Ajax serves up 3D model of mine site, circa 2035
The community-relations manager for Ajax thinks the latest illustration of the open-pit mine proposed for south of Aberdeen will “show [people] we’re not hiding anything.”
The first of two planned scale models of the Ajax site is now on display at the mine’s Seymour Street office, Norman Thompson told KTW.
It will also be up for viewing at Ribfest this August and at community workshops slated for the fall.
The $8,000, two-metre-by-1.2-metre physical model shows the mine as it would look in 2035, in the final years of its lifespan.
“It’s to scale, so here’s what it is,” Thompson said.
“We’re showing people — here’s the pit, here’s where the waste rock facility, the tailings facility is going to be.”
Thompson said Ajax chose to show the mine at a point when the pit is at its maximum size, but all the buildings, roads and powerlines constructed for the project would still be in place.
“You need a snapshot in time,” Thompson said.
“You want to give people the perspective . . . so they can have some sight of what’s going to be to happening over the next 25 years.”
The model also shows some reclamation work planned for the site.
By 2035, the mine’s eastern waste-rock area is shown as being completely reclaimed, while Thompson said the sides of northern waste rock pile and the tailings storage area will be reclaimed as the project goes along.
The boundaries of Kamloops are also shown on the model, with the city marked in light gray.
A second model of the mine site is still on the way.
That one will be a computerized, “Google Earth-style” display, Thompson said, which will also show what the mine will look like five, 10 and 20 years into its life.
“You can literally land at a location and do a 360 to see what your view is at different areas in the city,” he said.
The second model will likely be up on Ajax’s website in two months.
This is the second 3D rendering of the mine Ajax has released this year. An earlier animated video of the site drew criticism from Kamloops city council and mine critics for being difficult to comprehend, sparking calls for a physical rendering of the site.
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