Water and tailings management - is saturated tailings management best practical technology

Three different types of tailings management have been outlined and analysed for the Jabiluka mining site in the Alligator Rivers region using the water management system of zero release of contaminated surface-water. Two systems of semi-dry tailings management of subaerial and coning tailings deposition are compared with a system of saturated tailings management. The different systems have not been designed in detail, but show under simplified but comparable operations the volumes of contaminated water each management option would accumulate, and the total area required for different climatic sequences. The sensitivity of the three schemes to variations in different climate parameters has been undertaken. The conclusion is reached that semi-dry tailings management has no significant advantage over the use of saturated tailings management in the Alligator Rivers region