Pend Orielle Mine

Teck Cominco American, Inc.
Metaline Falls, Washington

The Pend Oreille Mine is a zinc and lead mine and the mine site is located two miles north of Metaline Falls, Washington on the east side of the Pend Oreille River. DelHur was hired on two separate contracts to construct a Tailings Disposal Facility to store waste rock tailings produced during the ore milling and metal extraction processes.

Phase I of this project consisted of excavation/embankment, foundation preparation, screening/processing/stockpiling of drainage aggregate materials, shaping/finishing subgrade surface, installation of a double lining system (60 mil HDPE with a geocomposite drainage layer in between the primary and secondary liner), hydro seeding, re-alignment of the access road, decommissioning of existing monitoring wells, installation of new monitoring wells, installation of header/collector/riser pipes and fittings, installation of surface movement monuments, installation of piezometers and wildlife fence installation.

Phase II of this was a tailings dam raise of Phase I. The work scope activities included excavation/embankment, fill footprint foundation preparation, shape/compact subgrade surface, fill placement, installation of a double liner (60 mil textured and geocomposite) with a secondary drainage system between the liners, hydro seeding, decommissioning of existing monitoring wells, installation of new monitoring wells, installation of surface movement monuments.