ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Twenty years ago, Rio Paracatu Mineração (RPM) started the production of gold, in the district of Paracatu, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Gold is present in the leached ore and is also associated with pyrite, arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite and represents great concern related to the design of cover systems for final decommissioning and reclamation of the mine areas, the main tailings dam impoundment and the specific tanks, to avoid formation of acid drainage. An experiment was built at a place where the tailings pilot plant existed. Two store-and-release monitored cover systems were implanted in the area. The monitoring system consists of a complete weather station, soil moisture and suction measurements in each soil layer, runoff evaluation and two lysimeters constructed below each cover to measure percolation. This paper describes the experiment construction and the performance of the cover system during the first year of monitoring.
