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British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium
Mine closure planning at Equity Silver Mines Ltd. Patterson, Robert J.
Abstract
Equity Silver Mines Ltd. has scheduled pit closure by the third quarter of 1992. In preparation for this event, detailed plans have been developed to insure there is a smooth transition for release of the workforce and that environmental concerns are addressed. Socio-economic and mine closure plans have been completed to serve as guides for termination of operations. A socio-economic study, funded by Equity Silver and the Township of Houston, B.C., was developed to assess impact of mine closure and looked at means to mitigate this impact. The mine closure plan, which will be the focus of this paper, was developed to serve as a guide for both Equity Silver Mines Ltd. and government agencies. It has under gone several reviews and revisions prior to being accepted as a final document. Of particular importance is the ongoing care and maintenance of facilities required to collect and treat acid rock drainage (A.R.D.) formed by oxidation of sulphides present in the mined waste rock. A.R.D. treatment facilities, which will operate for an indefinite period, will require ongoing funding to sustain their operation. Bonding has been put in place to develop sufficient interest to cover the annual cost of these facilities. The initial estimate for the bond was based on escalating historical environmental costs which resulted in a fund larger than originally anticipated. On the basis of this higher cost, the company decided to reslope the waste dump and install a compacted clay cover to mitigate the quantity of A.R.D. produced. Studies indicated that the clay cover would significantly reduce water infiltration into the waste dump and would also eliminate much of the oxygen transfer required to fuel the acid generation process.
Item Metadata
Title |
Mine closure planning at Equity Silver Mines Ltd.
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Creator | |
Contributor | |
Date Issued |
1992
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Description |
Equity Silver Mines Ltd. has scheduled pit closure by the
third quarter of 1992. In preparation for this event, detailed
plans have been developed to insure there is a smooth transition
for release of the workforce and that environmental concerns are
addressed.
Socio-economic and mine closure plans have been completed to
serve as guides for termination of operations. A socio-economic
study, funded by Equity Silver and the Township of Houston, B.C.,
was developed to assess impact of mine closure and looked at means
to mitigate this impact.
The mine closure plan, which will be the focus of this paper,
was developed to serve as a guide for both Equity Silver Mines Ltd.
and government agencies. It has under gone several reviews and
revisions prior to being accepted as a final document. Of
particular importance is the ongoing care and maintenance of
facilities required to collect and treat acid rock drainage
(A.R.D.) formed by oxidation of sulphides present in the mined
waste rock.
A.R.D. treatment facilities, which will operate for an
indefinite period, will require ongoing funding to sustain their
operation. Bonding has been put in place to develop sufficient
interest to cover the annual cost of these facilities.
The initial estimate for the bond was based on escalating
historical environmental costs which resulted in a fund larger than
originally anticipated. On the basis of this higher cost, the
company decided to reslope the waste dump and install a compacted
clay cover to mitigate the quantity of A.R.D. produced. Studies
indicated that the clay cover would significantly reduce water
infiltration into the waste dump and would also eliminate much of
the oxygen transfer required to fuel the acid generation process.
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Extent |
706264 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-08-27
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0042204
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URI | |
Affiliation | |
Peer Review Status |
Unreviewed
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Scholarly Level |
Other
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Copyright Holder |
British Columbia Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International