Services

Our experience, integrity and quality of work is widely recognized in the environmental mining community, as demonstrated by our broad client base which includes many international mining companies, regulatory agencies and other consulting firms worldwide.

Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. takes an active role in the advancement of new environmental technologies applied to mining through participation in various research projects and industry initiatives.

ARD and Geochemistry charts

ARD and Geochemistry

Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. provides a full suite of technical services related to geochemistry and acid rock drainage (ARD) such as field investigations including site characterization, drilling, monitoring well installation, water quality sampling and monitoring, laboratory testing, interpretation and prediction as well as engineering and management for contaminant control. Our staff has experience with a vast range of field and laboratory sampling and testing methods and is familiar with local and international guidelines and regulations pertaining to water quality and sampling. RGC has developed an expertise in geochemistry and ARD evaluations. We routinely employ computer-aided techniques for interpretation of results, including equilibrium speciation modeling and transport modeling for conservative and reactive species.

RGC integrates the geochemical and ARD expertise and site specific knowledge with our understanding of hydrological and hydrogeological systems and mining operations in order to assist our clients with mine waste and water management, mine closure planning, risk and liability assessments and development of contaminant control measures to minimize impacts and costs as a result of geochemical and ARD issues.

Typical projects include

  • geochemical/mineralogical characterization of materials
  • standard acid-base accounting
  • solid and solution chemistry
  • leach extraction testing
  • kinetic testing
  • speciation modeling

Audit and Review for Mines

RGC personnel have participated in numerous audits and reviews of mines for:

  • environmental liability assessments
  • stability and safety of major geotechnical structures
  • pollution and contamination surveys
  • closure requirements and liability
  • completeness of baseline surveys and adequacy of contaminant source characterization and controls
  • financial institutions prior to funding mining projects

These audits and reviews have been completed as individual inspections or involving multidisciplinary teams of geotechnical and mining engineers, geochemists, hydrogeologists and environmental scientists to suit the project complexity and liability risk requirements.

RGC also perform regular reviews and inspections of operating and closed mines, and serve on Review Boards for a number of mining companies. The Review Boards that Dr. Robertson is, or has served on are listed here.

Related Projects

Examples of projects for which RGC have performed Environmental Liability Assessments or Audits are provided in our Project Experience matrix.

A few examples are:

Tanami Mine

Contaminant Control

Consulting and engineering services are provided for characterization and remediation of all types of contaminant plumes (including inorganic, organic, and radiogenic contaminants). This includes site investigation by drilling of boreholes; installation and sampling of single and multilevel piezometers; water quality analysis; modelling of contaminant plume migration using state-of-the-art modelling tools; contaminant control analysis and interception design.

Typical projects include

  • contaminant plume characterization
  • contaminant load prediction to downstream environments
  • plume migration analysis (including attenuation due to geochemical processes)
  • well capture zone analysis for hydraulic plume containment
  • design of pump-and-treat systems
Dr Andy Robertson

Decision Analysis

Multi-stakeholder decision making services are provided to address the ever increasing requirements for sustainable development and long-term land use planning for new mining projects as well as for mines currently being closed. Public and stakeholder interests in a mining project are often different from that of the mining company resulting in conflicts during permitting and operations. Processes for technical exchange, alternative analysis which provides for opinions of all stakeholders, and conflict resolution through engagement are important for successful project development. The Multiple Accounts Analysis (or MAA) has been developed to provide a platform and communication tool for the multi-disciplinary issues involved with such decision making.

Typical services include

  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Conflict Resolution

Typical projects include

  • tailings closure options assessment
  • selection of a reclamation alternative
  • evaluation of alternative seepage control options
  • tailings site selection option analysis
  • mining options analysis
  • conceptual closure plan alternatives analysis

Related Projects

Zortman and Lansdusky Mines

Questa Tailings Facility

Dr Andy Robertson

Environmental Engineering

Engineering services are provided to develop or remediate mines to current environmental standards. Environmental problems and solutions usually involve a combination of technologies, including geochemistry, geotechnics, hydrogeology, hydrology, acid mine drainage, water chemistry and contaminant transport, land use, revegetation, and a thorough understanding of regulatory requirements together with the engineering options and controls that may be applicable. Environmental engineering services provided include site assessments to determine if environmental problems exist or could develop, evaluations of alternative control measures and the design and construction supervision of mine waste storage facilities and specific environmental protection measures (e.g. covers, liners).

