groundwater in mining

explore the issues associated with groundwater in mining

WHY IS THIS COURSE IMPORTANT?

This 3-day course is designed for professionals and students keen to National Centre for
learn about groundwater in mining. While a focus of the course will be Groundwater
mine dewatering, other key topics will include management of waste rock Research and Training
and tailings, management of groundwater as part of site-wide operational
management, environmental impact assessment, and planning for closure.
Groundwater will be presented in the context of: mining, processing
and site-wide management of water and waste; the project pipeline; risk course details
management; stakeholder objectives; and most importantly, as a field of
science and engineering. Perth
16-18 June 2014
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This course is designed for practitioners in the mining industry or in The University Club of WA
Government agencies, and students, with hydrogeology, geology, Hackett Entrance #1
engineering or environmental science backgrounds. Stirling Highway
Crawley WA
WHO IS PRESENTING?
Lloyd Townley, Principal Environmental and Water Engineer at CDM Smith, Course Fees
has worked with CSIRO’s Minesite Rehabilitation Research Program, as a AU $2050(incl. GST)
consultant preparing EISs for proposed mining projects, and in Rio Tinto’s
global water management team. This includes notes, classroom
teaching, tutorials, morning and
John Waterhouse, Principal, Golder Associates, works mostly in the mining afternoon teas and lunches.
and water resources areas, with particular interests in groundwater-related
aspects of slope stability (practical depressurisation and dewatering), Attendees are to arrange their own
mine closure and the conceptual hydrogeology of groundwater systems in travel and accommodation.
which mines are developed.
CONTACT US
The presentation team will also include groundwater professionals with industrytraining@groundwater.com.au
operational experience in mining companies. 08 8201 5632

WHAT WILL THE COURSE COVER?

The full schedule for this course is provided on the following pages.

HOW TO REGISTER
Please visit out website: www.groundwater.com.au

education from the ground up

Schedule
Day 1 Day 2

8:30 Registrations open Environment impact assessment

• Impact of mining and processing on
Introduction regional groundwater, including GDEs
• Groundwater in mining – dewatering • Impacts on rivers, streams
9:00
and much more • Impacts on water quality, including ARD
• Introduction to groundwater – concepts, • Regulatory environment in Australia
definitions • Community consultation
• The mining context: • Examples
9:00 -- M ining, processing, waste
-- Sitewide water management 10:30 Morning Tea
-- The project pipeline, from concept to
closure Fundamentals of groundwater
-- Risk management framework • Flow and storage in porous and
-- Stakeholder analysis – who needs what fractured media
-- Science and engineering – analysis • Water balance in 3D
and design • Introduction to analytical and numerical
10:50 methods
10:30 Morning Tea • Development of a conceptual model of
Geology and hydrogeology of mine sites a mine site
• Occurrence of minerals – copper, gold, • Classical analytical solutions for
nickel, uranium, iron ore, coal, bauxite, predicting mine inflows
mineral sands 12:20 Lunch
• Open cut and underground mining
methods Introduction to geotechnical engineering
10:50 • Mine planning and scheduling • The geotechnical thought process
• Geology and hydrogeology of mine 1:20 • Geotechnical principles
sites • Case histories
• Scales of interest to geologists,
geotechnical and mining engineers, 2:50 Afternoon Tea
hydrogeologists and environmental
scientists Case studies
• Design and implementation of a trial
12:20 Lunch mine
3:10 • Slope failures
Introduction to mine dewatering • Underground failures
• What is dewatering? • Post closure
• Avoidance, and active and passive
dewatering Structured discussion, consolidating and
4:40
• Objectives of dewatering adding to all previous sessions on Day 2
1:10 • Difference between dewatering and
depressurisation 5:00 End day 2
• History of dewatering
• Issues and approaches to dewatering
• Analysis, monitoring and review
• Safety considerations
2:50 Afternoon Tea
Waste management
• What are tailings and waste rock?
• Methods of tailings management and
3:10 storage
• How do TSFs and waste rock dumps
affect groundwater through seepage?
• Mitigation and closure considerations
Discussion
• Structured discussion, aimed at
4:40 engaging audience, at least partly to
understand audience needs prior to
days 2 and 3
5:00 End day 1

education from the ground up

Schedule
Day 3
Numerical modeling of dewatering and
potential environmental impacts
• General principles
• Finite difference and finite element
methods
9:00 • Choice of boundary conditions to
represent mines
• Calibration, sensitivity analysis and
uncertainty analysis
• Examples of MODFLOW, MODFLOW-
SURFACT and FEFLOW
10:30 Morning Tea
Field investigations
• Thinking about field investigations
• Use of mineral resource and
geotechnical investigations
• Hydrogeological drilling programs
10:50 • Piezometers and test wells
• Hydraulic testing
• Downhole geophysical methods
• Uncertainties
• Underground mines
• Data collection, storage and
interpretation
12:20 Lunch

Groundwater management
• Water management on mine sites
• Water Management Plans, relationship
with operating procedures and
Environmental Management Plans
1:20 • Management of dewatering
• Maintenance of water table elevations
• Closure planning
• Mine pit lakes
• Long-term equilibria
• Prediction methodologies

2:50 Afternoon Tea

Challenges and opportunities

• Topics not covered in detail:
-- D rilling technologies
-- Mine water supplies
-- Design of pumping, pipe systems,
3:10 tanks and ponds
-- Contamination by hydrocarbons
-- Coal seam gas
-- Need for improvements in
measurements and modelling
-- Review of how groundwater affects risk
along project pipeline

4:40 Structured discussion, consolidating all

aspects of the course

5:00 End Day 3

education from the ground up