MINING
Global standard prioritises
better management of water
With water posing a significant risk to the stability of a tailings storage facility, the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management places significant focus on water management as part of its sweeping realignment of what global stakeholders now expect of mines. BY PETER SHEPHERD, SIMON LORENTZ, LINDSAY SHAND, SIMON BRUTON, SRK CONSULTING
T
balance model and the associated water management plans must be applied throughout the structure’s lifecycle, even in perpetuity, to protect against unintentional release and this requires stochastic as well as historical water balance modelling. As mines look to
Beyond the on-site water balance and actual water volumes and fluxes in the TSF, best practices in water management emphasise a broader water stewardship approach.
SRK Consulting
hese requirements include aspects such as diversion of clean water away from the tailings complex, capturing and containing water that falls within the tailings storage facility (TSF), measuring and recording of flow data and simulating the likely effects of climate change. Being a key element in the transportation of tailings, water has in recent years received more attention as mines work to reduce the water volumes reporting to tailings facilities while increasing the volumes that can be re-used in the processing plant. The rainfall that falls directly onto the TSFs needs to be managed and stored in a safe manner. The water should be drained through the penstocks and drains safely and quickly to reduce the risk of overtopping the TSF basin walls. The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) also highlights that the water
A conventional gold tailings dam with steeper slopes, benches and extensive erosion features.
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