How to Approach Water Management When Planning a New Mining Operation

If you have development rights to a substantial tract of land and have permission to mine the area, you will need to bring in a variety of experts to help you prepare and execute your plan. You will need to make sure that you carefully handle natural resources and, in particular, water. How can a mining engineer help you to prepare and move forward with this sizeable task?

Careful Management

Today, society expects every organisation to focus on water and its management carefully. Any hint of compromise or wastage would be disastrous for a new mining operation, of course, but you will want to ensure that you manage water and sediment carefully from a safety and productivity point of view as well.

You will also need to be very transparent about your operation as government and focus groups will be keeping a close eye on your work. You need to be able to balance your management of water from a commercial point of view with the general interest so there's no hint of wastage or unnecessary handling.

Mapping

To begin the task, an engineer will need to carry out hydro-geological mapping to evaluate the area. They will need to have a close look at the site to determine the ratio of hydraulics to other constituents and find out the location of the water. Is the water in the area in scarce supply or excess? Are there any strict environmental regulations to consider when it comes to either near-surface or deep water?

Groundwater Analysis

Where groundwater is present, an engineer will need to evaluate its natural condition and any fluctuations as they occur. Once the investigation is complete and measurements have been gathered, the engineer can advise a raft of measures to ensure that you manage the groundwater as efficiently as possible and from a sustainable perspective. They will typically come up with different modelling scenarios that will then help you determine your underground infrastructure, the nature of your tunnel construction and other issues.

Sedimentary Analysis

An engineer's work will also include an analysis of sedimentary flow and how various substances are transported through surface waters. You will then be able to plan a course of action based on the likely effects of your work and put forward a cost-effective solution.

Bringing in the Best

Of course, this is a very specialised area but a subject that you will need to master from every point of view. Contact a local mining engineering service to learn more about the process.