88 regions, where low precipitation facilitates compaction and operational performance. Despite their origins in dry climates, filtered tailings technology has expanded globally as mining operations aim to reduce water content in tailings to improve overall safety. However, applying filtered tailings deposits in high-rainfall environments challenges conventional practices, as rainfall can negatively affect compaction. These conditions introduce difficulties related to the unsaturated behavior of tailings materials and the absence of design and operational guidelines specifically developed for high-precipitation settings. Copeland et al. (2023) indicate that dry stacking is increasingly recognized as a reliable option, as it reduces failure risks, improves water conservation, lowers costs, addresses environmental concerns, and may enhance mineral recovery through additional mineral dissolution during filtration. In mining regions with high annual rainfall, the implementation of filtered tailings deposits requires careful technical assessment. Operational considerations during the rainy season are critical, as the geotechnical behavior of the stacks is strongly influenced by variability in moisture content resulting from industrial processing. According to Patterson et al. (2016), the performance and success of filtered tailings stacks depend on site-specific conditions, the scale of operations, and the geotechnical and geochemical characteristics of the tailings. Numerical modeling of infiltration using principles of unsaturated soil mechanics provides a valuable tool for evaluating recharge processes and optimizing drainage design (Watson, Sardana, & Sander, 1995). This approach allows for improved estimation of moisture conditions within tailings stacks. Nevertheless, uncertainties remain, particularly in the unsaturated properties such as the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) and permeability, which can significantly influence modeling results. This study aims to provide guidelines for the seepage analysis in Filtered Tailings Deposits located in high-precipitation regions, with the objective of highlighting the importance of conducting analyses that consider the unsaturated behavior of the materials. 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1. Filtered Tailings According to ICOLD 181 (2021), filtered tailings has been put in practice since 1970s. Nevertheless, filtering was not feasible for many operations due to filtering equipment and the operational cost. In the recent years, filtering of tailings has significantly increased due to the improvement in the efficiency of the focus on reduced water consumption and filtering equipment, along with the reduced risks of stability and potential environmental risks. The filtered tailings are typically deposited in the storage facility and spread to minimize moisture loss until the optimum moisture content is reached. Subsequently, these materials are compacted to increase their strength and form a structural zone that allows them to support themselves (Sanchez & Parra, 2024). Typically, filtered tailings require dewatering to reach a solids concentration of 85% to 88% to achieve optimum moisture content and facilitate compaction. Generally, filtered tailings form a structural (compacted) zone and uncompacted tailings, as shown in Figure 1. The uncompacted zone may have a lower solids content and can be in the interior. Furthermore, this facility must have a seepage and runoff system collected in external collection ponds.
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