March 19, 2024, Mexico City, Mexico – Knight Piésold recently participated in the 1st International Symposium on Tailings Facilities, which was held in Chihuahua, Mexico from March 13 to 15, 2024. Tailings management specialists from Knight Piesold’s Denver, Mexico City, and Santiago offices took part as a keynote speaker, technical session co-chair, advisory committee member, and technical course speakers, sharing best practice insights on tailings management and governance.

The symposium, which was the first of its kind to be held in the country, included special focus on tailings risk analysis and management, a critical aspect of mining operations. It was organized by the Mexican Society of Geotechnical Engineering and covered topics on the planning, design, construction, and operation of tailings facilities.

On March 13, Enrique Garcés, a senior geotechnical and tailings engineer based in the Santiago office, Adolfo Lopez, a senior engineer based in the Santiago office, and Jeff Coffin, an executive project manager based in the Denver office, facilitated a technical course titled “Challenges in the design of tailings deposits applying current best practices.” The course addressed tailings dam design, placing particular emphasis on the application of current best practices and compliance with international standards. It also covered risks associated with the life cycle of tailings dams, geotechnical characteristics and hydraulic considerations, geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring, and case studies and lessons learned.

On March 15, Gilberto Dominguez, Operations Manager of Knight Piésold Mexico, served as co-chair of the fifth technical session titled “Governance, regulations, and technical and environmental standards.” Dominguez was also a member of the Advisory Committee of the symposium. 

In addition, for the fifth technical session, Paul Ridlen, President of Knight Piésold USA, was one of the keynote speakers, presenting on “The crucial role of engineers in improving tailings facility safety through the implementation of international standards.” After his presentation, he participated in a round table discussing key elements of tailings governance, which was moderated by Coffin.

Knight Piésold also exhibited at the three-day symposium, with the team from the Mexico City office staffing the booth and connecting with clients, industry partners, and the mining community.

“We were delighted to have been invited by the Mexican Society of Geotechnical Engineering to become an important player in the symposium,” said Dominguez. “It was a fantastic opportunity to share our expertise and engage in open discussions with tailings professionals from Mexico and internationally.”

“Our participation in the symposium reflects our dedication to contributing to dialogue on sustainable mining practices, and our multidisciplinary team continues to support mining clients with innovative solutions for their projects, integrating international standards for safe, sustainable operations.”