GARETH SWARBRICK

Principal Geotechnical Engineer at PSM, Gareth Swarbrick has over 45 years’ experience in design and management of tailings dams, the impacts on the built environment and the environment due to the effects of mine subsidence, geo-hydro-mechanical numerical analysis, unsaturated soils and landfills.

Gareth has worked on many major civil and mining projects including Brisbane Airport Link, Olympic Dam Mine Expansion, Lihir Gold mine, Ok Tedi mine. He has undertaken geo-hydro-mechanical 3D modelling of several mines including Mt Arthur (NSW), Liddell (NSW), Lihir (PNG), Waihi (NZ), and Macraes (NZ). Gareth has designed and overseen construction of several tailings dams such as Kanmantoo (SA), Tomingley (NSW) and Lorena (QLD), and has reviewed the design, construction, operation of numerous tailings dams such as Ranger (NT), Kaiantu (PNG), Saraji (QLD), MacArthur River (NT), Mt Arthur (NSW), Runruno (Philippines), Marandoo (QLD) and Batu Hijau (Indonesia). 

Gareth has also overseen the investigation and assessment of ground conditions of several dams such as Warragamba (NSW), Talbingo (NSW) and Somerset (QLD). He has worked on major waste dumps such as Ok Tedi (PNG), Porgera (PNG) and Hunter Valley Operations (NSW) and several mine closure projects include Yallourn (VIC), Ranger (NT), Swanbank (QLD), Liddell (NSW), Newlands (NSW) and Donaldson (NSW).

Gareth is an active researcher in mine subsidence, tailings deposition and consolidation, unsaturated soils and landfill gas biofiltration, and has been an expert witness in legal disputes. Gareth has authored or co-authored over 60 publications in a variety of research areas and is the co-author of the current NSW handbook for the design, construction, operation, monitoring and maintenance of a passive landfill gas drainage and biofiltration system.

Gareth is a member of the UNSW Industry Advisory Panel for Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW AGSE PhD in Industry Advisory Board and a founding member of the NSW Independent Expert Advisory Panel for Mining due to his work on the impacts of mining on water supply in the NSW Special Catchment Areas.

Gareth lectures in several postgraduate courses at universities and coordinates the Sustainability in Tailings Management course at UNSW. He has authored and co-authored over 60 journal and conference papers in his fields of expertise and is an active member of the Australian Geomechanics Society. Gareth has been on editorial boards including the International Journal Waste Management and Research and is a frequent contributor to conferences in Australia and overseas.

Gareth's fields of expertise include:

• The impacts on the built environment and the environment due to the effects of mine subsidence
• Tailings storage facility design, construction , operation, monitoring and closure
• Tailings sedimentation, consolidation and desiccation
• 3D geometric and geomechanical modelling
• Multiphase modelling of air, water, oil and heat
• Landfill design and analysis including gas and leachate management