Ames Construction performed reclamation activities for a valley leach pad and three waste dumps, capped the tailings disposal area, and constructed drainage channels.
The slopes in the leach pad and waste dumps were reduced to a maximum of 3:1 and the regraded areas were covered with subsoil and topsoil prior to seeding. A drainage channel was constructed to control surface water flow patterns in the reclaimed area.
The tailings area was capped with soil cover and topsoil. The extremely soft tailings deposit required the fill to be carefully placed using an initial system of finger roads to allow heavy equipment access, and then lateral spreading of materials from the roads using low-ground-pressure tracked equipment.
Markets: Reclamation, Environmental
Location: Mercur, Utah
Completion: December 2001
Details:
- 1,675,000 cubic yards of earthwork
- 80,000 cubic yards of rock excavation
- 5,000 linear feet of drainage ditches
- 47,000 square yards of geogrid
