WC137 JulyAug 2024 - Magazine - Page 31
said Dumaresq. As well, many Canadian mines are in remote areas. “Long-distance transportation of tailings to another location
would either be completely impossible due to lack of road access,
or completely infeasible due to the transportation distances
involved,” he added. More to the point, tailings pose unique
physical and chemical risks and need to be managed in purpose-built facilities by personnel with the appropriate expertise.
“Off-site disposal may not adequately meet these requirements,”
said Dumaresq.
Krista Barfoot, president of the Canadian Brownfields Network and a contaminated sites specialist with SLR Consulting
in Guelph, Ont., says mine and industrial sites each face unique
contamination challenges and needs but may also have analogous
impacts related to fuelling stations and other common facilities
that support their operations.
“If a mine site has petroleum stations, or PFAS in fire suppression systems, it could have similar contamination to various
industrial sites,” said Barfoot. “So, the same tools we’d use in the
brownfields industry could be applicable to those sites, too.”
Furthermore, while the chemical profiles might differ, the
methodologies for treating and managing the contaminants aren’t
vastly different.
“There’s fairly standard engineered controls we use to
manage contamination in place,” said Barfoot. “You can block
exposure pathways by capping the impacts so receptors can’t
access it. If it’s a volatile contaminant, you can look at implementing vapour intrusion mitigation measures. If there aren’t
reasons to believe the contamination is currently reaching
receptors, possibly only administrative control may be needed,
such as ongoing monitoring to confirm the contamination
isn’t moving or reaching anybody’s drinking water.” Barfoot
also notes monitored natural attenuation is a common approach to addressing groundwater contamination.
“If it’s not mobilizing quickly, reaching direct receptors, or
spilling into surface water, often just monitoring can be done
to make sure the contaminant stays stable and let it break
down over time.”
A common bottom line for both mine and brownfield sites
would be to firmly understand site conditions, including contaminants, risks, receptors, and available infrastructure on a caseby-case basis. “It comes down to examining the project-specific
issues and evaluating if it makes more sense to leave impacts in
place or to remove them,” said Barfoot. “There are risks to doing
anything, and there are risks to doing nothing.”
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