This landmark project for BHP-Copper was the first full-scale in-situ copper mine in the world. To negotiate the complex multi-jurisdictional permitting process, Brown and Caldwell initiated a formal partnering relationship with BHP, local regulators and the EPA that resulted in the issuance of required state and federal permits in less than 20 months, rather than the usual three years. Extensive 3-D groundwater flow and transport modeling was conducted to evaluate in-situ mining processes during active mining, closure, and post-closure phases with results that demonstrated to regulators and community groups that there would be no significant effects of in-situ mining on regional water quality.
Fast-track permitting for an innovative mine
