Mine Water Management

The Ok Tedi copper-gold mine in Papua, New Guinea is situated within a seismically active, mountainous region of extremely high rainfall. The current open pit is transected by several large faults, and the rock mass conditions are complex. Material permeabilities are variable, with considerable contrast within the major rock types...

Research done in South Africa shows that change in the global climate is affecting the way local mines need to plan and build their infrastructure, particularly when it comes to water management. Studies by Lumsden and Schulze show climate change is going to make the eastern parts of SA significantly...

The design of a mine water control system depends on many factors including: • hydrogeological conditions • dewatering or depressurisation requirements • start, duration and rates of pumping at different stages of mining • interaction of pumping infrastructure with mine planning and operations • availability of drilling and pumping equipment...

Mineral resources are often associated with complex geologic regimes that present challenges for conceptual thought, investigatory methods, data analysis, and numerical modelling. Geologic terrains that contain varied materials, mineralogic alteration, significant structure, hydrothermal activity, permafrost, and subsurface gas present challenging environments for a hydrogeologist. In many instances, traditional hydrogeologic field...

Groundwater flow in the vicinity of open pits and underground mines varies 3-dimensionally and with time. Assessing mine dewatering commonly requires the development of 3-dimensional (3D) numerical groundwater models, based on 3D geological, structural, and hydrogeological data, to fully characterise the groundwater flow. SRK often applies the finite-difference code Visual...

Mine water management in the Canadian Arctic involves a unique combination of technical challenges as a function of the geographical and geologic setting. Characterisation and planning for underground mine groundwater inflow management requires a thorough understanding of northern hydrogeology, as well as thermal effects, water quality and logistical challenges. The...

SRK has had extensive experience working on mine water supply projects in Middle Eastern countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia. The climate in this part of the world is mostly arid with very limited rainfall, runoff and recharge. It follows that one of the major challenges mines face is guaranteeing a...

This article describes 1) methods of locating abandoned boreholes within a side hill pit, and 2) the design and operation of in-line pH adjustment facilities for low-pH pit water. Historic exploration boreholes in the base of Pit 1 at the Tonkin Springs Mine in central Nevada intercepted confined groundwater at...

In hard rock mining environments, groundwater flow along fractures dominates. In order to understand the nature of fractures, and particularly those that are continuous and inter-connected within a wider fracture network, SRK employs specialist field investigation techniques. The opportunity to design and undertake such investigations within an integrated program of...

Sulfide bearing rocks in waste dumps, spent copper heap leach piles, ore stock piles, pit walls, coal spoil and dewatered tailings storage facilities can be long-term sources of water contamination. Sulfides, when exposed to oxygen and water, oxidise to produce sulfates and acid. Under acid conditions a wide range of...

Large mining projects, currently being developed in Chile’s northern region, are generally located in the Andes Mountains at altitudes of 3000+ meters above sea level. Possible sources of water supply for mining are the mountain aquifers and sea water. Due to Chile’s geographic configuration, using sea water is always feasible,...

South Africa’s National Water Act of 1998 has highlighted the need to conserve its valuable resource in this water-scarce country. It lays down strict regulations on the discharge of contaminated water into the environment. For the mining sector, the Act has required more effective control of stormwater – one of...