SHORT COURSES

Source Control of Mine Waste for Integrated Mine Closure and Full Lifecycle Water Stewardship 

Level: Introductory 

Facilitators: Michael O'Kane, Okane Consultants  
Rachel Sawyer, Okane Consultants 
Yapo Allé-Ando, Okane Consultants 

In the mining industry today, planning for closure is an expected part of the mine lifecycle, but the number of sites that have achieved relinquishment to a productive post-mining land use are few. In too many instances, decisions made early in the mine lifecycle result in unplanned liabilities with environmental, social and financial costs that extend well beyond the operating life of mine. The objective of integrated closure planning is to combine reclamation expertise, which is typically optimized later in the mine lifecycle, to strategic mine planning early the mine lifecycle (during project development) to prevent poor and underfunded closure outcomes. 

This short course will provide an introduction to the evolving field of integrated closure planning, and integrated source control of mine waste storage facilities, into landform design for full lifecycle water stewardship. Participants will be introduced to the technical, social and environmental disciplines needed to form an effective closure planning team, and some tools to build collaborative, interdisciplinary teams.  Instructors will also introduce recent developments in integrated closure planning, such as achieving source control in through landform design, and managing water quality throughout operations and into closure. 

Outline: 

• Introduction to integrated mine and closure planning (where to start) 

• Design and plan for source control (how to determine what types of source control add value for your site, or project) 

• Decision making approaches, communication tools (how to influence change) 

• Designing for soils, vegetation and ecology 

Short Course Objectives:  

The purpose of this short course will be to introduce fundamentals of integrated mine and closure planning, highlight the impact of source control on closure outcomes and water quality risk management. 

Target Audience:  

• Project Managers of mine development projects 

• Mine Planners and Closure Planning  

• Practitioners looking for an introduction to integrated closure planning and how to incorporate source control into mine waste management.  

About the instructor(s):  

Mike O’Kane, M.Sc., MAusIMM, P.Eng. GCB.D Senior Technical Advisor, Okane Consultants Founder of Okane Consultants Mike works within the company as a senior technical advisor applying technical expertise and knowledge on risk management best practices as tools for development and communication of project objectives and designs. He provides peer review for numerous government and private agencies while also being a member of multiple advisory panels. Mike chairs Okane’s board of directors and serves as a director of the Landform Design Institute and chair of its Technical Advisory Panel.  

Rachel Sawyer, B.Sc., P.Eng. Principal Integrated Life of Mine Planning: Tailings and Mine Rock, Okane Consultants A Senior Mine & Geotechnical Engineer with Okane Consultants with 25 years of experience in the mine and tailings industry. Rachel’s background spans from concept through design on of project objectives and designs. She has led construction and operations of complex mine & tailings earthwork structures within Canada’s largest mining companies. She has managed large field teams responsible for execution and reporting of field investigations and operations support for active tailings facilities including the collection and analyses of survey, construction quality control, instrumentation, and environmental monitoring data. She has managed mine and tailings planning groups responsible for the tactical haulage and construction plans through to the strategic mid to long range plans. She has extensive experience working with both internal and external stakeholders including technical review boards, regulators, community members and senior management to develop awareness and technical understanding.  

Yapo Allé-Ando, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. Principal Water Stewardship, Okane Consultants Yapo Allé-Ando is a professional engineer with close to 20 years of experience in mine water management and water stewardship across the Americas and Africa. Leading Okane’s Water Stewardship solution, Yapo’s technical expertise in mine water management includes strategic planning, infrastructure design, water balance modelling, climate studies, and hydrology impacts. Additionally, he brings extensive knowledge in water strategy, policy, governance frameworks, management standards, and sustainability development initiatives.