Typical services include

  • Site Selection
  • ARD Prediction & Control
  • Design of Tailings Storage Facilities
  • Design of Cover & Liner Systems

Related Projects

Zortman and Lansdusky Mines
Ronneburg Mining District
Questa Mine
Pogo Project
Norwegian Mine Review
Grey Eagle Mine
Faro, Vangorda and Grum
Brenda Mine
Agua Rica, Argentina

Expert Testimony

Our geotechnical experts assist law firms and insurance companies with the investigation and mitigation of mining hazards, mining exploration, and development. 

Related Projects

Dr Andy Robertson

Geotechnical Engineering

Consulting and engineering services are provided for all aspects of geotechnical engineering for mines. This includes site investigation by drilling or test pits, laboratory testing, analysis, designs, report preparation, construction supervision, project review and experts services and testimony.

Typical services include

  • Slope Stability
  • Tailings Dam Design
  • Rock Slope Engineering
  • Waste Facilities Design
  • Foundation Engineering

Related Projects

São Bento
Sadiola Mine
Island Copper Mine
Fort Knox
Faro, Vangorda and Grum
Antamina Mine

Groundwater Impact Assessment

Mining operations may impact local groundwater systems due to mine dewatering, groundwater extraction (for milling) and/or seepage and contaminant migration from mine waste units (backfilled open pits, waste rock piles and/or tailings dams). Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. is an international leader in assessing groundwater impacts due to mining.

Groundwater impact assessments may range from a desktop study/review of available information to a complex hydrogeological study involving site characterization (drilling, well installations, hydraulic testing), groundwater monitoring and/or groundwater flow and solute transport modeling.

Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. has expertise in these technical areas and can tailor the scope of the groundwater impact assessment to your project needs.

Dr Andy Robertson

Hydrogeology

Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. (RGC) provides a full suite of technical services related to field investigations including drilling, monitoring well installation, hydraulic testing, water level monitoring and water quality sampling. Our staff has experience with all major drilling and well installation methods and is familiar with local and international guidelines and regulations pertaining to groundwater monitoring and sampling. RGC has developed an expertise in hydraulic testing ranging from single borehole testing (slug test, single well pump test or packer testing) to full-scale pump tests of larger aquifers. We routinely employ computer-aided techniques for interpretation of well testing, including 3D groundwater flow modeling for interpretation of full-scale aquifer pump tests.

RGC provides a range of groundwater modeling services related to water management and aquifer remediation. Our modeling team is experienced with a wide range of numerical modeling techniques and commercial modeling software packages giving us flexibility to select the modeling approach most suited to project objectives. We offer modeling services ranging in scope and scale from infiltration through the uppermost, unsaturated zone to deep, regional groundwater flow in large aquifer systems. Groundwater flow and transport models are often integrated with hydrological and/or geochemical models to provide the correct boundary conditions. The results of field investigations and numerical modeling are commonly used in environmental assessments, development of groundwater protection and/or remediation strategies and design of monitoring programs.

Dr Andy Robertson

Hydrology

Robertson GeoConsultants Inc. provides a full suite of technical services related to hydrological field investigations including field sampling and monitoring. We offer modeling services ranging in scope and scale from solute transport in streams and rivers to infiltration through the uppermost, unsaturated zone. The results of field investigations and numerical modeling are commonly used in environmental assessments, development of surface water protection and/or remediation strategies and design of monitoring programs.

Typical projects include

  • aquifer characterization (including drilling, monitoring well installation & hydraulic testing)
  • watershed hydrology and water balance studies
  • watershed geochemistry and load balance studies
  • characterization of seepage behavior in tailings impoundments and waste rock piles
  • prediction of phreatic surface under various operating conditions (including high run-off events)
  • designs of seepage control systems with due consideration to dam stability and water quality

Related Projects

Zortman and Lansdusky Mines
Ronneburg Mining District
Questa Mine
Lac de Gras Development Area – EKATI Diamond Mine
Faro, Vangorda and Grum
Escondida Mine
Arctic Project

Mine Closure Planning

There has been a significant increase in the involvement of NGO’s and regulators in closure planning, tightening of criteria by which closure plan success is judged and increasing the costs of closure planning, closure measures and closure liability. RGC has developed a specialization in mine closure planning and closure planning leadership.
Services are provided for the preparation of mine reclamation and closure plans including assessment of pre-mining conditions, mine development impacts, long term physical and chemical stability of mine structures, design of reclamation and closure measures, and monitoring requirements. Guidance in long-term strategy planning is also provided to address closure needs as early in the mine lifecycle as technically and financially reasonable, in addition to the calculation of financial assurance and bonding funds.

