Summary

This review discusses the design, construction, and operation of waste rock dumps. Different types of mine fills are described. Other topics discussed include codisposal of waste rock, air flow in dumps, and rock dumps in British Columbia. Several waste rock dump consultants are also listed.

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Facility Description

The briefest description of waste rock dumps is from Western Australia-all you need to know in two pages. The most comprehensive description of a waste rock dump is in the EduMine course Design and Operation of Large Waste Dumps. In practice no definition is needed; simply see the picture on the front page of this review.

As humans we instinctively categorize things as a first step in trying to understand them. That is the only justification for repeating this categorization of waste rock dumps from the EduMine course. In practice mines generally put the waste rock dump as close to the pit or shaft as possible, except maybe as stated by BHP Billiton: "We will not commit to a new mining project that disposes of waste rock or tailings into a river. This position does not apply to the disposal of waste rock and tailings materials in conventional waste rock dumps or tailings dams, which may be constructed within the catchments of a river system where such structures are designed to retain and store the waste materials. It also does not apply to the discharge of water from tailings dams or waste rock dumps that are of a quality acceptable for downstream beneficial uses."