Mine water management
Our geotechnical, environmental and water resources engineering group offers a complete set of services to mining clients. We offer a blend of experience, technical expertise and pragmatic, solutions to engineering issues. AMEC understands that mining companies must operate to the highest environmental standards, and we work with clients to integrate cost-effective environmental management into the engineering process. Our team of engineers and scientists has become the industry leader in mine water management, providing innovative, safe, cost-effective and technically sound solutions for tailings impoundments, heap and dump leach facilities and waste rock erosion control. AMEC staff are leaders in traditional tailings dam design and construction. AMEC´s team also has advanced new technologies related to water resources that are tailored to reducing costs while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Mine water management services
- Water supply
- Groundwater development
- Water quality and resource protection
- Surface water runoff control
- Erosion and sediment control
- Aquifer impacts and protection
- Mine dewatering
- Stream and channel restoration
- Mine site water balance
- Seepage water control
Erosion and sediment control
AMEC is experienced in the planning, design, and implementation of both active and passive erosion control systems. Our range of expertise includes:
- Watershed planning
- Baseline studies
- Preliminary planning with alternative layouts
- Flow and suspended sediment monitoring
- Site assessment and documentation
- Detailed design
- Construction supervision / inspection
Construction services
- Construction management
- Inspection
- Materials testing
- Liner testing
- Non-destructive testing
Mine stormwater management
AMEC has extensive experience in the design of mine water management systems. Our range of services commonly include the following components of stormwater management:
- Baseline hydrologic data collection
- Derivation of design discharge by regional analysis or by rainfall-runoff analysis
- Flood frequency studies and design flood hydrographs, including pmp
- Flood routing
- Spillway design
Seepage control
Control of seepage water from tailings impoundments is required in most regulatory situations. AMEC engineers have extensive experience from feasibility level studies to final design and construction. This project typically involves subsurface or open drain collection systems, which deliver water to a central pumping station. From this point the water is lifted back to the tailings impoundments, or it is pumped to a water treatment facility.
Environmental
- Baseline studies reclamation and revegetation
- Air emission and pollution control systems
- Land/biophysical/aquatic studies
- Risk assessment
- Wetlands delineation and mitigation
- Acid rock drainage plans
Regulatory / permitting services
- Due diligence reviews
- Project permitting
- Environmental impact assessments
- Cultural impacts
- Socio-economic impacts and action plans
- Application and licenses
- Dam safety reviews and applications
- Hearing testimony
- Government liaison
Feasibility studies
- Site selection
- Facilities siting
- Geotechnical evaluations
- Hydrogeological investigations and modeling
- Environmental studies
- Engineering/environmental audits
- Threatened and endangered species evaluations
Mine closure services
- Closure plans
- Reclamation planning and design
- Monitoring
- Pit lake studies
- Facility remediation
- Soil covers and caps
- Subsidence mitigation and remediation