of each sill to improve water dispersion.
»» Contour fascines installed across the swale, in
two locations above the brush sills, as a trial.
POSTER ABSTRACTS
»» An upstream wetland was created as a result of
seeds germinating from within the seed bank of
the
»» muskeg capping material; the area was also
planted with long live stakes.
»» The swale was fertilized and broadcast seeded
with a nurse crop of barley and native seed mix.
The site was monitored in the fall of 2004 and
survival of the brush sill cuttings was estimated
at approximately 70 percent with shoot growth
averaging 60 centimetres.
In 2005 survival and growth of the brush sills and
fascines was assessed as good and the trial sections
of the contour fascines, installed above the brush
sills, were found to be better at dispersing water than
the brush sill structures alone. Some areas had minor
rilling due to water flow and some sections of brush
sills had poor survival due to water undermining.
Measures to address the problem areas were
implemented in October 2005 and included:
»» Replacement of brush sill sections where
mortality occurred.
»» Addition of contour fascines above all existing
brush sills.
»» Live staking in the centre of the swale.
Installation of muskeg and seed filled burlap sacks to
fill in eroded areas.
Application of additional soil amendments and
broadcast seeding with a native grass mix.
Minor maintenance work was also required after the
spring 2006 and 2009 snowmelts. The condition of
the swale was monitored in 2007, 2009, 2010 and
2014 and assessed as good to excellent.
88 |
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Integrated surface/subsurface model
supports proof-of-concept for co-
disposal of ARD tailings and waste rock
S. Donald Golder Associates, Ltd., Canada
R. McLaren Golder Associates, Ltd., Canada
A. Puhalovich Golder Associates, Ltd., Canada
J. Randall Golder Associates, Ltd., Canada
B. Reiha Golder Associates Ltd., Canada
E.A. Sudicky Aquanty Inc., Canada
Y-J. Park Aquanty Inc., Canada
S. Berg Aquanty Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
Mine reclamation and mine closure planning
requires the consideration and integration of issues
and challenges across many technical disciplines
(e.g., geotechnical engineering, geomorphology,
meteorology, hydrology, hydrogeology, geochemistry,
terrestrial and aquatic ecology) as well as the
development of plans that meet both corporate
expectations and those of regulators and the public.
The evaluation of these issues (and assessment of
the future performance of the proposed engineering
design) has traditionally been accomplished through
independent technical studies within each discipline,
followed by a qualitative (or loosely coupled analytical)
integration of each disciplines’ modelling forecasts.
This approach has acknowledged limitations,
stemming from feedback mechanisms which exist
between the technical disciplines. In addition,
loosely coupled numerical approaches to integrate
the various disciplines are often problematic due
to the non-linear nature of the governing equations
for coupled systems; and simplifications to reach
stable numerical solutions may compromise the
understanding of the real processes involved. An
alternative approach is presented in this paper for
two of these disciplines (surface and subsurface flow)
which uses integrated, physically-based numerical
models to solve the coupled groundwater and
surface water flow equations simultaneously. To
illustrate this approach, a case study is presented
demonstrating “proof-of-concept” for a reclamation
concept involving the co-disposal of tailings and
ARD (pyrite) waste rock in an impoundment at the
former Brukunga Mine in Southern Australia. In this
| 89
context, “proof-of-concept” required the successful
demonstration of saturated conditions in the co-
disposed material over the long term following
reclamation.
Environmental DNA: A revolutionary
sampling technique for aquatic
ecological studies
C. Astley Hemmera, Canada
ABSTRACT
Animals living in aquatic environments exogenously
shed DNA as they complete their life processes. This
DNA is suspended in their aquatic ecosystem and can
be detected via collection and subsequent laboratory
analysis of water samples collected from occupied
habitats. This new method, referred to as eDNA,
is rapidly gaining recognition and acceptance as a
robust and efficient method for reliable detection of
species presence in both lotic and lentic systems.
eDNA is an effective method for many reasons. Field
effort associated with eDNA sample collection is
less intensive than that associated with traditional
based trapping method. eDNA is non-invasive to the
target species, reduces the risk of pathogen transfer
between sites, is highly accurate for detection of
species in lotic and lentic habitats, is able to detect
the presence of pathogens and is cost-effective for
species that are difficult to detect using traditional
methods.
The application of eDNA methods is also receiving
increasing attention in British Columbia. In 2014,
seven eDNA projects on six species in southern
BC were successfully implemented. These projects
represent the first application of eDNA in BC in a
formal environmental assessment process. Results
will be used to inform conservation and management
in both a regulatory and a conservation framework.
This presentation will provide an overview on
eDNA, the methodology, considerations, efficiencies
and limitations, as well as current and potential
applications.

