the millennium plug project - brennan lang

8/4/2019 The Millennium Plug Project - Brennan Lang

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The Millennium Plug Projectat the Britannia Beach Research Field Station

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Centre for Environmental Research in Minerals, Metals, andMaterials

Brennan Lang, John Meech, and Rimas Pakalnis



The Millennium Plug Project

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3Centre for Environmental Research in Minerals, Metals, and

Materials

Mine History Britannia Mine operated

between 1902-1963 by the

Britannia Mining and Smelting Co.

and between 1963-1974 by

the Anaconda Mining Company

- 47 million tonnes of ore mined

- 150 km of underground development

- 5 open pits (glory holes)Britannia Concentrator




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Site Ownership

• Britannia Mines and Reclamation Ltd.

– owns mine and mineral claims, as well as

residential area north of Britannia Creek

and “North Fan Area”

• Britannia Beach Historical Society

– owns most of “South Fan Area”

• Province of B.C. – owns foreshore area between highway and

Howe Sound

Howe

Sound

Britannia Mines and Reclamation Corporation

B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a

A s s e t s a n d L

a n d

- a C r o w n C o r p o r a t i o n

Britannia Beach Historical Society

- BC Museum of Mining

B r i t a

n n i a

M i n e

s a n

d R

e c l a m

a t i o

n C o r p o r a t i o n

Housing Development




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Responsibility

BMARC is the only organization to declare itself a ResponsiblePerson under the Waste Management Act

Other Potentially Responsible Persons that have been named

as part of the Contaminated Sites process are:

Private PRPs: Alcoa, Canzinco, Alumax Inc., Anaconda/Arco,Howmet Holdings Corporation, Arrowhead/Ivaco,

Intalco Aluminum Corporation

Province of British Columbia

Government of Canada




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• Approximately ½ tonne of copper and½ tonne of zinc discharged to HoweSound each day

• Greater than 10,000 tonnes of heavy

metals since closure• Contamination of groundwater in the

Britannia Fan

• Potential impacts on aquatic life

• Waste dumps and stockpiles

• Tailings

• Sealing of abandoned tunnels andshafts, demolition of derelict buildings(public safety issues)

• Acid mine drainage from tunnels (500 m3/hr)

Reclamation Issues




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2200 Level effluent

20-50% of the flow

45-70% of the copper

25-40% of the zinc

4100 Level effluent

50-80% of the flow

30-55% of the copper

60-75% of the zinc

Groundwater discharge

< 5% of the flow

2-3% of the copper

3-4% of the zinc

Plug the 2200 PortalBuild a

Treatment Plant

Reclaim pitsand waste dumps




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Open Pits and Glory Holes




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Jane Creek before it drains into Britannia Creek

(~November 2001)




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A Synergistic Research Plan

• UBC had need for a research facility to conduct

testwork into the design of bulkheads to seal tunnels

• by placing this laboratory at the 2200 level portal of

Britannia Mine, two synergistic events occurred:

– UBC installed its research lab at a full-scale field site

– Britannia Mines and Reclamation Inc. was able to comply with part of

its Remediation Order – The most harmful effects of the ARD discharging from Britannia are

now mitigated.

– Britannia Mine closure plan moved nearer to fulfillment




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Cleaning up Britannia Creek• In 2001, BMARC in cooperation with CERM3, constructed a

concrete plug in the 2200 Level of Britannia Mine.

• This plug diverted water to the lower part of the mine from

where it discharges into Howe Sound at 23 m depth.

• The concrete plug facilitated construction of the experimental

“Millennium Plug”

• Essentially all pollution to Britannia Creek and the surface

waters of Howe Sound has been eliminated

• In 2004, the BC Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection

will put a water treatment plant into operation




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UBC/CERM3 Britannia Research StationCERM3 Britannia Beach Research Field Station

The Number 3 Mill Building – now an historical heritage siteThe Number 3 Mill Building – now an historical heritage siteThe BC Museum of Mining from above Number 3 Mill Building




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Installation of Grout Tubes into the Rock

Mass around the Concrete Plug




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Installation of Grout

Tubes into the Rock

Mass around theConcrete Plug




cerm 3Centre for Environmental Research in Minerals, Metals, and

Materials

Pumping Cement into the Plug Form Cavity –Note the seal around the formwork where it contacts the

rock face and the grout tubes used to deliver grout into the

rock mass after the concrete has setup.





Materials

The Concrete Plug was poured on December 17th

in a blinding snow storm over an 18 hour period.

A total of 16 cement trucks had to be pulled up tothe 2200 Level using front-end loaders and a

bulldozer.

The effluent was turned off at 3:30 pm on

December 31st

, 2001.





Materials

Results• As of January 1, 2002, acid rock drainage from the 2200 Level

tunnel into Jane and Britannia Creek has been halted.

• Britannia Creek* before the 2200 Level Plug:

• 0.5 mg/l copper,

• 0.5 mg/l zinc,

• 0.024 mg/l iron,

• pH =6.3

• Britannia Creek* after the 2200 Level Plug:

• 0.041 mg/l copper,

• 0.052 mg/l zinc,

• 0.009 mg/l iron,

• pH=6.9

* Measurements taken at the Townsite Bridge





Materials

Some people like to drink the Britannia

Creek water and it is now safe to do so,

although like all natural water streams in

the wild, it is not recommended without

prior chemical treatment.





Materials

The Millennium Plug• Built in much the same way as an earth dam

• Impervious clay core

• Layers of sand, gravel, cobble, rip rap• Resistant to acidic conditions

• Cheaper to build

•Uses locally available materials

• Generates a “walk-away” solution





Materials

The Millennium Plug Research Station

Longitudinal Section

Contact

Grouting

Throttled Pipeline Pressurized Pipeline

Concrete

PlugPressurized

Chamber Bentonite/Sand Seal

Quartzite Rock/Sand

Sand/Gravel FiltersCobble/Rip Rap

The ARD effluent is diverted back into the mine workings.

The pressurized chamber allows CERM3 researchers to study the Millennium Plug under a

variety of pressure and seismic conditions up to 300 m of water head. The service pressure onthe concrete plug is only 9 m, but the plug was designed for 300 m in order to conduct the

research. Upon completion of the research, the Millennium Plug will be left in place to essentially

"back-up" the concrete plug which is expected to fail in 60-70 years through chemical attack by

the acidic waters in the mine (pH = 2.5-3.0)

Into the mine

Coffer

Dam





Conclusions• Research can be applied to mitigate existing problems

directly if one uses sustainable thinking.

• The Millennium Plug Research Station will allow CERM3

to design innovative, inexpensive, walk-away solutions

to mine closure problems involving Acid-Rock-Drainage.

• Britannia Creek is now free of pollution thanks to the

installation of the Millennium Plug Research Station.

• CERM3 will continue to search for other synergetic

applications while conducting its research and setting

up its laboratory infrastructure.

the millennium plug project - brennan lang

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