Mining

Itasca is committed to using appropriate levels and methods of investigation that examine both technical and economic factors, and to providing practical solutions that apply the best available technology. The company is thoroughly familiar with typical design and construction issues, and also is uniquely equipped to attack challenging or non-standard problems. All Itasca principal engineers and hydrogeologists understand the unique geomechanical and hydrologic problems associated with surface and underground mines and the logistical constraints that often are encountered in solving these problems. The principals within Itasca typically have over 20 years experience in the mining and construction industries, ranging from practical field solutions to design issues to applications of Itasca modeling tools for solving difficult or unusual problems that often arise in large open pits and deep mining.

For all mining assignments, from the simplest to the most complex, Itasca has a far-ranging background of practical and field experience paired with unparalleled knowledge of state-of-the-art numerical modeling and analysis techniques. With offices situated across the world, the company possesses first-hand knowledge of the particular mining challenges in local regions. Collectively, the Itasca pool of expertise covers the gamut of mine operations: from hard to soft rock mining in both open pits and underground.

Itasca's consulting capabilities and projects cover a range of applications, including:

Geomechanics and Mining Engineering

• Selection and design of underground mining methods for existing mine expansions and new projects
• Hydrologic, deformation, stress, TDR, and acoustic instrumentation of rock and soil
• Evaluation and specification of highwall and open pit slopes
• Numerical modeling and analysis of surface and underground stability problems, including pillar stability and rockburst potential evaluations
• Dynamic analysis of surface and underground excavations subjected to seismic ground motions
• Evaluation of cavability and fragmentation of ore bodies, layout of production levels in cave mines, and subsidence evaluation
• Backfill specification, mixing design, stability analysis, and testing
• Design and layout of open pit and underground blasting
• Due diligence reviews and audits for safety and mine planning purposes
• Numerical simulation of oil well stimulation and production
• Specification of ground support for civil or mining excavations
• Analysis of liquefaction potential of earth dams, foundations, and backfill
• Mining in glaciated areas

Hydrogeology and Geochemistry

• Implementation of field investigations
• Baseline hydrogeologic and geochemical characterization
• Development of conceptual hydrogeologic and hydrogeochemical models with mine geologists and engineers
• Evaluation of ground-water supplies and identification of ground-water recharge and discharge relationships
• Design and analysis of aquifer tests, especially in more problematic fractured rock or low permeability materials
• Exploration and development of ground-water supplies for mines, mills, and leaching operations, and technical support in obtaining groundwater rights and permits
• Design and installation of test, observation, and production wells (including technical specifications and bid packages) and analysis of step-drawdown tests and production logs
• Evaluation of ground-water source areas and flow paths using chemical and isotopic tracers
• Design of mine water-disposal systems
• Training of mine personnel in the acquisition of hydrogeologic and water chemistry data and management of databases

Environmental

• Support for environmental permitting, permit renewals, and regulatory compliance
• Mine facilities closure
• Design of monitoring systems
• Prediction and analysis of mining impacts on local and regional groundwater systems
• Development of environmental impact remediation strategies for permitting and closure
• Delineation of contaminant sources and evaluation of the extent of ground-water contamination
• Evaluation of remedial options and development of exit strategies for site cleanups
• Remediation system design, cost estimation, installation, and operation for groundwater, sediment, and soil clean ups

Hydrologic and Geochemical Modeling

• Development of numerical ground-water flow and geochemical models, and training of personnel in their use
• Predicting the position of phreatic surfaces in highwalls during mining (as input to slope stability analyses)
• Design and optimization of dewatering (both for drainage and depressurization) systems; evaluation of alternative dewatering systems
• Estimation of inflows to pits and underground openings, dewatering requirements, and costs
• Prediction of the chemical composition and thermodynamic conditions of "pit lakes"
• Prediction of changes in pH and chemical composition of ground water during dewatering and disposal operations
• Prediction of dewatering-induced subsidence and of the subsidence zone-of-influence surrounding underground and open pit mines

Litigation

• Expert witness, second opinion, and litigation support