Bralorne-Takla mercury mine: A case
study for collaborative remedial
planning
T. McConkey SNC-Lavalin Inc., Canada
G. Stewart Crown Contaminated Sites Program,
BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource
Operations, Canada
D. Radies Takla Lake First Nation, Canada
B. Power Azimuth Consulting Group Partnership, Canada
T. Gillett SNC-Lavalin Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
The historic Bralorne-Takla mercury mine is located
on the Pinchi fault approximately 150 km north of
Fort St. James, British Columbia within the traditional
territory of the Takla Lake First Nation (TLFN). The
mine operated in the early 1940s during World War
II for a relatively short duration, and has remained
abandoned since that time. In 2006, the mine was
identified by the Crown Contaminated Sites Program
(CCSP) of the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and
Natural Resource Operations as a high priority site
for remediation due to the potential risks posed
to human health and the environment by mercury
contamination.
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Working Group (TWG), development of the Terms
of Reference for the TWG, and creation of the
engagement process itself. The TWG was the vehicle
through which all work on the site was conceived,
planned and delivered. The Terms of Reference for
the TWG identified the roles and responsibilities
for representatives of both governments and their
consultants. A robust schedule of community
meetings and technical sessions was in place to
guide the site assessment and remedial planning
process and address existing and emerging
community concerns. This paper also describes the
contaminated site investigation and risk assessment
programs undertaken at the site summarizing the
soil, groundwater, and biological tissue sampling
completed to support remedial planning. Physical
site remediation will be implemented through a
remediation plan that is technically sound, that meets
TLFN objectives, and the province’s commitment to
the protection of human health and the environment.
The remediation plan will also be compliant with
provincial regulatory requirements under the
Environmental Management Act and Contaminated
Sites Regulation.

Limited site assessment work was carried out in

2006 and 2007 to better understand site conditions;
however, in response to feedback from the TLFN
about their interests at the Site, the CCSP postponed
assessment work, pending establishment of a
structured working relationship with TLFN. It was
important to establish a strategy for that relationship
which supported TLFN’s involvement, encouraged
their input and clarified their role in decision making.
The site assessment work resumed following
agreements between the TLFN and BC governments
that included a commitment to the development and
execution of an engagement strategy to involve local
community members in the project and ensure that
the project would be guided by both governments.
CCSP moved forward to develop and execute an
Engagement Strategy to build trust and a working
relationship with the goal of meeting the objectives
of the province and the TLFN.

