Sheffield Resources is developing the Thunderbird Mineral Sands Project in the Dampier Peninsula of the Kimberley. The project is targeting a large heavy mineral sands resource, with a mine life of up to 45 years.
Competition for groundwater resources and the large scale of the project required a robust groundwater model encompassing a large part of the Dampier Peninsula.
Rockwater developed a conceptual hydrogeological model for the Dampier Peninsula and used it to construct a FEFLOW model. This code allowed model-refinement in areas of interest, running of statistically-valid climate change scenarios, PEST sensitivity analyses, and predictive uncertainty assessments.
An H3 Level of Hydrogeological Assessment with the modelling results was prepared by Rockwater to support an application for an allocation of 13 GL/annum.
