Open Collections

The EKATI Long Lake Containment Facility : history & future of processed limberlite disposal

Tailings and Mine Waste Conference (2011 : Vancouver, B.C.); University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

The EKATI Diamond Mine, North West Territories, Canada is owned and operated by BHP Billiton Canada Inc. In the mid-1990s, the Long Lake Containment Facility (LLCF) was designed and permitted to receive processed kimberlite. The LLCF was constructed in the early 2000s and has been continuously used for over ten years. This paper describes the design of the LLCF: five cells separated by permeable dikes with deposition into three of the cells and the remaining two being used for water quality “polishing” to meet discharge criteria. The paper also describes the nature of the processed kimberlite (tailings) as it has been deposited over the past ten years: a very fine material that forms low angle beaches above pool elevation and steeper slopes below water. Then the paper proceeds to describe a major evaluation of alternatives for expanding the LLCF and using mined out open pits to augment capacity. Reasons for selecting the preferred approach which is currently being implemented are discussed. [All papers were considered for technical and language appropriateness by the organizing committee.]

Text

2011-11-03

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/38669

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/