We were commissioned by Renewable Developments Australia to assess the potential to develop groundwater supply for the irrigation of sugar cane as part of a proposed major biofuel project located south-east of Pentland in central Queensland. 

Our AGE team was originally involved at Kidston to undertake groundwater aspect for the site closure strategy. 

More recently, we have been involved in looking at the use of the Kidston pit (Eldridge and Wises) voids as balancing storages in a hydro-electric scheme.

The work was undertaken for Entura Hydro Tasmania for their client Genex Power.

Cadia mine is an operating gold and copper mine located south of Orange in central NSW highlands. We have enjoyed a long relationship with Cadia mine, assisting with groundwater aspects of approvals and operations. We were first engaged in 2006 to prepare a groundwater assessment for the Cadia East project and the mine is now the largest underground gold mine in Australia.

A key challenge during model development at the site was to strike a balance between representing the highly complex geology and providing a useful and practical tool for assessing groundwater.

We were commissioned to calibrate an existing groundwater model to predict groundwater impacts associated with the OB31 project. We calibrated the model using singular value decomposition and shuffled-complex evolution techniques to derive the best possible calibration statistics.  A non-linear uncertainty analysis was undertaken using GLUE, DREAM, and null-space Monte Carlo methods.

In addition, we were commissioned to develop a simplified ‘child’ model from a complex regional ‘parent’ model to assess potential groundwater impacts associated with the South Flank Project. We calibrated the model using PEST and performed a linear predictive analysis to determine which parameters and observations were reducing the uncertainty of groundwater drawdown and pit dewatering rates.

A non-linear GLUE uncertainty analysis was performed to assess the complex parameter interactions expected at upper and lower values for the aquifer and recharge parameters.

We have had a long standing relationship with U&D Mining (Australia) Pty Ltd and on the Meteor Downs South Project since 2012.  Our initial work on the central Queensland project involved a review of an existing groundwater impact assessment for the proposed open-cut coal mine.

We undertook a gap analysis of the report and highlighted to the client a significant risk in the approvals process relating to groundwater. We were then commissioned to assist with the development of robust groundwater assessment to specifically address key risks in gaining approval for a mining lease. To do this, we successfully negotiated the use of an existing numerical groundwater model for a nearby project that covered the same area. The numerical model was modified to include the Meteor Downs South Project and to explore potential groundwater impacts.

We were engaged by Westside Corporation to prepare an Underground Water Impact Report for the Paranui Pilot Project, located 10 km south of Moura in Central Queensland. We used numerical modelling to estimate the impact of coal seam gas extraction on groundwater levels in shallow and deep geological units.

We subsequently prepared a report describing the results of the numerical modelling and the establishment of a groundwater monitoring program, according to a requirement of the Water Act 2000.

The Airport Link Tunnel project was designed to connect northern Brisbane arterial roads with the Inner City Bypass and the North South Bypass Tunnel. We were engaged to complete a groundwater impact assessment to form part of the Environmental Impact Statement.

The groundwater impact assessment involved development of a field investigation and review of historic data in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the hydrogeological regime for development of the conceptual groundwater model. Based on this work, an analytical assessment of potential groundwater flows was conducted. This was followed by development of a numerical groundwater model (FEFLOW) to simulate natural groundwater processes and system stresses to assess engineering constraints, as well as assessment of potential environmental impacts.

Ernest Henry Mining Pty Ltd is an operating open cut and underground gold-copper mine located 40 km north-east of Cloncurry.

We have had a long standing relationship with Ernest Henry and our team has worked at the site since 1999. We’ve been a reliable and trusted partner for the technical services and environment team at Ernest Henry, providing flexible resources to achieve the required objectives in a timely manner.

The Eastern Leases project was a proposed open cut manganese mine located on Groote Eylandt, in the Northern Territory. The project was unique due to the cultural and spiritual significance associated with surface water features. We were engaged to complete a groundwater impact assessment to form part of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.

We were also subsequently engaged directly by South 32 Limited to supervise the drilling and installation of production bores for the purposes of water supply.

The Elimatta Coal project was a proposed open-cut coal mine located approximately 40 km south-west of Taroom, in Queensland. The project occurs within the Surat Basin and targets the Walloon Coal Measures. We were engaged to complete a groundwater impact assessment to form part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The groundwater impact assessment involved the development of a groundwater monitoring plan and review of historic data in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the hydrogeological regime for development of the conceptual groundwater model. Based on this work, a numerical groundwater model was developed to simulate natural groundwater processes and replicate system stresses, in order to predict potential changes due to the project.