A case for consequence categories to guide the closure design of landforms

Authors: Chapman, P; Kemp, A Download Paper Open access courtesy of:

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1915_34_Chapman

Cite As:
Chapman, P & Kemp, A 2019, 'A case for consequence categories to guide the closure design of landforms', in AB Fourie & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2019: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 419-424, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1915_34_Chapman



Abstract:
The legacy of many mine sites is that landforms will, in general, remain in perpetuity. Two of the key landforms are waste rock dump facilities (WRDF) and tailings storage facilities (TSFs), both of which typically require robust investigation and design as part of closure planning, followed by in depth engineering and environmental oversight during design, implementation and monitoring. However, in contrast to TSF design, few of the closure guidelines and standards provide clear direction on the level of rigour that closure practitioners, regulators and site owners should adopt during the closure planning process. One aspect of the TSF design process that supports identification of an appropriate level of rigour during the planning process is assignment of consequence categories. This has become an integral part of the design process, providing direction on the design criteria that should be adopted. A candidate system for assigning consequence categories to landform closure planning projects is presented, along with candidate criteria/design requirements that could be considered for each category. Three examples of how the consequence category system could be applied are also provided.

Keywords: consequences, risk, landform closure, design, tailings, TSF, WRDF, closure

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