During the week of May 18th Ann Maest and Connie Travers, managing scientists at Stratus Consulting, were two of six instructors who taught a course at the California Water Boards Training Academy. The course was  funded by the California Water Boards and the University of California at Davis.  The course, entitled Characterizing, Predicting, and Modeling Water at Mine Sites, consisted of four, one-day classes. Participants were primarily employees of federal and state agencies involved with mine permitting issues.

 The content of the course included:

Acid generation, mine-site overivew and mine-site characterization

• Course introduction and an overview of acid generation
• Overview of hardrock mines: mine operations, sources and transport of contaminants
• Site characterization: representative samples; baseline/background, hydrogeologic and geochemical characterization (geology; mineralogy; static, short-term leach, and kinetic testing), sources of uncertainty, characterization during different phases of mining.

Modeling

• Introduction to modeling: why model, when to model, definitions, examples
• Conceptual models: development; elements, examples 
• From concept to quantification: hydrogeologic, geochemical, and coupled modeling
• Computer programs (codes) as conveyors of models: inputs, databases, use of model outputs 
• Code selection: types of codes available for use at mine sites
• Calibration, sensitivity analysis, error propagation, standard reference test cases: model evaluation and documentation 
• Model uncertainty: sources of uncertainty, recommendations for improvement  
• Examples of modeling: hydrogeologic and geochemical modeling examples, steps for mine unit modeling.

Site tour of the Jamestown Mine

The site tour highlighted major mine waste management features at the Jamestown Mine (now undergoing closure) and the mine pit lake. The instructors discussed what modeling was done to predict the effluent characteristics of the mine waste management units and mine pit and what mitigation measures were warranted by pre-mining water quality predictions. The environmental and financial consequences of inaccurate predictions were also discussed.

Use of prediction information in mine permitting and case studies

• Environmental Impact Statement analysis: water quality predictions, inherent factors affecting water quality, root causes of water quality impacts (characterization and mitigation failures)
• Case studies of water quality predictions and actual water quality at hardrock mines 
• Conclusions: challenges regulators face in mine permitting and how to address them.

The other instructors for this course included:

• Charles Alpers, U.S. Geological Survey
• John Hillenbrand, U.S. EPA
• James Kuipers, Kuipers & Associates
• D. Kirk Nordstrom, U.S. Geological Survey