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

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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Sweetwater Mine

Sweetwater Mine Permitting Tierra Group’s Team began work at the Sweetwater mine in 1993 assisting permitting and developing tailings impoundment management strategies for the mine. We successfully designed and installed an innovative internal seal for repair of the mine’s damaged…

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Rhyolite Ridge

Tierra Group is providing water management and geotechnical engineering services to support a Preliminary Feasibility Study at the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium Mine Project in Nevada.

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Hermosa Project

Tierra Group provided a Third-Party review of the Hermosa Project Tailings Storage Facility Design and Construction stages 1 & 2 in Patagonia, Arizona

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Goldstrike Mine

Engineer of Record Barrick’s Goldstrike Mine processes 30,000 tons of gold ore per day from its combined open-pit/underground operations located in the historic Carlin Trend in Nevada, U.S.A. Goldstrike’s tailings are stored in the North Block Tailings Disposal Facility (NBTDF).…

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Karouni Mine

Tierra Group reviewed and provided pit slope recommendations and conducted hydrological assessments for the Resource 1 and 2 deposits water management system at Troy Resources’ Karouni Mine (Karouni). Advanced pre-feasibility level recommendations for pit development were provided based on benchmarking…

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La India Mine

GoldSim Training Tierra Group provided GoldSim training to the Agnico Team and updated the heap leach water balance. Phase 2 & 3 Heap Leach Pad Design and Construction Quality Assurance Tierra Group provided engineering design services for the Phase 2 and 3…

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Equity Silver ITRB

Tierra Group's Matt Fuller, LEG, P.Geo. serves as one of three ITRB technical experts providing technical assurance of the Engineer of Record’s design and monitoring compliance with BC regulations, the Newmont Corporate Tailings Standard, and industry best practices.

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Newcrest Telfer 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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Cosmo Howley

Newmarket Gold’s Cosmo Howley Project Area (CHPA) is a gold mine in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. An underground mine is currently in operation with planned underground expansion. CHPA contains several legacy open pits, waste rock dumps, and surface water…

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Condor Gold | La India TSF Feasibility Design

Tierra Group provided a feasibility-level Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) design for Condor Gold’s La India Project permitting, a planned 2,000 tpd open pit mine in western Nicaragua. TSF embankments used rockfill from the open pit and a geomembrane liner for…

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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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