Potash mines in Canada have tailings facilities that are considered high-hazard dams according to the Canadian Dam Association (CDA). These facilities require ongoing inspections, analysis, instrumentation, and modifications to meet current guidelines and continue to receive tailings. Barr began providing these services to a potash mine in 2010 and has since expanded to provide similar dam safety services for five sites in Saskatchewan. Barr is currently the designer of record and engineer of record for most of these facilities.
Our dam safety-related work has included dozens of annual dam safety inspections, where the results are reported to the provincial regulatory authority. Such assessments have been completed at numerous facilities and have led to the design of buttresses, slope modifications, outlet structure modifications, seepage/drainage improvements, and erosion repairs. In many instances, a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) has been completed to identify and categorize dam failure risks and identify risk reduction, surveillance, and monitoring measures associated with potential failure modes.
Instrumentation and monitoring programs have been developed for most of the embankments and salt piles at these mines, including installation of piezometers, slope inclinometers, and other movement instruments. Barr has installed remote monitoring equipment to allow the client to view near-real-time data on a website.
The monitoring programs call for regular visual inspections of the tailings storage facilities, including dikes, seepage collectors, hydraulic structures, coarse tailings piles, and other components. Monitoring reports are prepared at varying intervals to provide the client and regulatory agency with information on potential unsafe conditions.