Drilling specialist company Environ-mental Drilling & Remediation Services (EDRS) manager Derek Whitfield says that the company is currently 
one of the few in Southern Africa offering services in environmental drilling and contamination remediation for the mining sector, particularly for acid mine drainage (AMD).

“EDRS is contracted by a mine consultant who is tasked with identifying points of water contamination on a mine site. EDRS will then drill boreholes at these points so that the consultant can analyse the level 
of contamination in the underlying water table,” explains Whitfield.

The types of drilling methods used to create boreholes at the mine sites include hydraulic drilling and percussion drilling.

Percussion drilling is used primarily for mineral exploration, as well as in water-bore drilling and blast-hole drilling for a range of applications. 
The drill uses a pneumatic reciprocating piston-driven hammer to drive a heavy drill bit into the rock.

Hydraulic drilling is generally used for deep-hole mining or where large-diameter mine holes are needed.He says that the company’s services contribute to the broader environmental protection mandate governing most mining operations in South Africa.

Acid Mine Drainage

AMD is polluted effluent from base metals, coal and coal mines. It contains sulphuric acid and toxic metals formed by bacterial oxidation of mineral sulphides, using the oxygen dissolved in the underground water or rain and surface water in contact with waste dumps.

It is reported that the AMD continues to form even after mining operations have ceased.EDRS’s services are aligned with the larger 
context of environmental remediation in an affected area.

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