Posted by admin on April 24, 2013 under M&A News |
GeoDaze is a student-run symposium organized each year by the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona. It gives students in the geosciences an opportunity to showcase their research and receive valuable feedback from faculty, alumni, and peers. This year’s event was held from April 11–13.
Each year, M&A sponsors the Montgomery Prize — a $2,000 cash award — for the best oral presentation at this event. This year’s winner was Isabel Fay, for her presentation, “Localized synorogenic remobilization of Cu-Co ores in the Central African Copperbelt.”
Currently in the third year of her Ph.D. program at the UA, Isabel is focusing her research efforts on sediment-hosted ore deposits — particularly, their distribution, mineralogy, and geochemistry.
Download her abstract here [94 KB].
Posted by admin on April 12, 2013 under M&A News |
M&A continued a longstanding tradition this year by awarding the Montgomery Prize to a student from the University of Arizona’s Hydrology & Water Resources Department. The winner was selected by a panel of professionals based on oral presentations at the El Dia del Agua Symposium. This annual 1-day event was held on April 10, 2013. The symposium serves as a research showcase for the Department; this year’s event featured nine student presentations and twenty posters. The award includes $2,000 in cash — a symbol of M&A’s ongoing commitment to promoting excellence in research and communication in the field of hydrology.
The winner of the Montgomery Prize for best oral presentation was Joel Biederman, a Ph.D. student. His presentation, entitled “Compensatory Processes Dampen Impacts of Insect-Induced Forest Die-Off on Catchment Water Balance and Biogeochemical Fluxes,” described his research on how the mountain pine beetle is affecting hydrologic processes in mountain watersheds.
Download the abstract [74 KB PDF]
Posted by admin on March 28, 2013 under M&A News |
M&A staff members Todd Keay, Joseph Baker, and Steve Smith will be attending a new conference — Mine Water Solutions in Extreme Environments — this year. The event will be held April 15–17, in Lima, Perú. The conference will provide a forum for discussing practices that enable responsible mining in challenging environments — extremely dry, wet, cold, hydrogeologically complex, and geochemically complex conditions — while minimizing water use and/or preserving water resources.
The conference will feature a paper by M&A’s Lyle Davis, a principal engineer and mining specialist, and Dr. Mark Thomasson, who will present it on April 16. The paper is entitled “Development and Transient Calibration of a Numerical Model for an Open-pit Mine Located in a Geologically Complex Fractured-rock Setting.”
Posted by admin on March 21, 2013 under M&A News |
Michele Robertson will be speaking at the 9th Annual Gatekeeper Regulatory Roundup, which will be held in Scottsdale on April 2–3. The annual conference is sponsored by the Environmental Professionals of Arizona (EPAZ). This year’s theme is “Emergency Management: For Your Site and in Your Town.”
Michele will be presenting a talk on the regulatory challenges associated with using alternative water sources (process wastewater, reverse osmosis reject, etc.) for dust control. Although such sources appear more environmentally responsible from a water resource management perspective, they can trigger the requirement to obtain a water quality permit. Michele will discuss an approach that has been successful with ADEQ to resolve this conflict, drawing from her experience as a former ADEQ Groundwater Section Manager. She currently leads M&A’s Environmental Permitting team.
For more information on the conference, click here.
To download a copy of Michele’s abstract, click here.
Posted by admin on under M&A News |
Colin McKenzie, a hydrogeologist with M&A, was recently invited to participate in a program offered by the National Science Foundation’s Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute. This 10-day course, “Training Institute on Adaptive Water-Energy Management in the Arid Americas,” will be held in La Serena, Chile, in late June. It will focus on linkages between water resources and conventional and non-conventional energy, as well as interdisciplinary physical and social science approaches to joint management of water and energy resources.
The training is organized by the AQUASEC Center of Excellence for Water Security, a collaboration between the University of Arizona, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the Stockholm Environment Institute, and UNESCO’s International Hydrology Program, among others. To learn more, click here.
Posted by admin on January 9, 2013 under M&A News |
This year, the U.S. Society on Dams
(USSD) is holding a series of workshops associated with mine tailings dams as part of its annual meeting and conference. Carrolette Winstead will be presenting a session on the current regulatory environment associated with the closure of tailings dams.
This workshop will be held on February 14 in Phoenix. It will feature presentations by industry experts, followed by panel discussions, on the technical and regulatory aspects of sustainable closure of tailings dams as well as possible applications to coal ash impoundments and other slurried wastes.
An environmental permitting specialist, Carrolette joined M&A in 2011. In addition to working for various environmental consulting firms in the Phoenix and Denver area, she spent 3 years managing ADEQ’s Aquifer Protection Permit Unit, where she was responsible for mining and industrial permits.
