Bruno Creek Tailings Impoundment

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Bruno Creek Tailings Impoundment
BrunoCreekTailingsImpoundment2009.jpg
View of the tailings pond from upstream of the dam
USA Idaho location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Bruno Creek Tailings Impoundment in Idaho
CountryUnited States
Location Custer County, near Challis
Coordinates 44°19′13″N114°30′52″W / 44.32028°N 114.51444°W / 44.32028; -114.51444 Coordinates: 44°19′13″N114°30′52″W / 44.32028°N 114.51444°W / 44.32028; -114.51444
StatusOperational
Opening date1983
Owner(s) Thompson Creek Mining Company
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Tailings, center-line
Height550 ft (168 m)
Reservoir
Total capacity100,000,000 t (98,420,653 long tons; 110,231,131 short tons)

The Bruno Creek Tailings Impoundment is a tailings dam on Bruno Creek, 19 mi (31 km) southwest of Challis in Custer County, Idaho. It serves to store tailings for the nearby Thompson Creek Mine. At 550 ft (168 m) tall, it is the second tallest center-line tailings dam in the world. In 2008, Phase 8 of the mine was approved which includes a raising of the dam to 750 ft (229 m). The dam is mainly composed of cycloned sand. [1] Currently, the dam stores 100,000,000 t (98,420,653 long tons; 110,231,131 short tons) of tailings and the raise would increase storage to 125,000,000 t (123,025,816 long tons; 137,788,914 short tons). The downstream slope of the dam will be steepened from 3:1 to 2.75:1. [2] In 1994, it was discovered that acid mine drainage had been forming on the embankment since 1987. [3] Since seepage does occur at the dam, a system of wells was installed to monitor groundwater and a seepage return dam was constructed downstream. [2]

Tailings dam Type of dam

A tailings dam is typically an earth-fill embankment dam used to store byproducts of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue. Tailings can be liquid, solid, or a slurry of fine particles, and are usually highly toxic and potentially radioactive. Solid tailings are often used as part of the structure itself.

Challis, Idaho City in Idaho, United States

Challis is the largest city in Custer County, Idaho, United States. It is the county seat and its population was 1,081 at the 2010 census, up from 909 in 2000.

Custer County, Idaho County in the United States

Custer County is a rural mountain county in the center of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,368. The county seat is Challis. Established in 1881, the county was named for the General Custer Mine, where gold was discovered five years earlier. Custer County relies on ranching, mining, and tourism as its main resources.

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References

  1. "Successful Permitting of Expansion to the 2nd Tallest Centerline-Construction Tailings Dam in the World". Golder Associates. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Thompson Creek Mine Environmental Impact Statement Project Description" (PDF). Thompson Creek Mine. Retrieved 14 August 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "Thompson Creek Molybdenum Mine". Boulder White Clouds Council. Retrieved 14 August 2011.