The safe operation of the large, outflow Tailings Storage Facilities (TSF) requires comprehensive and continuous threat monitoring. One of the basic kinds of threat monitoring is to monitor the water conditions in deposited tailings, which is usually carried out using a conventional piezometric observation method from a network of installed piezometers. In complex tailings storage conditions, the reliability of the piezometric method may be questioned. The Seismic Cone Penetration Test (SCPTU) can meet high test standards. The results of the penetration tests closely identify conditions of sediments that determine the tailings water regime verified locally on the basis of pore water pressure dissipation tests. On the other hand, seismic measurements perfectly complement the characteristics of sediments in terms of their saturation. The analysis of the results of SCPTU implemented in the tailings massif also showed that below the phreatic surface, a zone of not fully saturated tailings can be found. Its presence improves the stability conditions of the tailings massif and dams, but also limits the possibility of the static liquefaction of tailings.

Economic development stimulated by the increased demand for production of consumer goods and the growing human population result in increasing the amounts of various wastes, including tailings. Mining industry in Poland, comprising also mining of non-ferrous metal ores, is a strategic branch of the national economy and, at the same time, a leading waste producer. Tailings management is a significant problem both in Poland and worldwide. Frequently, considerable amounts of wastes are accumulated in mine spoil tips, in areas not always suitable for their deposition, thus leading to the degradation of the surrounding environment. At the huge volume of produced wastes their rational and economically viable management is becoming crucial. On the other hand, depletion of natural aggregate deposits is an important incentive to search for substitutes, which would be suitable for the development of road infrastructure or which could be used in earth structure engineering to construct hydroengineering objects. Since no profitable recovery technologies are available at present, tailings generated by copper mining are deposited in tailings storage facilities. The largest and at the same time the only currently operating facility in Poland is the Żelazny Most Mining Tailings Storage Facility, belonging to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. The paper presents criteria for material quality and density imposed on the material embedded in the static core of the tailings pond dam. For this purpose studies were conducted to confirm applicability of sorted tailings as a material for the construction of earth structures.

Jedną z możliwości poprawy współczynnika stateczności nasypu budowlanego jest obniżenie położenia krzywej filtracji. W wyniku tego zabiegu uzyskuje się mniejsze siły masowe uruchamiające potencjalny zsuw oraz korzystniejsze parametry wytrzymałościowe gruntów, które przeciwdziałają ruchom osuwiskowym. W przypadku składowisk odpadów obniżenie krzywej filtracji wód uzyskuje się poprzez budowę studni odciążających i piętrowych systemów drenażowych, spełniających wytyczne bezpiecznej eksploatacji obiektu. Celem niniejszej pracy jest wskazanie metody umożliwiającej monitoring rzeczywistego położenia krzywej filtracji w masywie składowanych osadów oraz ocena sprawności działania drenażu pierścieniowego składowiska. W pracy podjęto próbę wykorzystania do tego celu metody statycznego sondowania CPTU. Badanie CPTU umożliwia pomiar dyssypacji ciśnienia wody w porach gruntu, identyfikując warunki drenażu, które porównuje się z wynikami obserwacji piezometrycznych. Wyniki tego rodzaju badań umożliwiły kontrolę zmian położenia krzywej depresji wód nadosadowych w zaporach oraz określenie sprawności funkcjonowania systemu drenażu pierścieniowego.

Seismic tests are becoming more and more meaningful in modern geoengineering since they allow precise assessment of changes in the analyzed profile of soil deformation parameters at very small strain. The engineering practice generally uses two methods for such kinds of tests: reference cross-hole test and commercial down-hole method. The costs of implementation of this kind of research and the reliability of the results obtained along with any additional benefits from the type of the selected testing technique are not without significance. Seismic measurements for which comparative analysis was performed were carried out in a strongly anisotropic materials base of a tailings. The results of tests conducted with a standard cross-hole method were compared with those conducted using the down-hole method, in which the seismic piezocone (SCPTU) and seismic dilatometer (SDMT) were used. Test results have shown that in terms of assessment of their credibility, there were no fundamental differences in the quality of the recorded signals. It has been pointed out, however, that there are many advantages to penetration in situ tests, which complement identification of subsoil structure with many crucial elements that cannot be achieved using the cross-hole method.