Tailing Pond Leak Location

Tailing ponds are engineered containment systems  used in the industry as settling basins and containment for a mixture of water, sand, clay and residual mining material.  These ponds are typically impounded with a dam and contained in a variety of ways; from unlined to  double lined systems depending on the age and application.  Lined tailings ponds are subject to leak events which may potential cause environmental contamination.

HGI applies a similar geophysical electric leak location technique for tailing pond leak location as it does in HDPE – Geosynthetic lined ponds.

HGI applies a similar leak location technique for tailing pond leak location as it does in HDPE lined ponds.  Tailing ponds surveys will vary slightly due to the settled material on top of the liner material, however the principles and methodology remains the same.

HGI’s preferred method for leak detection involves electrical methods; where there is no need to drain or introduce personnel into the tailings pond.  The electrical method applied to leak detection is based on the premise that electric current will flow through the same pathways that water flows.  In this situation, those pathways are tears in the HDPE, cracks in the clay liner, and/or metallic infrastructure such as inlet pipes that couple to the earth beneath.  Our innovative approach allows HGI to archive and post-process the data presenting easy to understand maps highlighting anomalous readings associated with the leaks. HGI’s final deliverable, upon completion of a survey, shows the electrical response in a plan or cross-section view so that clients can visually see for themselves the amplitude of the anomalies related to the leak locations.