1. Tailing Dams – A Consultants Perspective
Harvey McLeod, P.Eng.

2. Where doe the Consultant fit in?
Mine Manager
Operations and Environment
Tailings Manager
Dam Construction Personnel
Consultant
3rd Party Review
QA/QC of construction
First Nations
Regulatory
DESIGN OPERATION CLOSURE

3. Consultants Professional Responsibility
Protection of health and safety of the public Protection of the Environment Meet all Provincial and Federal regulations and guidelines Meet Professional Practice Guidelines
Be current with the State of Best Practices
Application of best available technologies to reduce risk
Sustainable design practices

4. Best Available Technologies
Mt. Polley Panel
Dry stack tailings
Pits, underground
Reduce water
Other
Closure: Remove ability to store water and create “natural landforms”
Robust design (redundancies)
Reduce gradients (beaches and no rockfill u/s of core
Liners without drains
No pipes in dams

5. Tailings Risk Reduction

6. We have Guidelines!! CDA and ICOLD CDA Dam Safety Guidelines
CDA Mining Dams Bulletin
ICOLD –Sustainable Design Bulletin
ANCOLD Tailing Dam Design Guideline
Mining Association of Canada
Tailings Management
OMS Manual
Towards Sustainable Mining
Audit Guideline
APEGBC
Dam Safety Review

7. Engineer of Record? Engineer of Record Relatively new concept
Could be the Designer or Mine Personnel
Difficult for tailings dams that can be operated over 40+ yrs
Authority is difficult to make commensurate with the responsibility (e.g. operations)
Designer of Record
Clear distinction
Can also be engineer of record

8. Consultants Responsibilities
Dam Safety Inspection
Visual check
Instrumentation check
Water management check
Recommendations
Dam Safety Review
APEGBC Guideline
Audit type;
Comprehensive; or
Detail Design and Multidisciplinary

9. APEGBC Dam Safety Review Assurance Statement
 I have signed, sealed and dated the attached dam safety review report on the Dam in accordance with the APEGBC Guidelines. That report must be read in conjunction with this Statement. In preparing that report I have:
  Check to the left of applicable items (see Guideline Section 3.2):
1. Collected and reviewed available and relevant background information, documentation and data
2. Reviewed the environmental objectives for the materials stored in the impoundment and related design requirements
3. Understood the current classification for the Dam, including performance expectations
4. Undertaken an initial facility review
5. Reviewed and assessed the dam safety management obligations and procedures
6. Inspected the condition of the Dam, impoundment area and relevant areas upstream and downstream of the facility
7. Interviewed operations and maintenance personnel
8 Interviewed Engineer of Record
9. Reviewed available maintenance and operating records, the Operations, Maintenance and Surveillance (OMS) Manual and the Emergency Preparedness Plan
10. Confirmed proper functioning of mine waste and water management systems and environmental control systems
11. After the above, reassess the consequence classification, including the identification of required dam safety criteria
12. Carried out a dam safety analysis based on the classification in Item 11
13. Evaluated facility performance and conformance with design basis and operating criteria
14. Identified, characterized and determined the magnitude of deficiencies in the safe operation of the Dam and non- conformances in the dam safety management system
15. Recommended and prioritized actions to be taken in relation to deficiencies and non-conformances
16. Prepared a DSR report for submittal to the Regulatory Authority by the Owner and reviewed the report with the owner

10. APEGBC Dam Safety Review Assurance Statement
Based on my Dam Safety Review, the Dam classification is:
□ Appropriate
□ Should be reviewed or amended
I undertook the following type of Dam Safety Review:
 □ Audit
□ Comprehensive
□ Detailed design-based multi-disciplinary
□ Comprehensive, detailed design and performance
I hereby give my assurance that, based on the attached Dam Safety Review report, at this point in time:
 □ The Dam is reasonably safe in that the dam safety review did not reveal any unsafe or unacceptable conditions in relation to the design, construction, maintenance and operation of the Dam as set out in the attached dam safety review report.
□ The Dam is reasonably safe but the dam safety review did reveal non-conformances with the regulatory requirements with respect to the dam safety management systems as set out in section(s) ____ of the attached dam safety review report.
□ The Dam is reasonably safe but the dam safety review did reveal deficiencies and non-conformances with the regulatory requirements with respect to the dam safety management systems as set out in section(s) ____ of the attached dam safety review report.
□ The Dam is not safe in that the dam safety review did reveal deficiencies and/or non-conformances with the regulatory requirements which require urgent action as set out in section(s) ____ of the attached dam safety review report.

11. Consultants Responsibilities
Third Party Review
Independent of the Consultant
Reports to Senior Management or other Stakeholders
Presents an “opinion” on the Tailings Facility Design and operations

12. Challenges and Opportunities
People
Transfer of knowledge
Teach “critical thinking” ???? - Belief in “models”
Shortage of qualified Third Party Reviewers
Engineer’s responsibilities commensurate with authority
No. of Dams and Long Term Liability
Closure land use to be consistent with FN values
Need to move to landforms on closure

13. Challenges and Opportunities
Clients
Selection on cost, not risk
Consultant has little control over operations and may have limited control in construction
Technical capacity limitations and clear role definitions
Regulatory
Technical capacity
Enforcement
First Nations
Trust
Design for closure
Communication and transfer of knowledge