EMS

Brüel & Kjær

A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO
NOISE MONITORING MAINTAINS
GOOD RELATIONS
Redeveloping Hollinger Mine at Porcupine Gold Mines has raised
concerns about environmental impacts in the community. Although mines
have been operating nearby for over 100 years a greater emphasis must
be placed on mitigating impacts on all stakeholders.

CHALLENGE SOLUTION RESULTS

Open pit development
at a historic mine site at
Goldcorp’s Porcupine Mine
has raised concerns due to its
close proximity to the City of
Timmins.
A subscription to
Sentinel enables Goldcorp
to monitor and manage the
levels of noise, vibration and
dust and provide real-time
information directly to the
community.
A proactive approach
to working with the
community ensures Goldcorp
maintains its status as a
responsible corporate
citizen.

CASE STUDY A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO NOISE MONITORING MAINTAINS GOOD RELATIONS 01


BACKGROUND
Porcupine Gold Mines (PGM) is
situated in Timmins, Ontario in
Northern Canada.
Operated by Goldcorp since 2006,
Porcupine Gold Mines has been active
since 1910 making it North America’s
longest continually operating gold
mine.
Porcupine Gold Mines has an area of
influence of 100km radius from the
Mill. The majority of its properties are
located within the City of Timmins’
municipal boundaries.
CASE STUDY A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO NOISE MONITORING MAINTAINS GOOD RELATIONS
THE CHALLENGE
The mine is undergoing significant
expansion through redeveloping the
past producing Hollinger Mine to an
open pit operation. As the mining
operations have been established
for over 100 years, communities
have built up around the mining
area and any change in the noise
climate carries the risk of disturbance
to the City of Timmins which has a
population of over 43,000.
The Hollinger Project presented
a unique challenge in mine
development as it is located
immediately adjacent to the
downtown core of the City of
Timmins. Due to this sensitive
location, plans for development
took into account not only the
usual economic and environmental
factors, but also the effect on nearby
stakeholders, to ensure these were
minimal. The community is a valuable
partner in this project
Strict monitoring of noise,
vibration and dust were part of the
Environmental Compliance Approval
issued by the Ministry of Environment
for the mine development.
In addition Goldcorp saw that real-
time monitoring was a way to put
stakeholders at ease by being open
and transparent about all aspects of
the project.
The mine recognized that it needed
to control noise, vibration and
dust both during construction and
operation phases.
Specifically there is an operational
water tower close to the mining area
and during the planning stage its
preservation was highlighted and
special care was needed to protect it
from structural damage.
Results
Goldcorp worked very closely and
cooperatively with the community
“It is the one part
of the operating plan I
am most pleased with. The
technology will give real-
time reports if and when a
problem occurs in the mining
operation”
Andre Robichaud, City of Timmins
Planning Department
02
on all aspects of safety and the
environment. Over the years,
Goldcorp has built a trusting
relationship with the surrounding
communities. “The important thing
is that if there is an
Goldcorp puts a strong emphasis
unusually high noise event, or
on maintaining that trust within the
incident of dust or vibration, the
community and minimizing impacts
monitors will track it and report
on its neighbours.
it and the incident can be acted
on”
THE APPROACH
technical studies, field testing and a Londie Cameron, Environmental
One of the first steps in this process
series of public meetings that were Technologist, Goldcorp
was writing the Best Management
held over the past seven years.
Plan (BMP) and the Site Plan
Control Agreement, addressing the
When the environmental team first
management and monitoring of
looked into addressing these issues
mining activities, site reclamation and
contingency plans.
they considered buying a range of THE SOLUTION
handheld sound level meters to In March 2012, Goldcorp-PGM signed
take spot measurements to ensure a contract with EMS for Sentinel
Timmins City Council played an active
that noise and vibration levels services. Initially, a system of seven
role in the development and approval
were not excessive. After talking noise and vibration terminals was
of both documents.
through the challenge with EMS the installed along with the Stakeholder
environmental team was convinced Web solution to communicate
The most common concerns among
that a more advanced approached noise levels to the surrounding
residents include noise, dust, fly rock,
would be valuable to them. communities. Recognizing the long-
vibration and some apprehension
term need for monitoring, services
around site stability and potential for
A continuous automated were contracted for a seven year
subsidence. Each of these concerns
measurement regime is far superior. period, providing the most cost
was addressed through a number of
Spot measurements are expensive effective means of operation.
as they tie up personnel and they
do not have the same credibility as A few months later the system
continuous measurement, was expanded to 17 locations and
integrated to use already existing dust
PGM’s environmental team expected and air quality monitoring equipment.
to deal with a number of different Now everything was accessible from
suppliers for noise, vibration, the same system which made it a lot
dust and to have to learn to use easier for the environment team to
several different systems. They work with the noise, vibration and
were delighted to find in Sentinel a dust information.
single integrated system, specifically
designed to address In August 2013 as works progressed
the challenge at hand. Sentinel closer to the water tower, an
was seen as a more cost-effective additional three vibration monitors
solution, easier to learn and easier to were added specifically to address
use. concerns in that area.

CASE STUDY A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO NOISE MONITORING MAINTAINS GOOD RELATIONS 03

 EMS
Brüel & Kjær

measurements at the drill site. Two Having identified the cause of the
mobile units compliment the 17 noise, they can enter comments
permanent stations. which get logged in the system.
Internal staff or the public can view
This data is also whether or not these noise events
communicated up were mining related.
to Sentinel where
dispatch and FUTURE PLANS FOR
Goldcorp saw that even the drilling ENVIRONMENTAL
real-time monitoring personnel can MANAGEMENT
was a way to put keep an eye on The recent addition of vibration
stakeholders at ease and levels.
monitoring around the water tower
get the project moving. may increase after structural studies
Daily and weekly have been completed. Data from this
reports help the monitoring will be used to inform
environmental team daily operations near the water tower
advise operational teams in order to protect its integrity.
on reducing noise, vibration and
dust levels. Daily and weekly reports Goldcorp has made the Sentinel
enable mine management to make Stakeholder Web directly accessible
Data from all 17 locations is received
operational decisions. Monthly and to the community over the internet.
in real time and automatically
annual reports are submitted to the The Stakeholder Web provides
communicated to Sentinel where it is
Ministry of Environment and local a simple and effective way to
stored, processed and available for
council, and are made available on a share information with interested
viewing via a website that is available
website for all to see. stakeholders.
to the public

On receiving an alert, dispatch can Users can see historical trends and
Mine personnel use the Real Time
pinpoint the location of concern the current levels updated in real
Control App in Sentinel to see what
and view actual levels. Noise-related time. In return, the mine can show
is happening right now. The display
concerns are recorded within that it is being transparent about the
is customized to noise, vibration
Sentinel. This enables dispatch to

BG 1899-13
and dust levels at each monitoring impact which reinforces the trust
play back the recording to identify its built up between Goldcorp-PGM and
location. Warnings are generated
source. the community.
when limits are approaching and
are displayed in pop-up dialogue
boxes. Alerts are also sent to mine Sentinel is managed by Goldcorp’s two environmental
personnel via SMS should they not be technologists at the mine, Londie Cameron and Patrick
Dzijacky.
at a computer.

When activities such as drilling are

scheduled to take place near a
sensitive receptor the environmental
2017-01

team can deploy a mobile trailer

monitoring unit to take precise
BG1899-12

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