RE:environmental permittingS H 123,
any and all mines that are hard rock mines aiming at copper/nickel/PGMs have waste rock of different levels of toxidity and are treated a bit differently based on their level.
imagine a rock that is 100% in size, a large crusher reaks it down, then a fine crusher, then the minreral removal process takes place...eventually leaving about 98% waste rock of this 98 portion
80(ish) is just rock , go make a pile over there=no issue.
however there is the 18(ish) that when air and water together hits this rock, acid mine drainage can occur...there are different levels of this 18% (ish) 1 is high toxidity, let's estimate this at 6%(ish), this is put in a liner bed usually 80 mil thick, all the waster that hits this rock is trapped in this liner and is treated with a reverve osmosis system, see GE for this, and it has to work. period. Now the remaining tailings of 12%(ish) is less toxic, but still reactive if it hits air AND water,,,so what is done with this is it is put in or really under water in a used up open pit that has been filled with wter...the tailing are put under the water so no air gets to it so no acid mine drainage,
the environmental statements as Wellgreen goes thru the permitting process will address this in great engineered detail...Wellgreen has been in the process now for close to the 2 year minimum for baseline envirinmental studies...to move the permitting closer. The Kluane First Nations in the area also have contibuted their environmental studies to fully understand the issues to protect the land and wildlife.
The tailings are an issue as we move forward, but not as large a problem as your engineer buddy may warn you of, and not a breeze as eodway says. It is only an issue if you allow it to bother you....you have to think of where we are now...at the present with this mine....and then the PROCESS from here until mining. The tailings basin is just part of the process as we move forward, this mine will not open until all T s are crossed and all i's are dotted. Tailings are just one of the T's that will be crossed in due time.