Revegetation of neutralized heap leach material in the and environment of the Great Basin represents a challenge of available technology. The chemical and physical environment of spent and neutralized ore is inhospitable for germination and establishment of desirable long term vegetation. Common soil amendments were tested to determine if the heap material could be made more conducive to plant growth. Decommissioned heap material profile samples were collected and reconstructed in columns at bench scale. The column profiles were amended and subjected to three leaching regimes, and representative meteoric conditions. The soil amendments provided positive results for ameliorating the heap material limitations and providing a medium conducive to plant growth. The bench scale study also provided insight for the future of heap leach planning and design with successful reclamation in mind at the forefront.
Cyanide heap leach pad operations present challenging conditions for reestablishment of vegetation. Heap leach material at the Santa Fe/Calvada Mine was generally unsuitable for plant growth, and topsoil resources salvaged during mining were limited. A multidisciplinary project team developed a process to identify and evaluate a range of realistic reclamation approaches. The range in alternatives considered enviromnental, regulatory, and financial aspects. Five alternatives were evaluated against the criteria most critical to determining reclamation success and bond release: regulatory compliance, conservation objectives, and management considerations. The result of the analysis provided Homestake with a technical basis for management decisions regarding the reclamation approach for the heap leach pads.
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