Case Study: Tailings Dam Monitoring
The Challenge:
As a result of catastrophic tailings storage facility failures globally, regulatory frameworks governing TSFs have become significantly more stringent, including the adoption of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM). Following a scheduled inspection, enhanced stability monitoring of the tailings embankment was required to meet regulatory expectations. The requirements placed strong emphasis on early deformation detection, defensible trigger thresholds, and clear, auditable record supporting ongoing compliance and assurance.
Key Issues
- Regulatory compliance risk: With increasingly stringent global TSF requirements, inadequate monitoring posed a risk of operational constraints or production disruption.
- Time critical implementation: Monitoring upgrades were required within compressed timeframes to meet regulatory expectations.
- Defensible data: Monitoring outputs needed to be objective, repeatable, and suitable for regulatory review.
The Kurloo Solution:
Rapid Deployment of Kurloo GNSS Monitoring
Kurloo was selected to close this gap by providing continuous, autonomous deformation monitoring that is defensible by design, ensuring the site had a reliable and objective monitoring capability aligned with current regulatory expectations.
A tailings embankment is a difficult environment for conventional monitoring because the structure deforms, local references drift, radar leaves the crest and beach uncovered, and access is restricted at the points that most need attention. Continuous GNSS, anchored to an absolute geodetic frame, is unaffected by these constraints.
By measuring motion in six degrees of freedom (6DoF), Kurloo captures displacement, rotational behaviour, and environmental context at each monitoring point, delivering millimetre level data that is repeatable, auditable, and suitable for regulatory assurance. This removed reliance on periodic manual surveys and provided a clearer understanding of embankment behaviour over time.
Manufactured in Australia, Kurloo was rapidly mobilised, with the system delivered, deployed, and fully operational within one week – allowing the site to satisfy regulator requirements without disrupting ongoing operations.
Designed for simplicity, the units were easily installed by on site personnel with no specialist equipment or technical expertise required. Devices were strategically installed across all four embankment faces at critical control locations, including the tailings embankment crest and multiple downstream embankment toe positions. Kurloo’s Customer Success team provided full remote onboarding, commissioning support, and validation, ensuring the system was configured correctly from day one and delivering reliable, high-quality data immediately.
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