Could you introduce us to Arcadis and its services in the US mining industry?

Arcadis is a global firm with around 40,000 personnel, and in the US it has a force of 8,000 professionals and approximately 800 experts who serve the mining sector. In the US we focus on closure activities and water treatment, and our competencies encompass design and engineering for closure and water treatment and extend to full-scale construction.

How has the GISTM shaped the mining industry within the USA?

The new international global standards for tailings management have had a ripple effect worldwide, and Arcadis’ attention revolves around managing moderate to low hazard facilities. We help our clients navigate the intricacies of GISTM compliance, and we also guide them in comprehending safety prerequisites and audit obligations concerning their tailings impoundments. Moreover, we offer the engineer of record (EoR) for several impoundments across the US and abroad.

Our clients are adapting to comply with the 77 requirements of the GISTM. Many of those requirements relate to geotechnical engineering, but some also relate to surveys for biodiversity or hydrogeological conceptual site models.

What challenges do clients face regarding tailings management?

The demands posed by EoR requirements from our clients can be challenging. Clients seek immediate project delivery and consider factors like bench depth and long-term stability. Under GISTM’s EoR mandates, sustained staff commitment becomes paramount, and clients are interested in knowing if assistance will persist not just for the next few years but throughout the asset’s lifespan. Our approach addresses historical impoundments that may lack design documentation, particularly those dating back 50 to 100 years. In such cases, we help them with the forensics of engineer designs, impoundment stability, and overall safety. Most of the time, companies need an entire team to understand these old impoundments, how they are constructed, and whether they are safe. Arcadis utilizes multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists to deliver comprehensive GISTM services.

What work is Arcadis doing in the critical minerals sector?

Critical minerals present challenges and opportunities, a duality we are well poised to address. Our clients are interested in pivoting into critical minerals extraction and reprocessing historic impoundments. We currently have clients seeking to permit the reopening of closed mines and the reprocessing of formally closed wastes to extract critical minerals or increase production. We are noticing that mines we thought would be closed 10 years ago have stayed open, and our clients continue to explore the possibility of critical mineral recovery. They are investing in the West because they found that allocating their resources globally has not necessarily produced a return on investment. Not only are we helping clients understand what type of critical minerals they have in their waste rock or tailings, but we help them understand the geochemistry of what is there, how to reprocess it, and the chemical engineering needed to transform that waste and do it efficiently.

Could you highlight recent case studies Arcadis worked on?

In Idaho, Arcadis implements a strategically-driven programmatic approach advancing a portfolio of more than 10 mine projects through investigation, risk assessment and remedial planning. Our role entails comprehensive portfolio management, responding to shifting regulatory dynamics and federal and state mandates. We saved our client US$100 million by demonstrating that human health and ecological receptors remained unthreatened.

In Arizona, we stepped in at an advanced 90% design stage for a reclamation. Our involvement encompassed finalizing the design and conducting a thorough peer review that led to enhancements, and overseeing the subsequent construction phase, which concluded in the summer of 2023. What is interesting about this project was the biodiversity aspect, where we collaborated closely with the client to integrate trails into the reclaimed zone, introduced pollinator gardens to foster biodiversity, and developed enriched planting zones containing culturally significant flora for the local First Nations.

What factors will drive Arcadis’ growth in the upcoming months?

One continued focus will be on critical minerals. Jeff Gillow, a distinguished Ph.D. geochemist, developed a plan and a team to expand critical mineral recovery for both operating facilities and on the back end of engineering and construction projects.  Among these, lithium is a significantly important critical mineral, particularly in Nevada, where we have onboarded new clients engaged in mine development and permitting.