Case history - geotechnical design of a tailings storage facility in Bolivia

Lee Martin, Frederic Claridge

In the proceedings of: GEO2011: 64th Canadian Geotechnical Conference, 14th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 5th Pan-American Conference on Teaching and Learning of Geotechnical Engineering

Session: Embankments and Dams

ABSTRACT: This paper presents the challenges in the design of a Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) for a gold mine in the Department of Potosi, Bolivia. Twenty (20) million tonnes of thickened tailings are to be contained within a small catchment area (1.3 km2) bounded by broad bedrock controlled slopes, and covered by a thin layer of well graded colluvium. The main tailings dam will use phased centreline construction and be composed of an earth core dam with rock fill flanks. The dam will be up to approximately 110 m tall at closure. A unique aspect of the project was the need to match the water balance for the TSF to the planned staged construction, so as to remove the need for interim spillways until the facility is closed at the end of operations.

RESUMEN: Este papel presenta los retos del diseño de una Presa para Almacenamiento de Relaves Mineros (PARM) para una mina de oro en el departamento de Potosi, Bolivia. El propósito de la presa es contener aproximadamente 20 millones de toneladas de relaves espesos (thickened tailings) en una cuenca relativamente pequeña (1.3 km2) delimitada por pendientes controladas por formaciones rocosas y cubierta por una capa delgada de material coluvial. El dique principal esta diseñado para ser construido mediante el sistema de línea central y estará compuesto por un núcleo de material impermeable y material rocoso en los flancos del dique. Al altura final de la presa será de aproximadamente 110 m. Un aspecto particular de este proyecto fue el balance de agua en todas las etapas para evitar la necesidad de construir vertederos de emergencia sino hasta el cierre final.

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