Objectives:
This project develops comprehensive guidelines for the design and operation of heap and dump leach facilities, addressing increasing industry concerns over catastrophic slope failures. Recent high-profile failures, including the 2024 Çöpler Gold Mine collapse in Turkey and the Eagle Gold Mine incident in Canada, demonstrated the severe operational, financial, and environmental consequences of inadequate risk management. Despite previous guidance from the 2017 Guidelines for Mine Waste Dump and Stockpile Design and the Global Industry Standards on Tailings Management, there has been no standardized, widely accepted framework tailored to the unique conditions of heap and dump leach operations, which differ significantly from waste dumps or tailings facilities in drainage, saturation, material behavior, and operational phasing.
The aim of this project is to review, compile, and adapt current best practices into a practical, widely applicable guideline for heap and dump leach design and operations. By building on the Waste Dump and Stockpile Design framework, the guidelines will incorporate specific considerations for heap leach facilities, including geomembrane liners, controlled stacking and leaching of ore, ore and leached ore characterization, extreme climate operations, and emerging technologies such as injection leaching. The focus is on identifying established industry practices rather than introducing hypothetical innovations, ensuring the guidelines are relevant to both existing and planned facilities.
The project methodology involves drafting 14 chapters, with chapter leads identified from diverse contributors across consulting, academia, and industry, ensuring a range of expertise and perspectives. Initial chapter outlines will be finalized in early 2025, followed by iterative reviews between chapter leads and editors to ensure consistency, technical accuracy, and alignment with related guidelines. Sponsor reviews will further inform revisions before final compilation. The final guideline will be published primarily as an eBook, with digital print copies available for sponsors and the public.
The outcome will provide the mining industry, regulators, and insurers with a standardized reference to reduce slope failure risks, enhance operational safety, and support best practices in heap and dump leach facility design and management. The project reinforces LOP’s commitment to developing and maintaining industry-leading geotechnical guidance while providing a collaborative platform for industry knowledge sharing and consistent application of engineering standards.