68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference

EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF A FROZEN CORE DAM FOUNDED ON ICE RICH SALINE MARINE SILTS AND CLAYS

Session: Embankments and Dams in Cold Regions / Remblais et barrages en régions nordiques

Maritz Rykaart, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (Canada)
Megan Miller, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (Canada)
John Kurylo, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (Canada)
Lowell Wade, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (Canada)

A precedent setting frozen core dam was constructed over 30 m thick ice-rich, saline glacial marine silt and clay, and fine sand as part of the tailings management system at the Doris North Project in Nunavut Canada. This water retaining dam was completed in 2012, and two years of monitoring data confirm that the engineered (non-saline) core is maintaining a temperature below -2°C, whilst the underlying saline permafrost foundation is stabilizing with temperatures trending below -8°C as per the design. This paper presents this data, demonstrating the viability of this technology even under such challenging foundation conditions.