Enhancing Safety in Australian Tailings Dams

Tailings storage facility

Australia’s mining sector is among the largest and most influential in the world, with hundreds of tailings storage facilities (TSFs) distributed across regions such as Western Australia and Queensland. These structures are central to mining operations but also represent one of the most complex geotechnical challenges faced by the industry. Their safe performance is critical not only for operational continuity, but also for environmental protection and community trust.

Recognising the importance of this issue, the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD) has developed rigorous design and operational guidelines, while global frameworks such as the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM, 2020) encourage operators to adopt proactive safety practices. Within this context, digital tools that combine real-time monitoring with numerical modelling are emerging as essential components of a modern safety strategy.

The Safety Challenge in Tailings Dams

Tailings dams are unique because they evolve throughout their operational life. Unlike conventional water reservoirs, they are often raised progressively as mine production continues, which means their geotechnical conditions are in constant flux. Stability is influenced by pore pressure changes resulting from slurry deposition, progressive settlement and deformation during staged construction, and external environmental factors such as heavy rainfall or seismic activity. Seepage and erosion, if not carefully tracked, can also compromise the structure over time.

Traditional management approaches rely on periodic site inspections, regular stability analyses, and the use of instrumentation data collected at intervals. While these practices remain vital, they often operate in isolation from one another. The delay between gathering data, analysing it, and translating it into engineering decisions can create gaps in risk management. In facilities where the consequences of failure are severe, these gaps represent vulnerabilities that demand a more integrated approach.

The Role of Sensitivity Analysis

One of the greatest challenges in tailings dam engineering lies in the uncertainty of geotechnical parameters. Properties such as shear strength, permeability, and consolidation behaviour vary significantly within the deposited materials and foundations, often making predictive modelling uncertain. Sensitivity analysis provides a systematic way to assess how variations in these parameters affect the overall stability and deformation of the dam.

By identifying which parameters have the greatest influence on dam performance, sensitivity analysis allows engineers to prioritise site investigations, monitoring strategies, and backanalysis efforts. For instance, if stability proves highly sensitive to pore pressure assumptions, instrumentation such as piezometers can be deployed more strategically to reduce that uncertainty. This approach ensures that resources are directed where they deliver the highest safety value.

By highlighting the parameters that most affect dam behaviour, it guides engineers in calibrating numerical models more efficiently once monitoring data is available. In this way, sensitivity analysis works hand in hand with backanalysis, providing a foundation for more reliable interpretation of real-time dam performance

Real-Time Backanalysis as a Paradigm Shift

Real-time backanalysis builds on this foundation by directly linking monitoring data with numerical models of dam behaviour. Instead of relying on static assumptions that may quickly become outdated, models are continuously recalibrated as new field data arrives. This dynamic process allows engineers to detect deviations between expected and observed behaviour at an early stage, significantly improving the chances of identifying developing risks before they escalate.

The approach also enhances the predictive power of geotechnical models. By refining parameters in real time, engineers gain a more accurate representation of how a dam is actually performing under operational and environmental conditions. This makes it possible not only to evaluate current stability but also to anticipate how the dam might respond to future changes such as water level variations, extreme weather events, or further height increases. Decision-making, therefore, becomes risk-informed and grounded in continuously updated evidence rather than periodic static assessments.

DAARWIN as an Enabler of Proactive Safety

DAARWIN provides a digital environment in which this integration becomes practical and effective. The platform centralises all relevant monitoring data—such as piezometer readings, inclinometer measurements, settlement plates, and survey data—into a single, structured system. This avoids the inefficiencies and fragmentation that often characterise conventional monitoring programmes.

Through automated backanalysis, DAARWIN updates numerical models with incoming data, progressively narrowing the uncertainty associated with geotechnical parameters. Engineers are therefore able to base their assessments on models that reflect the current, rather than historical, behaviour of the dam. This capability not only supports compliance with ANCOLD and GISTM standards but also provides mining operators with greater confidence when communicating with regulators, investors, and communities. Importantly, the speed and clarity with which information becomes available through DAARWIN enables operational teams to act more decisively when design adjustments, dam raises, or water management interventions are required.

Benefits for Australian Mining Operations

For the Australian mining industry, the adoption of sensitivity analysis combined with real-time backanalysis has multiple benefits. It enhances safety margins by continuously learning from the actual performance of the dam, reducing reliance on conservative assumptions that may not reflect field conditions. At the same time, it reduces uncertainty in geotechnical parameters, providing engineers with more reliable insights during both design and operation. The transparency that results from this process strengthens trust among regulators and stakeholders, aligning with the growing emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance within the sector. Furthermore, by focusing monitoring and remediation resources where they are most needed, operators can achieve significant cost efficiencies without compromising safety.

Conclusion

As one of the world’s largest mining economies, Australia has the opportunity to lead in the safe and sustainable management of tailings dams. Advances in digitalisation and geotechnical intelligence are enabling a transition from reactive to proactive risk management, ensuring that facilities are designed, monitored, and operated with greater reliability. Sensitivity analysis, combined with real-time backanalysis through DAARWIN, provides a robust framework to anticipate and mitigate risks, bridging the gap between data collection and decision-making. By embracing these innovations, the Australian mining sector can reinforce its global leadership while safeguarding the environment and surrounding communities.

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