Large-Scale Waste and Water Management Design in a Mountainous Terrain

The KSM project in northern British Columbia contains resources totalling 58 billion pounds of copper and 160 million ounces of gold. Since 2008, KCB has supported Seabridge Gold in advancing KSM, which incorporates the Kerr, Sulphurets, and Mitchell deposits in a large-scale mine plan that aims to annually produce 178 M pounds of Cu, 1 M oz of Au, 3 M oz of Ag, and 4.2 M lb of Mo over a 33-year mine life. The project is an at advanced PFS level, with key permits in place.

Services

• Design of Tailings Storage Facility
• Rock Storage Facility
• Site-Wide Water Management

Challenges

• Remote location with initial access only possible by helicopter
• Steep terrain providing constraints on footprint
• Designs to avoid or reduce risks from avalanches
• Planning to accommodate short construction season
• High precipitation
• Avoiding multiple glaciers in the mine area
• High tonnage and throughput
• Design for control of metal leaching/acid rock drainage

Solutions

• Ore transport tunnel so that ore is milled adjacent to a valley with better geometry for the tailings facility.
• Tunnels for water management for better water quality and to avoid avalanche terrain
• Best available technology studies to help select tailings facility alternatives
• Tailings facility design using cycloned sand construction and staged development.
• Characterization of foundations for rock storage facility and tailings facility
• Water management designs to manage extreme events and avalanches

Successes

• KCB support for Environmental Assessment approvals awarded in 2014
• KCB support for Early works and tunnelling permits and Water Act permits now in place
• Trade-off studies to improve constructability, operability, water quality, and capital costs
• Substantial Start approval in 2024