Tailings Management

ATC Williams has built an international reputation encompassing a lifecycle approach to the management of mine tailings, from initial development to closure and post closure performance. A holistic approach is critical to the delivery of safe, sustainable, and efficient solutions that meet the needs of our mining clients.


Understanding the characteristics and behaviour of tailings as it relates to effective management through the life of the containment facility demands a range of skills that has been the focus of ATC Williams over our 40-year history.

The company is actively involved in continued research into tailings behaviour, primarily through support of post-graduate studies supervised by world-class scholars.

— Our Expertise

Specialist Tailings Management expertise includes tailings characterisation, thickening and dewatering technologies, transport, and containment systems. Tailings management draws on ATC Williams’ extensive experience and skills base which offers conventional to innovative fit-for-purpose solutions.

ATC Williams’ journey in tailings management and our proactive contribution to advancement in tailings management technology can be traced through past decades:

1980s   The company was founded with a small specialised tailings laboratory established later.

1990s   Contributors to an advanced paradigm in mine tailings disposal known as “thickened tailings disposal” with a number of tailings storage facilities designed and constructed adopting this scheme.

2000s   Frontline research into efficient and safer technology for tailings disposal, supporting PhD research studies, with emphasis on tailings rheology and beach slope prediction models.

2010s   Addition of Tailings Dewatering and Transport services.

Today   A leading provider of the full range of tailings management and storage technologies to the mining industry in Australia and internationally.

— INTEGRATED LIFECYCLE CAPABILITIES

Clients partner with ATC Williams at any stage of the mining lifecycle. We offer a complete service resourced by professional experts.

  • Tailings management closely aligns to the geotechnical engineering DNA of the company, integrating with our water management service base
  • Dam engineering is synonymous with our tailings management expertise
  • Our tailings and water management practices are supported by a dedicated slurry and mechanical engineering team, focusing on tailings transport and deposition
  • Advanced expertise in seismic hazard analysis, constitutive and numerical modelling, tailings liquefaction and dam break analysis emphasises our commitment to safety as an integral part of design
  • Our NATA accredited testing laboratory provides a full suite of materials characterisation procedures to support accurate selection of parameters for design purposes

— PARTNERSHIP FOCUSED

Our tailings management practice is solutions focused. We deliver systems that align directly to our client’s needs including cost, efficiency, operational expediency, safety, and environmental performance.

— MORE INFORMATION

Please explore our Service Area factsheets to learn more.

— Let's Talk

Connect with a tailings expert today:

Nelson Amoah
WA Operations Manager/Senior Principal

— Projects

Since 1981, our expert team has undertaken over 500 tailings/mining-related projects across the world.

CLIENT
Evolution Mining
LOCATION
South East Queensland
The Mount Rawdon Gold Mine is located approximately 14km southeast of the township of Mount Perry, southwest of Bundaberg in South East Queensland.
Materials Characterisation, Tailings Management
Australia/New Zealand
CLIENT
Anglo Gold Ashanti
LOCATION
Western Australia
Sunrise Dam Gold Mine is located in a semi-desert region about 200 km northeast of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Tailings Management
Australia/New Zealand
CLIENT
29Metals Limited
LOCATION
Western Australia
The Golden Grove Mine (Golden Grove) is a copper, lead, silver, zinc and gold mine located approximately 50 km southeast of Yalgoo, Western Australia.
Ground Engineering, Materials Characterisation, Tailings Management
Australia/New Zealand
CLIENT
KAZ Minerals
LOCATION
Kazakhstan
Since 2009, ATC Williams has been engaged by KAZ Minerals to provide design studies and ongoing technical support during operation and construction within the tailings, civil, geotechnical, water and mechanical fields for their Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs).
Tailings Management, Water Management
Central Asia

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