The Engagement Strategy document had a number

of components, including: formation of a Technical

90 |
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Low-cost nursery inoculants for shrubs
reduce reclamation costs, accelerate
CO2 capture and derive nitrogen from
thin air in Alberta
L. Garneau Centre d’Étude et de Valorisation de la
Diversité Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE, Canada
C. Bissonnette Centre d’Étude et de Valorisation de la
Diversité Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE, Canada
M-M. Corbeil Centre d’Étude et de Valorisation de la
Diversité Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE, Canada
P-L. Mallet Centre d’Étude et de Valorisation de la
Diversité Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE, Canada
J. Beaudin Centre d’Étude et de Valorisation de la
Diversité Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE, Canada
A. Quoreshi Symbiotech Research Inc., Canada
D. Khasa Centre d’Etude de la Forêt et Institut de Biologie
Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Canada
C.W. Greer Energy, Mining and Environment, Research
Council Canada
S. Roy Centre d’Étude et de Valorisation de la Diversité
Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université de
Sherbrooke; Centre SÈVE, Canada
ABSTRACT
Alders are hardy shrubs and trees that play an
important role as initiators of plant succession in
environments disturbed by natural event. Their
ability to form a nitrogen-fixing actinorhizal symbiosis
with soil bacteria of the genus Frankia, as well as
mycorrhizal symbioses, allows them to colonize
harsh, nutrient-poor soils. Over the last 3 decades,
research has gradually uncovered the capability of
alders to thrive on sites that are also contaminated
with heavy metals and hydrocarbons, or that have
extreme salinity or pH. Our research demonstrates
that the application of low-cost inoculants on alders
during nursery production will greatly improve their
survival rate, as well as accelerate their growth.
This was demonstrated on oil sands industry sites
(composite tailings, calcinated petroleum coke). In
parallel, this approach was also shown to be useful
in the gold mining sector in Quebec. Because of
| 91
the simplicity and availability of these low-cost
inoculants, we suggest such practices should be
considered to accelerate CO2 sequestration via
biomass deposition on derelict lands, especially
these sites are considered very hostile to plant
establishment. Such use of symbiotic pioneer shrubs
will also continuously deliver nitrogen to reclamation
sites on a seasonal basis, accelerating substrate
enrichment through natural means. By limiting or
even supplanting the need for organic amendments,
the industry will also greatly reduce the carbon cost
of reclamation practices (transportation, machinery).
Such an effective, small-footprint alternative to
classic mining waste reclamation will at the very
least be a complement to existing technologies.
This presentation will describe in a concise manner
the technical aspects of the phytotechnology, alder
performance on site and the net gains that stem from
the use of inoculated alders.
Mine reclamation: developing soil
guidelines for wildlife and livestock,
First Nations / Canadian consumers of
meat
S.M. Bard Keystone Environmental Ltd., Canada
J. Trowell Keystone Environmental Ltd., Canada
ABSTRACT
Mine reclamation, wellhead and landfill closures
often involve creation of new pasture or wildlands
habitat using remediated soils to ameliorate deficient
soils. However, there is concern that contaminants
remaining in the remediated soil may pose risk to
(1) grazing ungulates such as deer, cattle and sheep,
and (2) human consumers of beef, lamb or wild
venison that have grazed on these new grasslands. To
estimate risks to grazing ungulates, de novo guidelines
were developed from toxicity reference values and
dietary data. These guidelines (ecological no-effect
soil concentrations, EcoNECsoil), assumed that any
risk to ungulates was unacceptable. To determine
if consumption of beef, lamb or venison grazed on
grasslands remediated to EcoNECsoil guidelines
posed human health risks, dietary consumption of
contaminants via meat were compared to toxicity
reference values. The results showed that soil
concentrations of some metals and hydrocarbons

