Bloom Lake Iron Ore Mine

The Bloom Lake iron ore mine, located near Fermont, Quebec (Canada), has a bright future following its reopening in 2018.

Location

Fermont, Québec

Client

Quebec Iron Ore

In light of our extensive northern mining sector expertise, Quebec Iron Ore retained our services to increase tailings and waste rock storage capacity at the Bloom Lake Iron Ore Mine.

The project was complex in scope, requiring quality studies, an environmental impact study and proposals of innovative, efficient and environmentally sound design solutions. The mine had closed in 2014, but the environmental solutions WSP proposed allowed the mine to obtain the necessary permits to continue operating, benefitting many families in the town of Fremont.

Quebec Iron Ore also asked our experts to collaborate with its team to conduct the feasibility study (NI 43-101) for this project. Our engineering and environmental teams successfully adhered to project costs while minimizing the ecological footprint.

Challenges

Even before the environmental impact assessment began, the project’s main challenges were determining the best location for the storage sites based on environmental, technical, socio-economic and economic factors, and planning for sound management of the water associated with these new developments. In collaboration with Quebec Iron Ore, our engineering and environmental teams were able to optimize, position and design the new infrastructure to the project's specific needs.

Environmental procedures

To conduct the environmental impact study, the first step in obtaining permits, several of our experts, including biologists, hydrogeologists, cartographers, and geographers helped analyze the environmental issues presented by the project. The rigorous process of obtaining environmental permits for the project required a team effort.

Complete fauna and flora inventories were conducted in the insertion environment, and many exhaustive surveys and simulations were carried out on surface and underground water, atmospheric emissions, hydrology, hydrogeology and noise. As social acceptability is crucial, our environment team prepared and participated in consultations with Indigenous communities and socio-economic stakeholders. Quebec Iron Ore also asked our experts to collaborate with its team to conduct the feasibility study (NI 43-101).

After obtaining governmental authorization, Quebec Iron Ore will assign us new responsibilities for the project implementation phase.

Services

Evaluation of alternative solutions.
Production of the environmental impact study.
Listing of water bodies in Schedule II of the Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations.
Production of the fish habitat compensation plan.
Conceptual engineering for the tailings and waste rock disposal site variants and water management.
Feasibility engineering for selected tailings and waste rock disposal site variant and water management.