How much water will Powertech need for the ISR process?
The water that is used in the mining operations is derived from the pore space in the rock that contains the uranium ore. During in-situ operations, about 99 percent of the native groundwater is continually recirculated and is not consumed. However, a one percent bleed is required by regulation, which will be diverted to an evaporation pond. Assuming an operation flow rate of 2000 gallons per minute, this would result in 20 gallons per minute being consumed— approximately the same flow as a garden hose. The company’s objective is to minimize consumption of water.
The water that is used in the mining operations is derived from the pore space in the rock that contains the uranium ore. During in-situ operations, about 99 percent of the native groundwater is continually recirculated and is not consumed. However, a one percent bleed is required by regulation, which will be diverted to a reverse osmosis filtration unit. Assuming an operation flow rate of 2000 gallons per minute, this would result in 20 gallons per minute being diverted to the filtration unit with approximately 14 gallons per minute being recirculated to the well field and 6 gallons per minute being disposed of via deep well injection. The net consumptive use of water is approximately 6 gallons per minute, nearly the same flow as a garden hose. The company’s objective is to minimize consumption of water.
