Management of mine sites and tailings facilities

Horne Smelter manages 4 former mine sites and 7 tailings facilities that are currently in operation (active) or closed (inactive).

What is a mine site?

A mine site is a piece of land where minerals have been extracted. It may include a tailings facility, an open pit, stockpiles, ponds, a processing plant and any other infrastructure related to mining.

Most of the mine sites managed by the Horne Smelter are former open pits, but there is also a water collecting basin, a water treatment plant, a waste rock pile and a unconsolidated material pile. All the buildings on the mining sites have been demolished, leaving only those required for environmental monitoring and maintenance. 

What is a tailings facility site?

A tailings facility site is a storage area for mine tailings. It includes all the equipment, engineering structures and components pooled together to manage solid mine tailings and the water they contain.

Tailings facility operations

Tailings from Horne Smelter operations are currently deposited in the Noranda 5 tailings facility. Tailings are transported from the Horne Smelter plant to the tailings facility using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes. No tailings are currently deposited in the Noranda 4 tailings facility, which is currently used for water management, collecting water from the Noranda 5 polishing pond.

Quémont 2 has almost reached its maximum capacity. Assessment of the various options for final filling is underway. Once capacity has been reached, this facility will enter the closure phase, followed by rehabilitation. 

The Noranda 1 tailings facility is considered active.

Control measures

Since the health and safety of our employees and the community are among our core values, control measures are in place at the Horne Smelter to ensure proper management and maintenance of the tailings facilities.

• Inspection program, including annual inspection by the designated engineer;
• Monitoring of surface water quality, groundwater quality and dam stability;
• Implementation of emergency plans and annual testing;
• Internal and external audits, dam safety studies and more.