Reclamation - restoring disturbed lands

It is common practice for mines to store tailings waste as a fluid slurry behind earthen embankments or in depleted mine pits. Looked at purely from an upfront cost perspective, this is generally the most economical option. However, look at the same facility long-term and it is a different story. Unless mine owners view tailings management from a total cost/benefit perspective from cradle to grave, their risk analysis of what is considered an appropriate tailings management solution for start-up could be very short-sighted. A dewatering approach that extracts most of the liquid and changes tailings from a fluid to a soil product, offers many mine sites substantial long-term benefits