Optimal tailings management at Highland Valley Copper

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 85, No. 962, 1992

M.D. Scott, Highland Valley Copper, Logan Lake, British Columbia, R.C. Lo, Klohn Leonoff Ltd., Richmond, British Columbia

This paper reviews tailings management at Highland Valley Copper, and outlines main features of its tailings storage facility enclosed between the H-H and L-L dams. Key management focusses are: energy efficiency, cost effectiveness, safety and integrity of the tailings impoundment, environmental protection, and reclamation after decommissioning. Main features of the tailings facility include: high international standards for seismic and flood design criteria, water management and water quality monitoring, operations and construction optimization, reclamation and decommissioning plan, and geotechnical challenges associated with the complex geology of the L-L tailings dam foundation.