Typical Services Include

  • preparation of mine closure plans including the optimization of closure measures to minimize closure costs
  • calculation of closure fund requirements
  • review and evaluation of plans and closure costs prepared by others
  • alternatives analysis for assessing various plan options

Mine Waste Management

Mine waste management services are provided to address the ever increasing requirements for such wastes to be placed in stable structures to prevent yielding of contaminated drainage and to allow their long term reclamation to meet suitable land-use criteria.

Typical Services include

  • investigation of foundation conditions for stability of, and hydrogeologic conditions under, proposed dumps and tailings dams
  • future waste rock and tailings materials testing and characterization to determine strength, leaching and acid generating potential characteristics
  • investigation and characterization of existing rock waste deposits to determine existing and potential conditions of stability, contaminants leaching and acid generation
  • alternative management systems and layout evaluations to optimize waste disposal costs while achieving physical and chemical conditions required for environmental protection
  • design of control and remediation measures required for environmental protection and mine closure
  • alternative assessments for site selection and closure of mine waste facilities
Illustration tailings seepage

Numerical Modeling

Consulting and engineering services are provided in numerical modeling for a variety of geoscience disciplines: hydrogeology/hydrology, geochemistry and slope stability (geotechnics). Typical modeling in hydrogeologic investigations involve groundwater flow and contaminant transport, modeling of watershed runoff, cover modeling and seepage modeling in unsaturated zones. Geochemical models also help in understanding the complex chemical and mineralogical processes effecting the environment. Slope and rock stability represent another aspect of modeling activity related to tailings dams, pit walls, and other problematics.

Modeling packages licensed to RGC: Groundwater Modeling System (GMS), MODFLOW (FD), MODPATH, MT3D, FEFLOW, SEEP/W, HYDRUS, SOILCOVER, HELP, MINTEQ, PHREEQE/PHREEQM, SLOPE/W

Typical hydrological modeling projects include

  • assessment of net infiltration into mine waste (tailings, waste rock etc.)
  • development of water balance for mine units of entire mine site
  • designs of water diversion systems using pumps and/or drains
  • assessment of rewetting and evaporation losses during tailings discharge
  • watershed runoff analysis

Typical hydrogeological modeling projects include

  • groundwater flow characterization (in porous or fractured rock)
  • designs of dewatering systems using pumps and/or drains
  • designs of water diversion systems using pumps and/or drains
  • characterization of seepage behavior in tailings impoundments and waste rock piles
  • prediction of phreatic surface under various operating conditions
  • designs of seepage control systems with due consideration to dam stability and water quality

Numerical modelling infographic

Typical soil cover modeling projects include

  • assessment of different cover types (e.g. zero water flux, water storage and oxygen limiting)
  • evaluation of different cover scenarios (e.g. material type, cover thickness and vegetation)
  • cover design for closure for mine rock piles and tailing storage facilities
  • calibration of model using in-situ monitoring of saturation and volumetric water content and use of calibrated model to predict final closure conditions

Typical geochemical modeling projects include

  • equilibrium speciation modeling
  • transport modeling
  • contaminant load prediction to downstream environments

Typical geotechnical modelling projects include

  • dam slope stability
  • rock slope stability
  • tailings dam design
  • bearing capacity and foundation design

Related Projects

Zortman and Lansdusky Mines
Woodcutters Mine
Warrego Tailings Impoundment
Tintaya Mine
São Bento
Sadiola Mine
Rose Creek Tailings Facility, Faro Mine
Questa Tailings Facility
Questa Mine
Mount Morgan Mine Site
Lac de Gras Development Area – EKATI Diamond Mine
Island Copper Mine
Gilt Edge Mine
Fullerton Remediation Project
Fort Knox
Faro, Vangorda and Grum
Arctic Project
Antamina Mine

Mineralogical Characterization

Consulting and engineering services are provided for characterization of mine waste materials with respect to Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) prediction. This includes: site investigation and sampling; sample preparation; petrographic analysis; scanning electron microscopy (SEM); x-ray diffractometry (XRD); electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and report preparation.

