The paper presents the design adopted for the tailings impoundment of La Candelaria mine, located in the North of Chile in a semidesert zone next to a highly developed agricultural region. The design of this impoundment is characterized by having integrated in a harmonious way, the environmental, operational and economical aspects both for the operation, and abandonment phases, for which the planning studies of the mine, particularly in regards to the location of the waste rock dumps, had to be incorporated from the beginning. The final result will be an impoundment that fully complies with the current standards and requirements for this type of civil work as regards to environmental, economic, and safety requirements.