ABSTRACT
Kennecott Utah Copper has been operating their modernized tailing impoundment since 1997. Nearly four years of operational experience has been gained in hydraulic placement and compaction of cyclone sand tailings. During this period a variety of dozers and other equipment have been evaluated in tailings placement. Currently, rubber-tired equipment is used to manage and control tailings placement. The project design criteria with regards to compaction, percent fines content, and permeability/drainage are being readily achieved. During this initial operation period, the geotechnical performance has been monitored with a quality assurance testing program, and instrumentation consisting of piezometers, settlement plates, and survey measurements. This paper reviews tailings placement techniques, summarizes in place material properties, and presents an overview of the geotechnical performance of this state of the art embankment.
