Abstract:

Mines and communities have been linked throughout our history. One of the many challenges when mines close is they leave behind mine physical hazards such as openings to surface (shafts, raises, adits, etc.) and near-surface workings (i.e., crown pillars overlying stopes, drifts, and tunnels). Safely closing these mine physical hazards can be complex, expensive, and often require in perpetuity maintenance requirements.

These mine physical hazards can present risks to the public (i.e., injuries and damage to property and infrastructure) if left un-rehabilitated. These mine physical hazards might have been a “lower risk” situation during operations or directly after closure but can become a high risk if they are left to degrade over the following years and/or decades often when the community has forgotten about them. Surface rights owners may even be unaware these mine physical hazards are on their property.

Over the years the remediation requirements for mine closure in Canada and many other locations have evolved and became more stringent, often due to past failures and the overall increased knowledge and experience of all parties involved.

This presentation will provide successful examples of locating, investigating, assessing long-term stability, developing and implementing specific risk mitigation and remediation measures for physical hazards of mines located in communities with historical mines. It focuses on case studies on stabilization of underground stopes located in rural areas to mitigate the risks at surface. In some cases, the use of contaminated, acid rock generating, or metal leaching materials can also reduce the environmental risk.

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Mr. Jean-sebastien Houle

Biography