Post by
cohoe on Dec 01, 2005 11:51am
Re mining a deposit and water
First thing that must be determined is that will the end justify the means?.It is common knowledge that the cost of every thing from a to z to develop and bring a mine into production has gone through the roof.How many years will it take to build the project and what will the future price of gold be?.The major problem with the Roberto system is the Opinaca Reservior.So far,three-quarters of the Roberto system is under water. The water has to be removed,but,how to do it?.One solution is that a portion of the reservior must be closed off with a dike.Diavik Diamond Mine had to build dikes on Lac de Gras just offshore of East island.All three pipes were located underwater.Once the dikes were built the water inside the dikes was pumped out.To buid a dike is a extremely expensive proposition,in the case of the Diavik mine the recoverable diamonds justified the cost of the dike,but if you look at the Roberto system,will the recoverable gold justify the cost of a dike?.I would say that the Water Table in this area is high and that once you started a tunnel you would encounter underground water from the get go.You would have to start up a dewatering system almost immediately.Water tends to follow the easiest route and it appears the underground geology of this region is full of faults,shears and a multitude of other geological formations that water could follow.I have worked as a miner and a" BURST" is a haszard that can happen at any time.A Burst is when water,suddenly, breaks through the wall of a mine shaft.So,some how they are going to have to dike off or lower the level of the Opinaca Reservoir.Any way you look at it,this water problem is going to greatly add to the cost of developing Eleonore.This is my opinion.