Groundwater Effects - Lithium Mine
- Client Name
- Confidential
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
Challenge
The client needed assistance in predicting the dewatering effects of the future mine pit and assessing seepage from the planned waste storage piles and tailings facility to support feasibility studies and meet environmental permitting requirements.
Solution
SLR was retained to develop, calibrate, and operate a numerical groundwater model to predict and characterize the hydrogeological effects of the project. We used the model to:
- Estimate groundwater flow into and out of the open pits, waste storage piles, and tailings facility.
- Simulate groundwater elevation and flow directions under baseline (pre-mine) and operational conditions.
- Estimate the extent of groundwater drawdown due to pit dewatering.
- Conduct particle tracking to visualize the interaction between mine infrastructure and the surrounding groundwater system and estimate travel times of water emanating from the waste storage piles and tailings facility.
Impact
Close coordination with the engineering and environmental teams during the model construction enabled SLR to develop and utilize one purpose-built tool that supported two separate projects. In addition, we completed the modelling on budget and on schedule. The client was satisfied with the original work and has since awarded us additional scope to update a geologic model and transient numerical model to assess temporal hydrogeological effects.
