Cannington Mine – Watercourse diversion design, flood study and EIS support

Alluvium played a key role in the planning process for the expansion of BHP Billiton’s Cannington Mine, located in north-west Queensland, 200km south east of Mount Isa. The mine is an underground operation and the proposed expansion to open cut operations required rerouting a watercourse.

Diverting a watercourse around an open cut pit and waste rock dump poses many environmental issues, both during mine operation and post mine closure. As the diversion formed a critical component of the proposed mine expansion, Alluvium made a significant contribution to the Environmental Impact Statement.

Alluvium was engaged at an early stage to design a watercourse diversion, in line with “Best Practice” and regulatory requirements. A flood study (hydrologic modeling and 2D hydrodynamic modeling) was also undertaken by Alluvium, in order to understand changes in flood dynamics caused by the proposed development, and to inform infrastructure design.