Delineation of Groundwater Capture Zone for the Faro Mine, Faro Mine Complex, Yukon Territory.

The purpose of delineating the capture zone of the Faro Mine is to predict groundwater flow in the area for predicting the Mine’s natural potential for capturing contaminated water from the Faro Mine’s waste rock pile. The groundwater flow of the Faro Mine was modelled using Visual MODFLOW to delineate the capture zone of the Faro Mine, ultimately the location of the main pit and the Zone 2 pit. Boundary conditions, parameters and background information were obtained from literature research and extracted from technical reports. As a result, a numerical model was constructed from incorporating the obtained data. Five cases were constructed for conducting sensitivity analysis, with Case 1 being the base case. Analysis concluded that the most sensitive parameter was the change in water level of the Faro Mine main pit and the Zone 2 pit. Further sensitivity analysis concluded that parameter estimates were not sensitive, which contributed to very little change in the capture zone pattern. It is concluded that the capture zone geometry at the Faro Mine only encompass 50% or less of the waste rock dump area. Therefore the capture zone has a low potential for capturing contaminated water and further treatment is necessary for remediation.Science, Faculty ofEarth and Ocean Sciences, Department ofUnreviewedUndergraduat