Taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ICARD 2024 was an opportunity for mining consultants, researchers, technology developers and suppliers, regulators, and NGOs to meet and discuss pressing issues and solutions around rock drainage and its impact on the environment.
Several Ecometrix experts contributed to the event that more than 450 professionals attended from around the world.
Our Director of Mining Services, Sarah Barabash, along with her colleagues Lindsay Robertson (Elemental Geoscience) and Brent Usher (Klohn Crippen Berger), hosted a short course entitled Geochemistry for Mine Operations – Case Studies and FAQs. The course brought together presenters and case studies from the international mining community to talk about the role geochemistry plays in their ongoing compliance decision-making and planning.
The Ecometrix booth
Interacting with guests at the Ecometrix booth
Daniel Skruch presents the paper he co-authored
With extensive experience in mine waste geochemistry, mine waste and water quality assessment, management, and modelling, Senior Environmental Scientist Daniel Skruch presented a paper he co-authored with Ron Nicholson (Mine Water Matters) and Sarah Barabash (Ecometrix) titled Developing a Site-Specific Effective Neutralization Potential to Acid Potential Consumption Ratio: Establishing the Boundary in Sulphidic Tailings.
Allison Surrette, Environmental Scientist, presented a paper titled The Role of Barium Carbonates in Acid Base Accounting: Evidence from the Macmillan Pass Zn-Pb-Ag Deposits and the Mactung W Deposit, which she co-authored with Gideon Lambiv (Northwest Territories Geological Survey), Hendrik Falck (Government of Northwest Territories), and Heather Jamieson (Queens University).
Alongside scheduled events, Jonathan Keizer, our Senior Hydrogeological Engineer, and Carman Stevens, our Senior Mine Closure Specialist, joined the Ecometrix team at booth number 111 for the entirety of the conference. They talked with guests about what we do, shared insights into our Environmental Intelligence™ approach, and showcased some of our software in action.
While all presentations at ICARD 2024 were packed with insight, key takeaways found that:
- ML/ARD remains a challenging issue.
- Current approaches underestimate the long-term costs associated with mine closure.
- The physical risks associated with mining facilities have received most of the mining industry's attention at the cost of focusing on geochemical risks. There needs to be a rebalancing of the physical and chemical risks.
- There is a perceived need to hold people accountable for closure planning throughout the life of mine.
Find out more about ICARD 2024.