MTX
A new Environmental Compliance Approval (Industrial Sewage) was granted for the construction of a fine tailings settling pond associated with Metalex's U2 kimberlite advanced exploration project entailing bulk sample extraction of kimberlite for on-site test processing.
The pond will be constructed adjacent to the processing plant in a “C” shaped form consisting of an approximate 65 m x 10 m x 4 m excavated principal settling basin with 2:1 side slopes, plus a 275 m x 5 m x 4 m excavated water return trench. It will receive natural precipitation inputs, seepage from the adjacent muskeg terrain and kimberlite slurry (fines) from the temporary bulk sample plant, a reagent-free process that will operate at an anticipated processing rate of approximately 30 tonnes of kimberlite ore / day, with most of the processed ore to be returned to the holes from which it is drilled.
The fines in the kimberlite slurry will be retained in the pond for permanent storage, and water mainly recycled back to the processing plant, for use as process water. Effluent limits are set at Provincial Water Quality Objectives (PWQO) or background water quality, or MISA standards (or background) in the case where no PWQO exists. Effluent limits are to be imposed for Total Suspended Solids, pH, Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Nickel, Zinc, pH, Oil and Grease and Acute Lethality. The final compliance point is set at the north end of the settling pond excavation (i.e. just prior to the plant intake point). The nearest watercourse to the proposed settling pond is located over 200 metres away to the west/northwest (at its closest point). |
