Rio Tinto reached out through an EOI process to find a company that could complete a bore redevelopment and test pumping program for their production bores located at their mining sites in the Pilbara area of Western Australia.
The lengthy tender submission required a significant safety management plan, a groundwater management plan, and a methodology to pump test, redevelop and repair their bores.
Rio Tinto conducted an extensive review of safety and capability before awarding the tender to Think Water Broome.
This project required Think Water Broome to make a substantial investment in equipment. This included test pumps, camera equipment to log issues, and a jet blasting system to clean bores.
Patrick Annesley and the team developed a truck-mounted hydraulic arm. Attached to this arm is a removable reel or cassette. There are 5 cassettes, one is a bore cleaner made up of poly with jets and a brush system for cleaning the bores. One is poly for flushing of the aquifer, one for lifting the bore pump and flexible rising main, one for the test pump and rising main, and one for the discharge pipe.
The innovative solution allows for one reel to be loaded onto the arm to perform each task, which speeds up the process, without compromising safety.
There are off-the-shelf solutions available for over $400,000, however, Patrick and his team designed and built this system for $100,000, which is engineered approved.
A report is compiled for each bore tested and presented to Rio Tinto. These reports determine if the pumps need to be replaced as well as water quality considerations. Many of the bores are used for mining townsite water so water quality and production are of huge importance.
1 bore test is completed each week, given the complexity of the job and unforeseen issues from old bores.
Think Water Broome has been granted status as a Cat 3 Contractor with Rio Tinto. This allows us to work on a variety of RIO sites. We continue to deliver the very high WHS standards required from Rio Tinto, which is a significant barrier to entry for smaller contractors.
This project was awarded '2021 Project of the Year' at the annual Think Water Group Awards held in August this year.
