2016-2017

Constructed Wetland Feasibility Assessment,

Tundra Mine Remediation Project
240 km NE of Yellowknife, NWT, Canada

The Tundra Mine (64004’31”N, 111015’04”W) is located approximately 240

kilometres (km) northeast of Yellowknife, NWT. The mine site is situated on
the east side of Matthews Lake, which is located in the Lockhart River
watershed that ultimately discharges into the east arm of Great Slave Lake.

The Tundra Mine was operated as an underground gold mine from 1964 until
1968, and supported operations at the nearby Salmita Mine from 1983 to
1987. In 1987, the mine was permanently closed, and in April 1999, the mine
reverted to the Crown when the mine’s owner went into receivership.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is currently the custodian of
the site. The mine site contains tailings and contact water contaminated with
a variety of substances, most notably arsenic. Mine operations had left
multiple site hazards, including: mine openings, decrepit buildings containing
hazardous materials, arsenic contaminated tailings and water within two
tailings ponds, spilled tailings in other areas of the site, potentially acid-
generating (PAG) waste rock, and hydrocarbon contaminated soil.

Since 2001, AECOM has been providing engineering services: construction

camp planning, tailings dam safety inspections, dam repair & maintenance,
mine / mill demolition design, demolition debris, landfill design, airstrip
upgrade design, mine opening seal design plans and specifications,
construction cost estimates, scheduling, construction management, and
Construction Quality Assurance (CQA). Since 2007, the Tundra Mine has
been undergoing remediation, which is expected to be completed in
2018/2019. The purpose of the remediation works is to largely eliminate
surface and subsurface drainage of contaminated contact water to the
downstream receiving environment, and thereby mitigate any potential
downstream environmental impacts from the Tundra Mine Site. The primary
concern of the remediation is to protect the downstream receiving
environment from arsenic contained in the tailings material.
Client
Between 2007 and 2008, Phase I of the remediation program included
Public Services and Procurement Canada
removal of buildings, capping of mine openings, and resolution of other (PSPC)
health and safety concerns (hazardous waste abatement). Phase II of the
remediation program began in 2010, and included treatment of petroleum Services
hydrocarbon (PHC) impacted soils, treating arsenic contaminated water to Constructed Wetland Feasibility Assessment
allow for discharge to the natural environment, consolidation of waste rock (Study 2)
Completion of Additional Studies in Response to
and tailings, construction of an engineered cap over the tailings and waste the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) /
rock (excavating spilled tailings, PAG waste rock, and tailings within Upper Independent Peer Review Panel
Pond for consolidating and capping in one overall tailings containment area (IPRP)/Independent Engineer (IE) Review
(TCA) in Lower Pond), and quarry development and restoration. Tundra Mine Phase II Remediation
Tundra Mine Phase I Remediation
In August 2014, the remediation contractor requested a termination of the
contract, which resulted in a two-year interruption of the remediation works. Project Value
$ 90K - Constructed Wetland Feasibility
Remediation work (Phase IIB) resumed in 2017, and involved water
Assessment (Study 2)
treatment, drawdown of Mill Pond, removal of the East Upper Dam, $ 620K – Completion of Additional Studies in
placement of a bituminous geomembrane (BGM) liner on top of the tailings, Response to the Failure Modes and Effects
excavation and placement of cover materials, and removal of East Lower Analysis (FMEA) / Independent Peer Review
Dam. It is expected that remediation works will be complete in 2018/2019. Panel (IPRP)/Independent Engineer (IE) Review
$3.5M - Tundra Mine Phase II Remediation

1
 2016-2017

Constructed Wetland Feasibility Assessment –Study 2 (2016-2017)
Representatives of AECOM, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
(INAC), Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), and
O’Kane Consultants (OKC) discussed, and determined, a number of
technical studies and assessments to be undertaken to allow Phase IIB
remedial design and construction to be successful at Tundra Mine, NWT.
Study 2 – Constructed Wetland (CW) Feasibility Assessment was one of
these technical studies. Study 2 explored the feasibility of constructing a
wetland, to treat water discharged from the Tailings Containment Area (TCA)
to Hambone Lake to meet effluent contaminant criteria. The assessment
identified whether constructing a wetland capable of removing Arsenic, Zinc,
Copper, Nickel and Lead from TCA effluent prior to entering Hambone Lake
is feasible.
$X.XM - Tundra Mine Phase I Remediation
$X.XM - Engineering services: construction camp
planning, tailings dam safety inspections, dam
repair & maintenance, mine / mill demolition
design, demolition debris, landfill design, airstrip
upgrade design, mine opening seal design plans
and specifications, construction cost estimates,
scheduling, construction management, and
Construction Quality Assurance (CQA).
Completion Date
2001 – Ongoing

The Constructed Wetland conceptual design is for a wetland: Constructed

from locally available plants; located adjacent to the north end of the TCA,
within the historic Lower tailings Pond; positioned to intercept surface and
groundwater exiting the TCA; positioned to intercept surface water exiting the
Diversion Ditch around the south and east sides of the TCA; positioned to
release the treated water into Hambone Lake; constructed to treat Arsenic,
Zinc, Copper, Nickel and Lead as key contaminant parameters.

AECOM conducted a Constructed Wetland Feasibility Assessment of a 17

ha constructed wetland located at Taiga / Tundra ecosystems. This
Constructed Wetland Feasibility Assessment main goal was to treat As, Zn
and other metals using native plants. A total of 15 locations were selected for
vegetation identification (terrestrial and wetland plants), with a focus on
wetland plants with potential to be used in the CW. To understand the
current presence of metal content in the project area, vegetation tissue, soil
and water samples were also collected from 11 locations. Water and
sediment/soil adjacent to the plants were also collected. This review of
existing information indicates that constructing a wetland at the northern end
of Lower Pond using on-site harvested Carex aquatilis Water Sedge,
Sphagnum spp., Peat-mosses with high rates of removal of metals (up to
97% zinc removal) and metalloids (up to 82% arsenic removal) and other
metals and metalloids in similar CW and in northern conditions) and other
plants is a feasible way to reduce arsenic, zinc, copper, nickel and lead
concentrations in the TCA effluent water prior to the water reaching
Hambone Lake. The risk transferred to browsing animals is acceptable.

AECOM recommends continuing to develop the Constructed Wetland

remedial, phased approach with an applied research program comprising
technology selection/conceptual design, pilot-scale testing and optimization,
demonstration-scale testing and optimization. Based on the reviewed studies
and literature, the wetland constructed at the Tundra site should be designed
with the following design considerations: Physical infrastructure (engineering
aspects to maintain hydrology and support the Constructed Wetlands
Treatment Systems; CWTS): Wetland intake structure (design flow rate);
Wetland cell and conveyance channel geometry (aspect ratio, substrate
depth); Seepage management; Erosion management; Restrict dam
classification for designed infrastructure. For CWTS (Maintaining
performance and treatment capacity): Plants, Substrate, Water depth, Flow
field, Water velocity.