Tailings Dams

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Syncrude Tailings Dam; Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. (Image Source: Wikipedia)

An industrial waste dam in which the waste materials come from mining operations or mineral processing.

“A tailings dam is a facility that is designed and managed to contain the tailings produced by a mine. A tailings facility includes the collective engineered structures, components, and equipment involved in the management of tailings solids, other mine waste managed with tailings (e.g. waste rock, water treatment residues), and any water managed in the facility, including pore fluid, any ponds, and surface water inflows and discharges”.

Life Cycle of Tailings Dams

• Design and Construction of Tailings Dams
• O&M of Tailings Dams
• Decommissioning Tailings Dams

Best Practices Resources

Tailings Management: Good Practice Guide, ICMM

Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, ICMM

Safety Guidelines and Good Practices for Tailings Management Facilities (ECE 1326665), UN

Trainings

On-Demand Webinar: Intro to Tailings Dam and Coal Ash Impoundment Design, Construction and Monitoring: What Can Go Wrong and Right?

Citations:

Revision ID: 7644
Revision Date: 08/21/2023