Understanding Canadian Mines and Dewatering

The discussion of the lakes and the dewatering seems to be a reoccurring pain point for those that do not understand Canada's topography and mining industry. Unlike the loam soils of Australia our hard rock mines are just that.. hard granite rock that does not absorb water. That is why every low spot in the topography creates a lake. In the province of Ontario there are 250,000 identified lakes, compared to Australia's 11,400 (your count includes man made lakes).

Why I bring this up is so that people understand that dewatering lakes, rerouting rivers and turning lakes into tailings part is normal in Canada. To support this have a look at the attached dewatering plan for the IAMGOLD Cote mine that was started 3 years ago and is near production. A brief summary is:

• 3 fish bearing lakes drained
• 5 fish bearing lakes reduced in size with dams
• 4 rivers/streams stopped with dams
• 2 new rivers/streams made

Enjoy the drawing