Climate impacts on surface water availability in the Mount Milligan mine area, British Columbia

气候对不列颠哥伦比亚省米利根山矿区地表水供应的影响

• 批准号: 543415-2019
• 负责人: Dery, Stephen
• 金额: $ 1.73万
• 依托单位: University of Northern British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Engage Grants Program
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=679499
• 关键词: Climate; impacts; surface; water; availability

The Mount Milligan mine of Centerra Gold Inc. contributes significantly to the economy of British Columbia and the minerals produced at the mine provide essential raw materials for a range of products used by society. For its operations, the mine depends on the availability of surface and ground water in the Nation River Basin for a range of activities including the processing of minerals and storing waste rock in tailings ponds. Recently the water levels became dangerously low in its tailings storage due to decreasing water availability that put the mine operations at risk of being shut down. For the mine to continue its operations, it is imperative to understand the implications of climate change on the availability of water now, and into the future. This project will quantify long term hydrological risks for the Mount Milligan Mine and will provide valuable information to mine managers that will enable them to develop plans related to mine operations in the face of declining water supplies. The project outcomes will help designing water management solutions for the mine given future prospects of hydrological changes at the mine site. Knowledge on changing water budgets will facilitate the mine's decision-making such as exploring potential future water sources including nearby streams or lakes and will hopefully prevent future interruptions of its day-to-day operations along with potential loss of employment if the mine was to shut down. Improving mine water management and understanding the key challenges with future water supplies is crucial for its long term sustainability and ongoing contribution to the economy.

centterra Gold Inc.的Mount Milligan矿山对不列颠哥伦比亚省的经济做出了重大贡献，矿山生产的矿物为社会使用的一系列产品提供了重要的原材料。该矿的运作依赖于纳芬河流域的地表水和地下水，以进行一系列活动，包括矿物加工和在尾矿池中储存废石。最近，由于可用水量减少，尾矿储存库的水位降至危险的低水平，使矿山运营面临关闭的风险。为了让该矿继续运营，必须了解气候变化对现在和未来水资源供应的影响。该项目将量化Milligan山矿山的长期水文风险，并将为矿山管理人员提供有价值的信息，使他们能够在水资源供应下降的情况下制定与矿山作业有关的计划。鉴于矿区水文变化的未来前景，项目成果将有助于为该矿设计水管理解决方案。了解不断变化的水资源预算将有助于矿山的决策，例如勘探潜在的未来水源，包括附近的溪流或湖泊，并有望防止未来的日常运营中断，以及如果矿山关闭可能导致的就业损失。改善矿井水管理和了解未来供水的主要挑战对于其长期可持续性和对经济的持续贡献至关重要。