Typical Services include

  • mineralogical characterization
  • interpretation of degree of sulphide oxidation
  • interpretation of available mineralogical neutralization capacity
  • investigation of attenuation of metals by mineralogical sinks
  • prediction of potential for further mineralogical alteration

Related Projects

Pit Slope Engineering for Mines

Dr. Robertson wrote his PhD thesis on the topic of rock slope engineering and has continued to practice in the area through out his career. He has written a number of additional papers on the subject. His experience in rock slope engineering and included numerous projects covering the following services:

  • supervision of drilling and core logging for rock material, joint and fault characteristics definition
  • ground water and phreatic surface investigations, including piezometer installation and monitoring
  • in-situ instrumentation installation and monitoring for stress and deformation monitoring and testing
  • laboratory testing for rock and soil material characteristic determination
  • stability analysis for soil and rock slopes
  • design of pit slopes for interim and final pit walls

Risk & Liability Assessments

Almost every aspect of the mining industry involves numerous uncertainties and risks. Understanding and properly handling uncertainty and risk are crucial skills that can make the difference between success and failure. Robertson GeoConsultants Inc understands the methods used to determine the expected profitability of a project and makes the proper business decisions, with an emphasis on the practical application of the techniques. Analytical methods to weigh the costs, benefits and risks of projects are used, including the use of decision trees, probability distributions and simulations.

Environmental and closure liability assessments are performed to provide mining companies, financial institutions or government agencies with an estimates of potential environmental and closure liabilities the mine sites.

Typical services include

  • Risk Analysis and Failure Modes and Effects Analyses (FMEA)
  • Cost-Benefit Analyses
  • Dam Stability Audits and Reviews
  • Environmental Liability Assessments

Seepage Control in Tailings Impoundments and Waste Rock Piles

Consulting and engineering services are provided for all aspects of seepage characterization and control in tailings impoundments. This includes: site investigation by drilling or test pits as well as borehole testing; modeling of infiltration and seepage using state-of-the-art modeling tools; analysis, design and report preparation.

Typical projects include

  • characterization of seepage behavior of tailings and tailings pond
  • prediction of phreatic surface under various operating conditions (including high run-off events)
  • designs of seepage control systems with due consideration to dam stability and water quality
  • prediction of fine tailings consolidation using non-linear finite strain theory

Tailings Dam Design

Engineering and consulting services are offered for the investigation, design, operations optimization, remediation and closure of tailings dams. Experience has been gained through the design and construction of  tailings impoundments including those constructed of tailings, earth, mine rock and concrete using downstream, centerline and upstream methods. Facilities have been designed for the handling, transportation and placement of dry (dewatered) tailings, cycloned tailings and slurries by a variety of spigotted (subaerial and sub aqueous) systems.

Typical projects include

  • site selection and alternative site studies for the optimization of tailings impoundment site selection
  • site investigation and material laboratory testing for foundations and the identification of construction materials and placement requirements
  • investigations and instrumentation of existing tailings dams for stability assessments or expansion design
  • testing of tailings material and studies on placement characteristics and opportunities for waste characteristics improvement
  • design and construction supervision of a wide variety of tailings impoundments
  • optimization studies and re-development designs of tailings dams to improve stability, water return, reclamation, increase capacity, reduce contaminated seepage or reduce operating costs

Water Management

Consulting and engineering services are provided for all aspects of mine related surface and groundwater management. This includes: site investigation by drilling, borehole testing, modelling of groundwater flow regime using state-of-the-art modelling tools; analysis, designs and report preparation. Also, water balance studies, contaminant transport and fate analysis, and preparation of designs to minimize or maximize water use or containment.

RGC Statement of Qualification for Hydrogeological Experience

Typical Services Include

Hydrogeology
Hydrology
Mine Dewatering & Reflooding
Mine Site Water Balance Determinations
Waste Rock & Heap Leach Hydrology
Contaminant Control
Tailings Dam Design for Minimum Water Consumption