Brucejack Mine Planning, Pretium Resources
Avalanche Hazard & Risk Assessment, Mitigation Planning, Ongoing since 2010
Near Stewart, BC, Canada
Project Requirements
- Project avalanche hazard and risk assessment for mine site, roads, infrastructure, transmission line.
- Mitigation planning and design, including location planning, berms, RACS, and structural reinforcement.
- Avalanche and Snow creep and glide design for 137 structure locations along 65 km transmission line.
- Ongoing project work with both Pretium and Newcrest from 2010 to present.
Project Description
The Brucejack gold mine is located deep in the Coast Mtns of northwestern British Columbia, approximately 60 km north of Stewart, BC. Since 2011, Alpine Solutions was initially involved in avalanche planning for mine infrastructure including buildings, a transmission line and numerous roads. Over time, we have completed extensive avalanche path mapping, avalanche hazard zoning and avalanche defense structure design for the mine site buildings and infrastructure. In addition, we have completed planning and design for numerous remote avalanche control systems (RACS) including 12 Wyssen Towers and 6 Gazex exploders.
In addition to avalanche assessment and mitigation, Alpine Solutions worked with the transmission line design team on snow creep and glide loads, as well as snow height estimates at critical conductor clearance areas.
Challenges
- Assessing hazard for short slopes at mine site, in order to optimize location availability for buildings and infrastructure.
- Determining runout extent of flow and powder for large avalanche paths potentially affecting camps and transmission line structures.
- Determining detailed terrain parameters for 137 transmission line tower sites.
Solutions
- Use of numerous modeling methods including state-of-the-art RAMMS 3-D modeling software and other methods.
- Advanced GIS terrain modelling using LiDAR data verified by select field surveys.
- Avalanche hazard zoning for mine site area for planning purposes.
- Use of specialized viewshed techniques for RACS placements.
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