Closure of the Brewer Gold Mine by pit backfilling

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:588900

Lewis-Russ, A; Lupo, J F ^[1]; Bronson, J M ^[2]

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1. Titan Environmental Corp., Englewood, CO (United States)
2. Titan Environmental Corp., Tempe, AZ (United States); and others

Brewer Gold Mine, located in north-central South Carolina, is implementing an innovative reclamation plan that includes backfilling the main Brewer open pit with mine waste. The primary goals of the closure are to reduce acid rock drainage and minimize or eliminate long-term operation and maintenance requirements by restoring the site property to approximate pre-mining topography. The plan calls for consolidation of approximately 200 acres of waste into approximately 20 hectares (50 acres). Much of the material to be backfilled into the pit, including spent heap leach material and waste rock, has acid-generating potential. Therefore, the backfill design integrated geochemical properties of the backfill materials with expected post-closure conditions. A prime consideration was the final position of the water table. Since mining at the site started in the early 1800`s, no records exist of the original groundwater levels. Therefore, the design incorporates a large anoxic limestone drain to control the final groundwater level. Additional amendments are to be placed in targeted areas of the backfill to maximize their utilization. A low-permeability cap system that includes a GEOSYNTHETIC clay liner has been designed to limit infiltration into the backfill.

• OSTI ID: 588900
• Report Number(s): CONF-9605286--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
BACKFILLING
COAL MINES
CONTAINMENT
GOLD ORES
LIMESTONE
MINING
PERMEABILITY
WASTE DISPOSAL