Mining waste management models being put to the test at Mahdia

A Water and Tailings Management project, which will in future see water used in mining operations being restricted to the mining pits, was last week unveiled at the White Hole mining area, located at District Two, Mahdia in Region 8 (Potaro/Sipuruni).

Water moving from one pond to the next .
Water moving from one pond to the next .

The entire operation which comprised the building of dams, primary and secondary ponds to conserve water in what is known as a closed circuit operation, comes at a cost of approximately $2M and is being managed by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Environmental Capacity Development Project (GENCAPD), which is a executing agency of       the Canada International Development Agency (CIDA). The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) also assisted in the implementation of the project.

Two models of the tailings management closed circuit operation were constructed for the project.

A breach in one of the ponds which was to be remedied.
A breach in one of the ponds which was to be remedied.

The area where the pilot project has been built features several pits known as ponds into which murky water pumped out of mining pits by miners in the area is conserved in the primary and secondary pond located nearby. Construction of the dams surrounding the ponds included de-bushing the area close to the mining pits and, stripping of the landscape. Some 19 hours of work was expended on the construction of the dam in the first model which was built some 15 feet wide with its crest being 1.4m. The materials used for the construction of the dam were sourced from the immediate vicinity of the project site.

Tailings which are collected in the primary pond settle after a period of time as the water simultaneously flows into the secondary pond through a connecting drain. In the secondary pond the water appears clearer to the naked eye as it is allowed to settle over time. The water from this secondary pond flows into the small ponds for miners to access for their operations.

 Flaws in one of the ponds being scrutinized.
Flaws in one of the ponds being scrutinized.

According to Peter Hutson, engineer attached to GENCAPD, before the project commenced, tailings used by the miners in the White Hole area were entering the Hand Rail creek located nearby. The small-scale mining operation in that area was issued with a Cease Work Order as a result, as he noted that the proper infrastructure was not in place at the operation before the project commenced. The GGDMA, he noted, provided some $200,000 which was channelled towards the building of one of the dams while the GGMC provided technical support. He said the project included basic exploration, the drilling of sample holes in the dams erected, as well as the identification of target areas. Hutson said the adoption of a communal spirit by miners in the area would greatly assist in the effective running of the project as well as keeping the cost of the undertaking their operations to a minimum.

 One of the ponds
One of the ponds

Located adjacent to the first model is a second model which Hutson noted is ideally what the outcome of the project should be. He said this second closed circuit operation is being utilized by seven dredges which see a resultant zero discharge of water.

Carlos Todd, an environmental engineer attached to the GGMC told Stabroek News that the general topographical layout of the project site at White Hole adds to the effective operation of the tailings management model since the hilly terrain will assist greatly in the containment of water utilized/conserved in the closed circuit operation.

GENCAPD is also piloting a second project in the White Hole area which involves reclamation of mined out areas. A site has already been identified for the undertaking of that project and work is expected to commence within the next few weeks.

Work ongoing on the tailings management project.
Work ongoing on the tailings management project.

Re-vegetation

The project entails the cultivation of plants on the mined out area as a model to illustrate the re-vegetation of a mined-out area. Mortimer Livan, who is also attached to GENCAPD, said that the Acacia plant, which is known scientifically to grow within a short time, is being considered for cultivation at the reclamation site.

The site has been identified at Stanislaus Jardine’s mining claim and it is expected to be carried out by Satnarine Sahadeo who has a mining operation in the area. Sahadeo said the area will have to be contoured within a period of time before planting commences.

Richard Couture, scientific consultant attached to CIDA, was also present at White Hole last week along with Director of Mines of the GGMC Derek Babb.

The Tailings and Water Management project is part of the mining aspect of GENCAPD’s programme agenda for the second phase of operations which commenced in April 2007. The mining sector will in future see a project on the feasibility of the introduction of Cyanidation to mining in Guyana in small and medium-scale operations. It is a technique for recovering gold from low-grade ore by converting the gold to water soluble metallic complex ions and is intended to reduce mercury use. Cyanidation, however, has many critics.
Low carbon
Meanwhile, at a workshop which was conducted last Monday at the Mahdia Secondary School by the GGMC on the implementation of the Low Carbon Development Strategy, miners in the Mahdia area were divided when asked for their opinion on the LCDS and its implications on the gold and diamond mining sector. The miners noted that the authorities, namely the GGMC should provide more assistance to them since regulations which may come with the implementation of the LCDS will see many of them returning to the coastland empty handed. The miners said that the LCDS will see many of them having to use excavators and other heavy machinery to conduct their operations. One miner said that it cost some $40,000 per hour for rental of an excavator.

The small and medium-scale miners said that the government should compensate them in this regard since many of them have families to maintain. Babb, who moderated the forum, said that the LCDS will strengthen the regulatory standard at which miners are expected to conduct their operations noting that the miners should conduct more exploration activities before penetrating the landscape. He said the use of solar and wind energy as efficient energy sources will also be promoted with the implementation of the LCDS. Babb also mentioned the environmental regulations which miners are expected to adhere to noting that the LCDS leaves the GGMC and the mining sector no choice but to follow the lines of compliance enforcement on its part and compliance on the part of the miners. Babb made a note of the suggestions brought to the fore by the miners and promised to forward them to his superiors.

Some 30 persons attended the workshop including Regional Chairman Senor Bell who said the authorities should consider the small man in the mining sector. Bell noted that most of the mining/dredge operators at Mahdia are from the coastland with only two dredge owners coming from Mahdia. He said those at the forum last Monday were merely small miners trying to make a living.

The communities at Mahdia all revolve around gold mining and according to, Gerald Rawlins, a shop owner in the area, whenever mining operations encounter problems, such as prolonged rainfall, the entire business community in the area is left at a standstill.