Tailings Dam Monitoring | Gavin Mudd, Steve Cody and Richard Campbell

Tailings dams need to be monitored, both for safety purposes and environmental impacts. Monitoring technologies provide a means to having semi-continuous measurement and can assist with predictive modelling and good management decision-making.

Technologies that can be used are evolving, but we are now far enough along the journey to have a good snapshot of established and emerging methods with relevant case studies as evidence of best practice.

Associate Professor Gavin Mudd of RMIT University is an expert in mine site management and rehabilitation and joined Richard Campbell and Steve Cody, to present on the challenges of managing tailings – the safety, environmental and liability considerations – as well as the strengths and weaknesses associated with various monitoring methods.

Richard and Steve will explore various instrumentation technology types and their installation requirements that can be applied for measuring dam wall stability and phreatic surfaces using monitoring well instrumentation, VWPs, inclinometers, optical fibre, drone boats, geophysical methods and satellite assessments.

Key Learnings will include:
• How to monitor tailings dams, detect indicators of potential failure, minimise environmental liability
• Prioritisation of risk mitigation works
• Timely detection of tailings dam changes enabling successful management