Closing out gold mining legacies in the Porcupine Camp

Authors: Sulatycky, TM; Götz, L; Bucar, D; Taillefer, R Download Paper

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1152_116_Sulatycky

Cite As:
Sulatycky, TM, Götz, L, Bucar, D & Taillefer, R 2011, 'Closing out gold mining legacies in the Porcupine Camp', in AB Fourie, M Tibbett & A Beersing (eds), Mine Closure 2011: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 479-488, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1152_116_Sulatycky



Abstract:
The Porcupine Camp, currently under the ownership of Goldcorp Canada Ltd., Porcupine Gold Mines (PGM), consists of a large land package of amalgamated historic mine sites, a result following decades of mergers and acquisitions. In addition to resource potential, PGM has inherited the rigorous requirement to rehabilitate historic mine hazards under recently enacted Ontario Regulation 240/00 (Reg. 240). Limited reclamation work had taken place by predecessors until the turn of the century which left PGM the arduous task of prioritising the risk to the public and the environment caused by dozens of tailings deposits, deteriorating infrastructure, contaminated soils, and hundreds of mine shafts, raises and open stopes. A risk based exercise was completed to prioritise mine hazards under PGM ownership. Rehabilitation exercises in the early part of the decade focused on stabilisation of mine openings to surface that presented an immediate risk to ensure protection against inadvertent access by the public. This included such measures as shaft and raise capping, backfilling open stopes and fencing off large areas. Larger, multi-year projects would be targeted at a later date as much more study and engineering would be required. This began with the Coniaurum tailings facility which had significantly degraded and was depositing tailings into the Porcupine River via erosive forces. Physical stability work was performed between 2005 and 2008 that would allow minimal long term management of the tailings facility. Following the success at Coniaurum, PGM would focus their attention on the Hollinger Tailings Management Area (HTMA) in 2009 where acid generating waste was degrading water quality downstream of PGM property including Town Creek. Chemical stability work began in 2009 to prevent further generation of acids and to clean up Town Creek downstream. Land ownership and financial constraints amongst other issues would challenge PGM to find unique solutions.

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