What are Tailing Ponds?

What are Tailing Ponds?

First you must understand what Tailings are. Tailings are the waste material left over from?ore?extraction processes. Tailings ponds?are manmade bodies of water in many cases, a method used to store?Tailings. Here, in these constructed ponds the Tailings are mixed with water to create a?slurry, which makes the material easier to transport. A method of storing the slurry is in tailings ponds.?Dependent on the design of the pond size will determine its volume, this construction may or may not include the use of a tailings dam. The dam is often partly built or re-enforced using the tailing materials that have dried out.

Tailing Pond usage:

·??????Long term storage

o??Permitting the components within the tailings to settle.

·??????Temporary storage

o???Stagging the tailings for further processing.

·??????The components of the tailings will determine which way the pond is used.

·??????Different types of mines produce different types of tailings.

o??Example, the tailings produced by a?nickel?mine will be quite different from the tailings produced by an?oil sand mine.

Tailings, the biproduct of mining, will be properly understood by responsible mining practices. Proactive measures will be taken within the mining of the materials to determine the makeup of the Tailings long before the environmental impacts become a concern.?As industry has come to better understand the impacts of improper storage and dumping was having on the environment. Regulations and laws have been put in place to minimize possible harms that Tailings can cause.

The major concern with tailings ponds is the potential for leaks. This is most likely to happen to improperly designed ponds or older ponds that have been in use for a long time (and did not have modern techniques used in their design). Occasionally, natural events, such as seismic events or extreme weather conditions can cause leaks to develop in otherwise sound designs.

?Leaks allow for toxic substances contained in the tailings ponds to leach into the surrounding environment, harming habitats, wildlife, and potentially even people. Constant monitoring and maintenance are needed to ensure that no leaks occur.

Tailings pond reclamation can be a long process. That process means the Tailing Pond will need to be monitored continuously. Even after reclamation has begun and completed. Unmanned (RCV) boats are quickly becoming the go to for these monitoring process.?As deploying a human into these ponds can be dangerous. Utilizing RCVs to measure and monitor volume and pond bottom measurements has become the preferred methodology. SBESs (Single & Dual Beam Echo Sounders) have become a common toolset for the mining companies and land surveyors who specialize in this market space. A great resource to understand more about tailing ponds. Tailings - Wikipedia