that were not predicted to pose a risk to ungulates,
could bioaccumulate in meat and potentially
pose health risks to humans. A second set of soil
guidelines were derived de novo to be protective of
humans in the “soil – vegetation – grazing ungulate
– consumption of meat” pathway. The selection
of guidelines to apply to the assessment of soils
depends on the management and protection goals
of the site; the first set of guidelines is protective of
grazing ungulates health only, while the second set
of guidelines is protective of human consumers of
ungulate meat products. These guidelines can also
be used to set consumptive limits. If other wildlife or
livestock are present, the model can be adapted to
develop species-specific guidelines. Considering site
use by deer, cattle and sheep, the size of allowable
spread area of the remediated soils can be calculated
to facilitate management goals for the site.
Improving our understanding of
reclaimed sites with remote sensing
data
M. Martínez de Saavedra Álvarez ASL Environmental
Services Inc., Canada
L. Brown ASL Environmental Services Inc., Canada
M. Henley ASL Environmental Services Inc., Canada
E. Loos ASL Environmental Services Inc., Canada
K. Ersahin ASL Environmental Services Inc., Canada
G. Borstad ASL Environmental Services Inc., Canada
ABSTRACT
Post-closure characterization of mine sites requires
monitoring programs to evaluate the effectiveness
of the reclamation methods, and to timely identify
any remedial action that might be required.
Clearly, monitoring of reclaimed sites is a complex,
interdisciplinary undertaking, especially in large,
disturbed areas with difficult access. In that context,
remote sensing is a unique and valuable tool that
provides a synoptic view of an entire reclamation
program and its progress over time, complementing
the more detailed but sparsely distributed in situ
monitoring. As industry strives for improved
ecosystem recovery, comprehensive mapping
becomes critical for understanding the changing
landscape, especially during the restoration of
POSTER ABSTRACTS
altered ecosystems, and for the long-term sustainable
management of natural resources.
Using remote sensing data at different spatial scales,
we create maps that provide easily understood
information on an area’s vegetation history, the
structure and distribution of vegetation or land
cover, area estimates, and other important landscape
metrics. These information products can be imported
to a Geographic Information System (GIS), and
are designed to help decision-makers monitor
reclamation and focus their efforts on specific
locations most needing it, rather than making costly
wholesale changes to an entire site. The maps are
also valuable for multidisciplinary studies, and for
public education of industry’s successful reclamation
practices.
We present diverse examples of landscape mapping
generated using remote sensing data with different
spatial resolutions and other types of datasets
(e.g., conventional field data). Other applications of
remote sensing data are also shown, such as habitat
maps for wetland monitoring at reclaimed tailings
ponds, and practical applications during field work.
Fieldwork specific uses include site-visit planning and
re-assessment, investigation of unexpected features,
and evaluation of specific areas of success.
Comparison of several biochemical
reactors treating metal-rich mining-
related effluents in terms of their
metabolic potential
M. Rezadehbashi Chemical and Biological Engineering,
University of British Columbia, Canada
S.A. Baldwin Chemical and Biological Engineering,
University of British Columbia, Canada
ABSTRACT
To be able to discharge tailings pond water to the
environment it must be treated to meet the regional
water quality requirements. Biochemical reactors
using natural geochemical and biological processes
for removal of metals are attractive for low-cost
treatment of disseminated seeps on mine sites.
Although successful performance of these systems
depends on microorganisms supported by the
92 |
POSTER ABSTRACTS
complex organic materials used in these bioreactors,
hardly anything is known about what microbial
communities are present and their potential impact on
metal transformation. In this study, four biochemical
reactors containing complex organic materials such
as wood-chips, hay, manure and pulp-mill biosolids
were surveyed for microbial community composition.
Two of the bioreactors were on the same mine site,
whereas the others were located farther away. From
the microbial community composition, the metabolic
potential of the bioreactors was ascertained, which
gave information on the processes possibly taking
place that could affect the performance of the
bioreactors. The bioreactors contained microbial
consortia much more diverse than previously
known. Despite operating under similar conditions,
the metabolic potential of some reactors was very
different from the others. One bioreactor was almost
entirely methanogenic whereas the others were
sulfidogenic. On the other hand some bioreactors
contained very similar microbes despite being
located on different mines. Overall, the metabolic
potential of these systems revealed a much wider
variety of potential metal removal mechanisms than
previously thought. A highly versatile core metal-
resistant microbial community capable of using many
different types of nutrients was identified. Several
microorganisms that have the potential to remove
pollutants under low temperature, food-limiting
condition, and equipped with mechanisms to cope
to the environmental stresses such as high level of
heavy metals/sulfate and exposure to oxygen were
found. This study also introduced microorganisms
that are able to co-metabolize several pollutants and
are capable of using low price food sources such as
woodchips instead of ethanol to diminish the cost of
operation.

| 93
NOTES

94 |
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NOTES

96 |
NOTES

| 97
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ConferenceMine organizes seminars and conferences
of a highly technical nature, addressing specialized
topics for the purpose of technology and knowledge
transfer.
Our conferences provide great opportunities for
specialists and technology users to exchange
information, discuss the latest research and
propose innovative solutions to technical
challenges through technical sessions, trade
shows and social functions.
ConferenceMine conferences are an important
medium for fostering discussion, developing
technology, building relationships and gathering
information.

