Statement of Qualifications

Aside from the air we breathe, water is the single most important compound to the survival of mankind. Covering 71% of the Earth’s surface, it is vital for all forms of life. Only 2.5% of the Earth's water is freshwater, and 99% of that water is contained in ice (glaciers and icecaps) and groundwater. The relative scarcity of freshwater makes water management imperative to societal success. On Earth, water moves continuously through the hydrological cycle of evaporation, transpiration (evapotranspiration), condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water. Tierra Group hydrologists, hydrogeologists, and hydrochemists are skilled in the following disciplines:

  • Climatology – Evaluation
  • Water Supply – Surface and Ground Water Exploration and Development
  • Water Balance – Inflow, Outflow, and Losses to a System
  • Storage – Retention and Detention
  • Distribution - Systems
  • Treatment - Quality

Tierra Group has applied its 100+ years combined professional water resources expertise consulting on, or designing and constructing, dozens of these structures on six continents. This geographic variety has allowed Tierra Group’s Team to develop expertise designing facilities under challenging climatic conditions, including:

  • Tropical Wet
  • Tropical Wet and Dry (cyclic)
  • Semi-Arid
  • Arid
  • Mediterranean
  • Humid Subtropical
  • Humid Continental
  • Coastal Marine

Tierra Group has innovatively adapted to these challenging environments using highly-trained professionals and state-of-the-art techniques and software to design water management systems, such as:

  • Supply Systems – Surface Capture and Well Fields
  • Dams - Tailings and Water Storage
  • Hydraulic Structures – Pipelines, Canals, Channels, Pump Stations
  • Treatment Systems – Passive, Active

Regardless of the climatic challenges posed Tierra Group’s broad experience, intimate attention to site-specific conditions, and keen focus on developing innovative solutions has earned us a respected reputation and loyal clients around the world.


Select Water Resources Projects

Esmeralda Mill

Tierra Group was contracted by Waterton Global Mining Company to prepare the FPCP for TSF No.1 at the Esmeralda Mine. TSF No.1 covered approximately 100 acres, included a rockfill embankment with a maximum height approximately 60 feet, and stored gold tailings. Work…

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El Limón Mine

Tailings Storage Facility & Engineer of Record (2012-present) Tierra Group engineers provided engineering consultancy, design, and construction services for three Tailings Storage Facilities (TSF) (Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa West, and San José) to facilitate 20 years of uninterrupted mine operations. Tierra…

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Terronera Project

Hydrogeologic Characterization Tierra Group provided hydrogeological support for data characterization and developed a conceptual and groundwater model to evaluate mine water inflows and the associated groundwater drawdown due to mine dewatering activities. Water Management Technical Review Tierra Group provided a…

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Sterling Mine

Sterling Mine is an underground gold mine in southern Nevada which recovers gold through heap leaching and a carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR) plant. Tierra Group team members have a long history at Sterling, starting with heap leach pad final permanent closure…

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Goldfield Bonanza Project

Lode-Star Gold, Inc., in advance of their proposed mining operations, submited a Physical Separation Facility application with the State of Nevada for their Goldfield Bonanza Project located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The mine, located in the historic high-grade gold-bearing district of…

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Brushy Creek

Tierra Group provided a raise design for Doe Run's Brushy Creek tailings embankment, a facility first commissioned in 1973. Cone penetration testing, liquefaction analysis, seepage modeling, and slope stability modeling were performed for the embankment. Hydrology, spillway design, and impoundment layout…

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Lagunas Norte Mine

The Lagunas Norte Mine, operated by Barrick Misquichilca S.A., is an open pit gold mine located in the Quiruvilca district, Santiago de Chuco province, La Libertad department, Perú. The main study objective was to evaluate the volume of effluent discharge…

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Newcrest Red Chris Tailings Stewardship

Tierra Group provided Tailings Stewardship Services for TSFs and water dams at the Cadia, Terfer, and Red Chris properties. Responsibilities included data/report review; identifying and assisting the client with managing risks, liabilities, controls, and reporting; evaluating progress towards GISTM compliance;…

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Tajo Crimea Project

Tierra Group evaluated the Tajo Crimea Pit’s geotechnical and hydrogeological characteristics to determine in-pit tailings storage feasibility. The project scope defined geotechnical and hydrogeologic site conditions through field investigations and in-situ pump testing. Tierra Group developed a 3D groundwater model…

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Palmarejo Mine

Tierra Group performed an initial site visit to Coeur Mining’s Palmarejo Mine to conduct dam safety inspections of the tailings storage facility, environmental control dam, water diversion dam, and water diversion channel. Prior to the site visit, Tierra Group reviewed…

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Brushy Creek 2

Tierra Group was commissioned by Doe Run to design a new tailings storage facility at the Brushy Creek Mine. Tierra Group completed a geotechnical investigation including boring, classifying, and sampling soil and rock. Trade-off studies were performed to minimize construction…

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Caeté Complex

Tierra Group developed a site-wide water management plan, and performed a liquefaction potential study following the Samarco tailings dam failure in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A tailings storage facility water balance was developed to optimize water usage and minimize risks at…

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