Mangoola Coal Mine Water Management System

Client: ATC Williams for Xstrata Coal Pty Ltd
Location: Mangoola Coal Mine, Hunter Valley, NSW

Key Services Provided:

• Detailed water quantity modelling
• Advice on conceptual & detailed design of water infrastructure
• Optimisation of on-site water management

Water Technology was commissioned to undertake development of the Water Management System (WMS) for the Mangoola coal mine. Sophisticated on-site water balance modeling (using the GoldSim modeling software) and risk analysis was conducted, incorporating numerous variables including:

• Availability of water under licensed extraction schemes,
• Risks/reliability of the current water allocation system and risks to long term supply (GoldSim linked to IQQM systems),
• Optimisation of on-site water management,
• Consideration of alternative water supplies (e.g. groundwater, stormwater harvesting)
• Anticipated water quality characteristics of different water “categories” and implications for mine water usage
• Anticipated performance of the water management system in relation to regulatory regimes (specifically anticipated extraction and discharge requirements)

A range of scenarios were modelled, assisting in dam sizing, optimization and reliability calculations. This included a Monte Carlo approach as part of the design process. Such a statistical methodology, applied using a rainfall probability distribution based on long term climatic modelling, also allowed quantification of risks associated with water supply and potential discharge from site.

Contact

Steve Clark (steve.clark@watech.com.au)
Director
Phone 07 3103 4120
PO Box 5700, West End QLD 4101