Safety analysis of Novat tailings dam

Florian Tatu,Dan Stematiu,M.C Balan,C Croitoru,C Georgescu,A Georgescu,A Dogeanu,F Bode,M Sandu,I Nastase

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/20198507018

Florian Tatu, Dan Stematiu + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20198507018

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Abstract

The Novat tailings dam is located in the upper basin of the Novat stream, which flows through the Ursul stream into the Vaser River. Mention should be made that the basins of the Vaser River and Viseu are protected areas, which do not allow any discharges downstream and require the repumping of the cleared waters back to the flotation of Baia Borsa mine. Overtopping of the main and downstream dams, with their partial destruction, occurred on 10 March 2000 as a result of the torrential rains falling across the entire surface of the Novat stream receiving basin. Before the accident occurred, deposits from the tailings dam reached 802.0 maSL, with the clear water mirror at 804.50 maSL. The paper deals with the safety of Novat tailings dam after the accident in March 2000.

Highlights

Tailings dams are special retention hydraulic engineering structures, designed to safely store tailings from the mine processing plant and discharge the inflows coming in the site
Novat TDF was designed without the possibility of downstream water discharge due to the fact that the valley of Vaser, a tributary of the Novat stream, is a protected area
Novat tailings dam is located in the upper basin of the Novat stream

Summary

Introduction

Tailings dams are special retention hydraulic engineering structures, designed to safely store tailings from the mine processing plant and discharge the inflows coming in the site. They have many elements in common with water storage dams, but the nature of the retained materials as well as the way of in stage construction and operation differentiates them [1,2]. Failures of tailings dams continue to appear in spite of the improved technologies available for design, construction and operation The consequences of these failures were large economic losses, environmental degradation and, in many cases, loss of human lives [1]. Novat TDF was designed without the possibility of downstream water discharge due to the fact that the valley of Vaser, a tributary of the Novat stream, is a protected area

Site description

Technical accident description

Crest level of dyke rises

Conclusions