In 1996, Wheeler was project engineer for the design of a new 6,500-gpm seepwater pump station and 4,800 foot discharge pipeline located at the Climax Mine. This project is known as the No. 1 Dam Seepwater Pumping System. The purpose of the project is to collect and deliver acid mine drainage from the toe of one of the tailing impoundments into the water treatment system located in a nearby drainage basin. The design included pump and pipeline hydraulics, pump station layout, piping design, and pipeline route layout, as well as hydrologic operation studies for the pump station. The pump station design included three 300 horsepower vertical turbine pumps and an air chamber surge control system. Special design considerations, including stainless steel piping and strict material guidelines, were required as a result of the low pH acid mine drainage that was being delivered through the system. A bubbler system and other measures were included in the design to allow for year-round operation under the harsh climatic conditions at the site.
CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM COMPANY
NO. 1 DAM SEEPWATER PUMPING SYSTEM
The Climax Mine is a molybdenum mining and milling operation that has been in existence for over 80 years. The mine is located at the summit of Fremont Pass in Colorado at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. The water systems at the mine include reservoirs, interceptor canals, water pump stations and pipelines, tailing disposal and delivery facilities, and seepwater handling systems. W. W. Wheeler and Associates, Inc. has been involved with projects relating to all of these systems at the mine for approximately 40 years. The high elevation of the site and chemical properties of the water require unique design considerations for all of the water systems.
Wheeler performed project coordination of surveyors, electrical, and structural design subconsultants. Along with the subconsultants, Wheeler prepared the full set of construction drawings, material specifications, Contract documents and technical specifications for the project. The project was successfully completed in February 1997 and has been in continuous operation since that time.