Can you provide an overview of INTERA’s history and the services you offer?

INTERA is an employee-owned company of geoscientists and engineers with offices in the US, France, Switzerland and Australia, and active projects in eight countries. Our core values include safety, stewardship, integrity and innovation.

Our primary focus is assisting clients in addressing complex challenges related to characterizing and optimizing water resources. INTERA helps our mining clients to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with water throughout the mining life cycle by providing the tools and information to make well-informed decisions that reduce development and closure schedules, which reduces costs during the times mines are not profitable.

What are some of the most significant challenges associated with water management in the mining industry?

One of the most significant challenges associated with water management is dealing with unexpected surprises. These surprises can have a considerable impact on project progress and a company's reputation. Surprises can occur during all stages of the mining life cycle. For example, discovering more water than initially anticipated at the project's start, discovering that dewatering operations are affecting a local water resource or slope stability, or discovering that proactive modeling and investigations could have helped to avoid a large, expensive groundwater remedy during closure.

We help our clients avoid these surprises by providing comprehensive information and understanding at different project stages. This includes leveraging available data, even from exploration, for purposes beyond resource estimation, like baseline characterization, planning and optimization through the life of the project. Informed decision-making and effective communication with stakeholders, including the company, investors, neighbors, NGOs, and regulators, are crucial to avoiding surprises and reducing pain points across the board.

Given the complexity of regulatory frameworks in the mining industry, what advice do you offer to companies navigating these regulations?

To succeed, it is essential to start strong by assembling a multidisciplinary team of experts and investing in high-quality hydrogeological characterization and modeling upfront. This initial investment pays off by leading to optimizations during the operational stages, reducing project delays, reducing surprises, and minimizing the risk of regulatory backlash.

Building strong relationships with regulators, the public and local communities is vital. Demonstrating a commitment to responsible mining practices and showcasing a deep understanding of the site's environmental aspects, including water management, helps build trust and support among stakeholders. While the regulatory process can be lengthy, these strategies can help companies navigate it more effectively and establish a positive track record in responsible mining.

Can you explain the importance of mine closure plans and where you see opportunities for improvement in the industry?

Well-designed mine closure plans are key to responsible mining practices and essential to securing funding, social license and formulating long-term cost projections. Mine closure plans also serve to reduce risk during operations and provide transparency when interfacing with stakeholders. Accurate baseline characterization is indispensable to sound closure planning.

Legacy mines and cumbersome permitting processes in the US have dominated the mine closure narrative. Opportunities for improvement in closure planning lies in demonstrating to the public and to regulatory agencies successful mine closures, including the return of mined lands to beneficial use.

What trends do you see in mine closure?

Mining companies are trying to recover from the legacy of historical mining practices in the Western US that have left scars on the landscape and require taxpayer funding over decades to remove the risks to humans and the environment, while still leaving unsightly reminders of the past. Modern mining and the focus toward ESG includes a wider net of stakeholders, including locals that will be using the land and the resources beyond the life of the mine. Modern mining and technologies are moving toward natural landscapes, native vegetation, and returning the land to pre-mining conditions.

Could you highlight a specific project in the Western USA mining industry INTERA has worked on?

INTERA has qualified persons in hydrogeology and geochemistry that lead characterization efforts for Technical Reports and Disclosures. We just supported a hydrogeologic characterization and dewatering estimate for the initial assessment and preliminary economic assessment technical reports for a copper project in AZ. We are helping with several feasibility studies for developing mines in the Western US as well as hydrogeologic characterization for mines entering into the closure phase.