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Addressing Mine Water Contamination Responsibly

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Environmental Ingenuity in Action: WestLand’s Water Treatment Strategy Overcomes Critical Minerals Mining Development Barriers

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Water & EcologyWater & Ecology

Industry

Mining

Location

United States

Mining operations routinely face complex environmental challenges that require balancing regulatory compliance, public safety, and innovative engineering solutions. One Arizona mine, a future producer of federally designated critical minerals, needed to remove groundwater to depressurize underground areas before commencing mining operations; an essential but technically demanding process. Historical mining activities in the region had previously impacted local groundwater quality. Despite receiving necessary governmental approvals and permits, the developing mine faced significant community concerns regarding potential environmental impacts of the new project.

Challenge

The mining company’s development strategy required installing a series of dewatering wells at strategic locations throughout the property. In the early 2020s, the company was prepared to begin the first phase of well installation. However, the undeveloped site presented a significant environmental and engineering challenge: the absence of permanent infrastructure meant there was no system in place to manage the contaminated water and drilling mud generated during well development. Additionally, establishing trust with the surrounding community necessitated environmental performance that exceeded minimum regulatory requirements. Recognizing the complexity of these challenges, the company engaged WestLand Engineering and Environmental Services, a Trinity Consultants team, to develop and implement a rapid, effective, and environmentally responsible solution.

Solutions

WestLand designed, implemented, and operated a temporary water treatment facility capable of handling and treating well development water for both suspended solids and dissolved heavy metals before environmental discharge. The temporary treatment plant utilized exclusively rented equipment, allowing for rapid deployment and eventual removal once the company’s permanent facilities were operational.

As part of the comprehensive approach, WestLand:
• Established rigorous operating procedures and monitoring protocols for critical system parameters
• Ensured discharged water quality consistently met or exceeded regulatory standards
• Trained and deployed a specialized monitoring team providing continuous 24/7 on-site coverage
• Conducted regular water quality sampling for laboratory analysis
• Documented plant status and on-site water quality parameters every 1-2 hours
• Developed a custom mobile application for standardized field data collection, enabling real-time data review and analysis by qualified engineers at WestLand’s Tucson office
• Provided hundreds of hours of on-site engineering support to optimize plant operations amid constantly changing water quality and environmental conditions

Services Performed

WestLand, a Trinity Consultants team, designed, implemented, and operated a temporary water treatment facility using rented equipment for rapid deployment. The team provided continuous on-site monitoring, rigorous sampling and laboratory analysis, real-time data management through a custom mobile app, and round-the-clock engineering support. This ensured treated water consistently met or exceeded regulatory standards, protected community trust, and informed the design of the mine’s permanent treatment system.

Results

Over nearly two years of operation, the temporary treatment facility successfully treated and discharged approximately 14.6 million gallons of clean water into a nearby creek, supporting local ecosystems. WestLand’s technical diligence and environmental expertise were instrumental in avoiding regulatory violations throughout the project. Upon completion of drilling activities, WestLand coordinated with equipment vendors to decommission the temporary treatment site and restore it to its prior condition. By this time, the company had completed construction of its permanent water treatment plant, which began receiving and treating well water through an interconnected pipeline system also designed by WestLand. The expertise gained during the temporary treatment operations provided valuable insights that informed the permanent facility’s design and operations. The mining company is now positioned to commence mining activities that will produce critical minerals essential to national supply chains, having navigated the complex environmental challenges of site development with WestLand’s specialized guidance.

14.6M Gallons

Contaminated water treated and safely discharged to support local ecosystems.

24/7

Monitoring with hourly data collection ensured consistent compliance.

2 Years

Of operation with zero regulatory violations during critical mine development