Water is both a crucial resource and a significant challenge for the mining industry. While access to water is essential for opening a mine, water-related issues are often the last obstacles to overcome before financial clearance is granted for mine reclamation and closure. In daily operations, water plays a key role in processes such as dewatering, milling, tailings disposal, pump-back systems, and preventing unwanted seepage.

For mine owners, managing water-related risks has become a critical part of their responsibilities. Willowstick technology provides a reliable, non-intrusive solution to help assess and mitigate these risks, offering accurate insights and targeted solutions for water management challenges.

Tailings Dam and Leach Pad Seepage

Leaks from tailings dams or leach pads can pose a serious risk to the integrity of the structure, especially if there is inadequate water collection or sudden seepage. Without an accurate groundwater model to guide remediation, costs can spiral and solutions may fall short. Willowstick technology maps the exact water pathways, helping to direct remediation efforts precisely and cost-effectively.

Coal Ash and Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs)

The storage of CCRs in landfills and surface impoundments is highly regulated due to the presence of harmful contaminants like mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Improper management can lead to the pollution of groundwater, drinking water, and waterways.

Willowstick can map the movement of these contaminants, providing valuable data to assess the stability of impoundments and protect the surrounding environment.

Polluted Seepage

Seepage from tailings storage facilities (TSF) or leach pads can pose a significant environmental liability. Willowstick technology tracks the movement of water from these structures, allowing mine operators to predict, assess, and remedy any seepage issues before they become a larger problem.

Fractured Rock

Traditional methods for identifying water pathways in fractured rock, such as resistivity or drilling, are costly and time-consuming. Willowstick technology excels in this area, as the electric current naturally follows water-bearing fractures, generating a strong magnetic signal that can be accurately mapped and modelled.

Leaking Liners and Covers

Liners used in tailings dams and leach pads are prone to leaks, but locating these leaks, especially without direct access to the liner, can be extremely difficult. Willowstick uses the fact that electric currents follow the hydraulic connection through the liner, allowing us to map the magnetic field and pinpoint the exact location of leaks.

Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) and Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

ARD and AMD are common by-products of mining sulphide ore bodies. Tracking the subsurface flow paths of ARD can be both frustrating and time-consuming. Willowstick technology identifies both the recharge source and the movement of ARD, enabling targeted capture and remediation efforts that save time and money.

Other Mining Applications

Willowstick technology is also effective for a wide range of other mining-related water challenges, including infiltration into operations, dewatering, leaks through permafrost, slope stability, pit lakes, leach pad leaks, well siting, bore placement, sump siting, and the movement of contaminant plumes.