20-Day Design Build to Save $50 Million Worth of Equipment

To prevent the flooding and loss of 50 million worth of equipment in an underground nickel mine, a new effluent water treatment plant (EWTP) was design, procured, built, and commissioned in 20-days. The mine's interim tailings storage facility which was storing the dewatering water was full, and the mine was unable to meet its discharge permit without the construction of the EWTP. The EWTP targeted the removal of total suspended solids, radium, ammonia, and total dissolved solids from the water stored in the interim tailings storage facility. It was designed as an integrated membrane filtration plant with microfiltration and reverse osmosis membrane systems. Through great team work from the mine staff, the design engineer, contractors, and equipment suppliers, the EWTP was completed and met permit limits within the extremely tight timeline.