Don Mario Mine is an open pit gold/copper mine located in the Chiquitos Province, Santa Cruz, Bolivia that has been operating since 2002 and currently produces 2700 tpd mill throughput. Conventional tailings are transported and deposited in a high-density polyethylene lined geomembrane valley -fill tailings storage facility (TSF) created by constructing a conventional downstream-staged, earth fill dam. Since 2002 Don Mario has constructed 7 phases of the conventional downstream tailings dam design.

Due to ever-increasing dam construction costs, in 2015 Don Mario engaged Tierra Group to develop an innovative means to reduce construction costs for their tailings dam design, without compromising dam integrity. Tierra Group developed a unique and innovative dam raise design that incorporated a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) dam-crest raise combined with using sterile waste rock to increase tailings storage capacity while reducing construction volumes, construction time and costs. After developing the design, Tierra Group provided construction quality assurance (CQA) and construction project management support, which was finalized in April 2016. Tierra Group also designed future dam raises for construction which commenced in July 2016.