Mine Pit Dewatering Plan Development

project overview

Integrated Sustainability designed a mine water transfer system and treatment plant, focusing on removing ammonia and nitrate using biological methods. The system handled seasonal water extraction and discharge with minimal land disturbance, including layflat hoses and heat-traced pipelines.

project deliverables

• Reviewed site-specific geochemistry and water balance conditions to define influent loading characteristics and identify opportunities for flow equalization and source control.
• Developed a biologically based treatment process targeting ammonia and nitrate removal with high treatment efficiency.
• Designed water transfer and treatment infrastructure to achieve regulatory discharge criteria while minimizing operational complexity.
• Incorporated low-impact layout strategies to reduce disturbance to environmentally sensitive areas, including old-growth forest regions.
• Supported operational planning through treatment designs balancing performance, reliability, and site footprint constraints.
• Defined biological kinetics and key design parameters required to maintain cold-weather treatment efficiency, with particular focus on slow-growing Nitrobacter populations during nitrification.