Interdisciplinary Approach as Basis for Enhancing Construction and Operation Safety of Industrial Hydraulic Structures

This article analyses the necessity of employing an interdisciplinary approach in the geotechnical practice of designing, constructing, and operating industrial hydraulic structures—tailings dams of processing plants. Tailings dam failures often lead to irreversible consequences for the ecological state of the environment. The interdisciplinary approach involves treating the foundation soils of structures and anthropogenic tailings deposits as a multicomponent system. In this system, soil acts as a medium hosting groundwater of varying compositions and contamination levels, containing biotic components and their metabolic products, including the gaseous phase. It has been demonstrated that the justified application of this approach increases the operational safety of existing structures and the long-term stability of starter and tailings dikes built on weak clay foundation soils. Particular emphasis is placed on the biotic component and the dual role of subsurface microorganisms. These bacteria negatively impact the strength and load-bearing capacity of water- and water–gas-saturated clay soils in the foundation of the structures under consideration. The diverse biocenosis in groundwater simultaneously facilitates self-purification from petroleum hydrocarbons to undetectable levels. This aspect holds fundamental importance, as groundwater discharges into river systems.