Upcoming Conference
September 12-16, 2015
Reno, USA
www.heapleachsolutions.com

To learn more about our conferences please visit us at www.ConferenceMine.com

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LEARN MORE ABOUT CONFERENCE SPONSORS
COMMUNITY SPONSOR
ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT
CANADA
AANDC is responsible for meeting the Government of Canada’s obligations
and commitments to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and for fulfilling the
federal government’s constitutional responsibilities in the North. AANC
supports Aboriginal people and Northerners in their efforts to: improve
social well-being and economic prosperity; develop healthier, more
sustainable communities; and participate more fully in Canada’s political,
social and economic development.
SILVER SPONSORS
AXTER COLETANCHE
Axter Coletanche Inc. distributes the Coletanche® bituminous
geomembrane. Coletanche® is a composite membrane, combining the
advantages of a non-woven geotextile reinforced structure for mechanical
resistance, a glass fleece for thermal stability and a specifically designed
bituminous waterproof binder adapted for use on all types of terrain and
environments.
Visit us at www.coletanche.com
ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS & APPLICATIONS
Environmental Products & Applications, Inc. is the innovative leader for dust
and erosion control in the soil stabilization field. Our product, Envirotac II, Is
an acrylic copolymer that is extremely effective in stabilizing soil particles
creating durable, long lasting roads.
Visit us at www.envirotac.com
GOLDER ASSOCIATES
Employee owned since being founded in 1960, our 8,000 people, operating
from 180 offices worldwide, deliver deep technical understanding, cross-
disciplinary thinking and a passion to help our clients succeed. We strive to
be the most respected global organization providing consulting, design, and
construction services in earth, environment, and related areas of energy
through technical excellence, innovative solutions and award winning client
service. Today, our clients span the world’s major economic drivers: Oil and
Gas, Mining, Manufacturing, Power, Transportation and more.
Visit us at www.golder.com
NATS NURSERY
NATS is committed to providing the best quality Pacific Northwest plants
possible to the global market for restoration, reclamation, reforestation,
sustainable gardening, construction and more. We strive to help all of our
customers find the right plant for the right place, and to share our personal
passion for plants, and for improving the world in which we live.
Visit us at www.natsnursery.com
O’KANE CONSULTANTS
O’Kane Consultants provide innovative integrated Mine Waste Management
and Closure Services to mining industries worldwide. We provide expertise
on applications of geochemistry and unsaturated zone hydrology to closure
of tailings and waste rock storage facilities and heap leach piles. O’Kane
Consultants is the world’s leading expert in mine waste cover system and
final landform design, as well as performance monitoring.
Visit us at www.okc-sk.com
| 99
DHI
DHI is a global and independent research and development organization
dedicated to solving the world’s toughest challenges in water environments.
Our unique approach to integrated mine water management is breaking
new ground in the industry and is giving our clients and regulators the tools
and confidence they need to ensure that sustainable resource development
goals are achieved.
Visit us at www.dhigroup.com
STORMTEC
StormTec Filtration provides the most innovative and environmentally-
friendly solutions for industrial process water remediation and reuse. We
help Canada’s most recognized companies in energy, natural resources
and construction sectors to effectively manage process, ground and waste
water challenges. We specialize in sediment control and removal of metals,
organics, and other contaminants found in industrial process water.
Visit us at www.stormtec.ca
NEWGOLD
New Gold is an intermediate gold mining company with four producing
assets including the New Afton, Mesquite, Peak and Cerro San Pedro Mines
as well as three significant development projects including the Rainy River
and Blackwater projects and 30% of the El Morro project in Chile. New
Gold’s objective is to be a leading intermediate gold producer while acting
responsibly with respect to the impacts of our actions on communities and
the environment.
Visit us at www.newgold.com
QUANTUM MURRAY
With a history spanning more than 30 years, Quantum Murray has
established a reputation as a leading Canadian environmental and industrial
services provider. We’ve become known for our highly responsive services
and ability to mobilize quickly in any situation, whether an emergency or
complex project. Services include Environmental Remediation, Demolition
& Decommissioning, Hazardous Materials Abatement and Emergency
Response.
Visit us at www.quantummurray.com
SOILVISION SYSTEMS
SoilVision Systems Ltd. provides next-generation finite-element and slope
stability numerical modeling software to geotechnical engineers worldwide.
We produce the most technically advanced suite of 1D/2D/3D geotechnical
software currently available and apply technologies such as automatic mesh
refinement, unsaturated soils, and 3D analysis.
Visit us at www.soilvision.com
SILVER SPONSORS CONT’D
KLOHN CRIPPEN BERGER
Klohn Crippen Berger offers a complete range of engineering, geoscience
and environmental services required for the development of mine closure
and reclamation plans to meet regulatory requirements. With over 60 years
of world-wide experience, we have the demonstrated ability and experience
to assess mining or processing operations and to develop site-specific and
cost-efficient closure plans.
Visit us at www.klohn.com
TRACE ASSOCIATES
Founded in 2006, Trace Associates Inc. is a 100% employee-owned
environmental consulting firm serving Western and Northern Canada. We
take pride in our focus on safety and client responsiveness. Trace provides
