Rio Tinto has announced that they have taken a significant step towards reclamation at the Diavik Diamond Mine, having begun filling the pits with water from Lac de Gras.
“We are very pleased to have reached this milestone in the progressive reclamation of Diavik,” said Diavik Diamond Mine General Manager Gord Stephenson.
After successfully decommissioning the mine, including removing all equipment from the underground and open pit mines, nine siphons were activated over the last several weeks.
With each siphon designed for 850 litres of water flow per second, the filling of the pit is expected to take between six and twelve months.
Controls have been put in place on the siphons to ensure they have minimal impact on the lake and on the downstream river. Fish screens are also in place on the siphons to ensure the local wildlife is not harmed by their operation.
Once the pits have been filled, the water quality will be monitored until it meets acceptable criteria at which point the pits will be reconnected to the lake, as they were before mining operations began.
“Our goal is to leave the mine site in a safe and stable state and taking this step towards reconnecting our mine pits to Lac de Gras brings us closer to that goal. We remain committed to closing Diavik responsibly, with care, and in collaboration with Indigenous Government partners and regulators,” said Stephenson.
Diavik’s Final Closure and Reclamation Plan was approved by the Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board in March, and Traditional Knowledge monitors visited the site to observe elements of Diavik’s closure in late July.
The mine is on schedule to complete closure activities by 2030.
