Heap Leach Draindown Estimator (HLDE)

Why should industry need to spend $100,000 on draindown modeling for heap leach pads for bonding purposes? There should be a method to simplify the modeling while still obtaining results that are sufficient for bonding purposes. JBR Environmental Consultants, Inc., along with Newmont Mining Corporation, in cooperation with the Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), has created a spreadsheet model that can be used for calculating draindown curves for closure of heap leach pads. The spreadsheet is titled the Heap Leach Draindown Estimator, or HLDE. HLDE is designed for use in creation of draindown curves for leach pads to be used for reclamation bond calculations. Version 1 of HLDE is currently available for download from the Nevada BLM website: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/minerals/mining.html.