environmental consulting services to oil and gas, real estate, development,
government, forestry, mining, and industrial clients during all stages of the
project life cycle.
Visit us at www.traceassociates.ca
BRONZE SPONSORS
CANADIAN MINING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
The Canadian Mining Certification Program is a national program
that recognizes and certifies the skills and competencies of workers in
undesignated occupations including Underground/Surface Miner, Minerals
Processing Operator and Diamond Driller. The program was created by the
Mining Industry Human Resources Council and members of industry.
Visit us at www.miningcertification.ca
PREMIER PACIFIC SEEDS
Grass seed is our passion. With over 30 years of experience in the grass seed
industry, Premier Pacific Seeds Ltd specializes in supplying the expertise and
knowledge to ensure that your reclamation seeding job is successful. We can
specify grass seed mixes based on your needs, source the seeds, and custom
blend your mix in house.
Visit us at www.premierpacificseeds.com
PROFILE PRODUCTS
Profile Products delivers proven solutions for the mine closure market—
all with an eye toward being friendly to the environment. As a world-
leading manufacturer of the most comprehensive line of products for mine
reclamation and closure sites, Profile is unsurpassed in the development of
cost-effective, environmentally-friendly solutions that comply with a broad
range of unique regulations in the mining market.
Visit us at www.profileproducts.com
NAHANNI CONSTRUCTION
Nahanni Construction is an NWT owned and operated company that
specializes in cold-weather industrial and commercial construction. We are
family owned and committed to producing quality work. With 25 years of
experience, we help our clients overcome tough northern conditions, many
times in remote locations, to complete arctic construction projects on time,
on budget, and with great safety records.
Visit us at www.nahannincl.com
SRK CONSULTING
SRK Consulting is an independent, international consulting practice that
provides focused advice and solutions to clients, mainly from the earth and
water resource industries. For mining projects, SRK offers services from
exploration through feasibility, mine planning, and production to mine
closure. Formed in 1974, SRK now employs more than 1,500 professionals
internationally in over 50 offices on 6 continents.
Visit us at www.srk.com
NILEX
Nilex, a leader in the geosynthetics industry, provides innovative solutions
to support the unique challenges of civil, resource and environmental
construction projects. Our engineered, technically advanced materials and
construction techniques are used in road building, Mechanically Stabilized
Earth solutions for grade changes, erosion and sediment control, water
management and containment.
Visit us at www.nilex.com
AREVA
AREVA supplies high added-value products and services to support the
operation of the global nuclear fleet. The company is present throughout the
entire nuclear cycle, from uranium mining to used fuel recycling, including
nuclear reactor design and operating services. AREVA is recognized
by utilities around the world for its expertise, its skills in cutting-edge
technologies and its dedication to the highest level of safety.
Visit us at www.areva.com
ROBERTSON GEOCONSULTANTS INC.
Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. is an employee-owned consulting firm
consisting of a small team of consultants with expert knowledge in
geotechnical engineering, hydrogeology and geochemistry and their
application to mining. Our experience, integrity and quality of work is widely
recognized in the environmental mining community, as demonstrated by
our broad client base including many international mining companies,
regulatory agencies and consulting firms worldwide.
Visit us at www.rgc.ca
100 |
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STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP
SPONSOR
AGNICO EAGLE
Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company with exploration
and development activities in Canada, Finland, Mexico and the United
States. We are determined to make a significant and positive difference in
the communities where we operate, and in the lives of our employees, by
operating safely, protecting the environment, and treating our employees
and communities with respect.
Visit us at www.agnicoeagle.com
LANYARD SPONSOR
MDA
Mine operators rely on MDA’s advanced radar satellites to deliver cost-
effective coverage of areas of interest anywhere on Earth, with detailed,
accurate information products and services supplied within days of image
acquisition. MDA’s suite of surface movement monitoring products and
services supports safer, more efficient mining operations.
Visit us at www.mdacorporation.com
| 101
MINE TOUR SPONSOR
TECK
Teck is Canada’s largest diversified resource company, committed to
responsible mining and mineral development. We produce materials
essential to the quality of life of people around the world – copper,
steelmaking coal, zinc and energy. We own, or have an interest in, 13
mines in Canada, the United States, Chile and Peru. We also operate a
large metallurgical complex, are partners in a wind power facility, and are a
significant producer of specialty metals such as germanium and indium.
Visit us at www.teck.com
NOTEPAD & PEN SPONSOR
GOLDCORP
Goldcorp is one of the world’s fastest-growing senior gold producers,
with operations throughout the Americas. Goldcorp’s vision of Together,
Creating Sustainable Value, includes responsible mining as a company-wide
commitment that’s at the core of every business decision we make. We
are committed to being responsible stewards of the environment and to
maintaining the highest standards possible.
Visit us at www.goldcorp.com
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M BC
mining association of british columbia

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Robertson GeoConsultants Inc.

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