Harvey Mcleod

Biography

 Harvey McLeod is a geotechnical engineer with over 40 years’ experience in all aspects of tailings dams. He has worked on over 100 tailings dams in all types of physical, climatic and social conditions in over 20 countries. He has carried out major studies for over 80 mining projects, including some of the largest mining operations in the world. Harvey was Chair of the Tailings Technical Review sub-committee for the MEM, updating the province’s Mining Code to include the recommendations of the inquiry into the Mount Polley tailings spill, which has set a new standard for the safe management of tailings ponds. He is also working with the Canadian Dam Association (CDA), Engineers and Geoscientists BC (formerly known as APEGBC), and MEM to incorporate lessons learned from Mount Polley into practice, and to improve guidelines and regulations for tailings dams. He has also been active with the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) for over 15 years and is currently Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tailings Dams. In recognition of his contribution to sustainability in mine development, Harvey was presented with the 2013 Robert R. Hedley Award by the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia. In 2016 he received the Engineering Institute of Canada Fellowship for excellence in engineering and services to the profession and to society. In addition, Harvey was invited to present the R.M. Hardy Keynote Address at the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s GeoVancouver 2016 conference. Harvey has a B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an M.Sc. in Soil Mechanics from Imperial College London. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in British Columbia, Ontario and Yukon, and has authored over 20 technical papers.

Research Interest

 Soil Mechanics, Geological Engineering