Agenda — Closure of Tailings Dams
Workshop: Thursday, February 14, 2013
| 7:30–8:00 am |
Workshop registration |
|
| 8:00–9:30 am |
Briefing: Field trip to Old Dominion and Miami Unit No. 2, safety share, introductions, and plan of the day |
Andrew Watson (MWH) |
| 9:30–10:00am |
Coffee break |
|
| 10:00–10:30 am |
Sustainable Closure Principles and Design Criteria |
Tatyana Alexieva (MWH) |
| 10:30–11:00 am |
Current regulatory environment |
Carrolette Winstead (M&A, former ADEQ Mining Unit Lead) |
| 11:00 am –12:15 pm |
Case studies: Physical closure and construction implementation (Idarado, CO; Resurrection, CO; Blue Lagoon, Bulgaria) |
Patrick Corser (MWH) |
| 12:15–1:00 pm |
Lunch break |
|
| 1:00–1:30 pm |
Case study: Flexibility in impoundment closure to manage wet conditions — northern Appalachian coal mine |
Robert Shusko (D’Appolonia) |
| 1:30–2:30 pm |
Case study: Mission mine closure |
Stephen Taylor (MWH) and Thomas Klempel (Asarco) |
| 2:30–3:00 pm |
Case Study: Application of ameliorative and adaptive approaches to revegetation of mining wastes |
Michael Bellitto (Golder) |
| 3:00–3:30 pm |
Coffee break |
|
| 3:30–4:00 pm |
Case study: Panna Maria mine closure —water management and sustainability |
Clinton Strachan ( MWH) |
| 4:00–5:00 pm |
Group discussion |
Andrew Watson (MWH) facilitator |
Field Tour: Friday, February 15, 2013
Site visit to the Old Dominion and Miami mines (2-hr drive)
Posted by admin on January 7, 2013 under M&A News |
Two M&A staff members — John Petti and Tim Bayley — will be giving poster sessions at this year’s Mine Water Management Symposium. Held in Reno on January 28 and 29, this event is sponsored by the Nevada Water Resources Association (NWRA). The symposium is part of the NWRA’s annual conference week.
John Petti is an environmental scientist who leads our HydroGeoMetrics team. His poster is entitled “Using Grouted Piezometer Arrays for Monitoring Shallow and Deep Groundwater Pressures During Underground Mine Dewatering.” It not only presents basic theory on the fully grouted piezometer method but also illustrates field applications for characterization and monitoring at a deep underground mine. [Download his abstract.]
Tim Bayley is a hydrogeologist who specializes in developing decision support systems. His poster is entitled “Monte-Carlo Model Generation for Optimization of Data Collection and Development of Probabilistic Model Projections.” It recaps his work on a project that used multiple unique flow and transport models to identify the optimal locations for collecting data at an environmental site with known regulatory exceedances. His analysis considered uncertainties in both model parameters and conceptualizations. [Download his abstract.]
Posted by admin on November 13, 2012 under M&A News |
Once again, M&A is sponsoring the Northwest Mining Association convention. Now in its 118th year, this event will be held from December 2–7 in Spokane, Washington. Its theme is “Thoroughly Modern Mining in a Technology-based World.” M&A will be exhibiting at booth 1312; be sure to stop by the Spokane Convention Center and say hi to Daniel Weber, John Laney, and Bill Victor.
In addition to exhibits, the conference features technical sessions, short courses, and field trips.
Posted by admin on October 31, 2012 under M&A News |
M&A has gone “green” and we’re inviting you to help us celebrate!
When: Tuesday, November 13, from 4:30–6:30 pm
Where: Our Tucson office (1550 E. Prince Road, 85719)
Snacks and beverages will be provided!
Did you know that M&A’s Tucson office now produces about 85 percent of its annual electrical power from solar panels? Our canopy, which was installed last year by Technicians For Sustainability (TFS), produces over 70,000 watts. TFS will be on hand to provide information and conduct tours of our solar array components. Bring your questions; it’s a great opportunity to learn about solar power… and to network with other water professionals.
The Open House will be followed by a meeting of the Arizona Hydrological Society, where Fred Tillman of the USGS will discuss groundwater discharge via plants in Arizona’s Basin & Range.
Posted by admin on September 20, 2012 under M&A News |
Be sure to stop by M&A’s booth (#839 in Hall N) at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL, which will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from September 24–26. MINExpo features 850,000 square feet of exhibits showcasing innovative new products and services for the global mining industry. Sponsored by the National Mining Association, this event occurs once every 4 years. To learn more, visit the MINExpo web site.
M&A staff members Todd Keay, Dan Weber, Kate Duke, and Carrolette Winstead will be attending.
