DAMSAT: An Eye in the Sky for Monitoring Tailings Dams

Abstract

During the past decade, there have been a number of catastrophic tailings dam failures. Affordable monitoring systems, as well as methods to assess the risk posed to communities living downstream of these structures, are needed. In recent years the availability and accuracy of remote sensing information has increased, whilst its cost has decreased.. This paper provides an overview of DAMSAT, a web-based system that brings together Earth Observation and other data to help governments and mining companies monitor tailing dams, and estimate the downstream risks they pose. The methods developed are being piloted in Peru at a number of tailings dams, with the overall goal of improving the decision making process and sharing of information with respect to managing these structures. Engagement with Peruvian stakeholders has shown that DAMSAT provides tools that can help government authorities both reduce the risks and increase the sustainability of mining.

Modelling the Brumadinho tailings dam failure, the subsequent loss of life and how it could have been reduced

“…In 2001 the International Commission On Large Dams (ICOLD) stated that "the mining industry has a less than perfect record when tailings dam failures are reviewed" (ICOLD, 2001). Although this statement was made almost 20 years ago, the probability of a tailings dam failing is still high in the context of long-lived infrastructure (Bowker and Chambers, 2017;Lyu et al, 2019). In Brazil there have been 12 major tailings dam failures since 1986, which have resulted in over 1000 deaths and adversely affected the livelihoods of millions of people, as well as causing environmental damage to thousands of kilometres of rivers (Palú and Julien, 2019).…”

Carbonation, Cementation, and Stabilization of Ultramafic Mine Tailings

“…Several catastrophic dam failures during the past decade have resulted in severe environmental impacts and loss of human life. − Consequently, there is a crucial need to develop new management practices for de-risking and safely storing mine tailings. One common cause of dam failures is the liquefaction of tailings, which can be minimized by cementing tailings with secondary mineral precipitates including carbonates that also sequester carbon dioxide (CO 2 ).…”