IAH NSW – May Tech Talk

Title: Innovation in Open Pit Mine Water Management using Inground Barriers

Presented by: Ron Colman

Produced by: IAH NSW

Date: Tuesday 06 May 2025
Time: 17:30 for an 18:00 start
Where: WSP Office – Level 27
Online: Link to be provided closer to the date

Abstract:

An ongoing impediment to successful open pit mine water management is successful control of the groundwater flow system intersected by the pit and the volume of water that needs to be managed and disposed of in the dewatering process.  The risk to receptors, mainly groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs), is also identified as a high-level issue in many current Environmental Risk Assessment investigations evaluating the project risk either from dewatering or reinjection of excess dewatering.

Polymer-Based Emulsion (PBE) grout was developed in the 1970s and first used to seal high pressure, high-rate water inflows into deep subsurface South African mines. The PBE grouting system (grout and injection service) is marketed under the trade-name NOH2O®. Since the 1980s, PBE has also been applied in mines in Namibia, the UK, Australia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, the United States, Canada and Russia. PBE has successfully sealed discrete inflows higher than 200 L/sec at pressures up to 2,900 psi, rendering it one of the few viable grout options for high-flow rate and high-pressure water leaks. The success of PBE as a water-sealing grout is attributed to its unique physical properties.

In recent years, PBE has found application beyond its roots in mining. Municipalities with leaking subsurface infrastructure have benefited from the water-sealing properties of PBE. The grout is now being successfully applied to leaks in subway tunnels and other underground infrastructure in the USA, Canada, Australia and Asia.

This presentation provides an overview of mine water sealing along with tunnelling experience.

Bio:

Ron is a hydrogeologist with a specific focus in providing pragmatic water management solutions incorporating applied principles of hydrogeology, geology and engineering. His extensive experience relates to projects involving small to large scale water supply development from groundwater resources, mine dewatering and excess water disposal, regional hydrogeological investigations and overall mine groundwater management, licensing, and compliance reporting. Ron has worked as a consultant, inhouse mine water manager and studies leader within Government.

He will be proposing a new approach to control open pit groundwater inflows (as BAU is not working in an increasing number of operations). There is a viable way to install targeted inground barriers using proven technology that helps control and reduce open pit groundwater inflows. The barriers are site specific using existing, well proven inert polymer and geopolymer materials. Think “keyhole surgery with geological glue”.

Ron is the IAH National treasurer and has been an IAH member since 1984!