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By Ken Goering, Steve Kral, William Gleason

"Once every four years, the global mining industry gathers in Las Vegas, NV for MINExpo International. According to the show’s organizer, The National Mining Association (NMA), about 44,000 people attended the three-day show from Sept. 26-29. It was a show that featured the latest and greatest in equipment and technology. It also served as the backdrop for a snapshot of the state of the industry and while the picture of a global industry is never completely clear at any one time, one thing that is evident is technology has become a major force in the way mining is done.Had it not been for the awe-inspiring “iron” that was on the show floor in the form of haul trucks and shovels weighing hundreds of tons, one could be forgiven for thinking that they were at the Consumer Electronics Show. From training simulators designed to give a realistic experience of operating mining equipment to virtual reality technology that can take the user into the depths of an underground mine or the middle of a mapped ore deposit, an overriding theme of MINExpo 2016 was that the mining industry is connected like never before.In the north hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was the GE Mining booth that was designed to showcase its efforts to help create a mine that will be connected from the front office to the face of the underground wall or bottom of the openpit. GE Mining called its booth a digital mine, and it included a suite of technologies that can improve performance, reliability, safety and operations. GE Mining said it views each mine as a mini-city, requiring power, water and transportation. Intelligent, real-time monitoring across the mine allows operators to make data-driven decisions that improve equipment reliability and optimize mine operations for substantial savings. And GE Mining was just one of many exhibitors showing off software that allows various types of equipment to communicate. Its booth sat in the shadow of the Komatsu booth with its new 360-t (400-st) 980E-4 haul truck that included GE’s 360-t (400-st) electric wheel motor. This is just one example of how technology is connecting machines, operations and people around the world and how mining is moving forward."

Dec 1, 2016

By M. Javier

"Mining makes civilization possible. It also creates socio-environmental liabilities forcing us to ask how much more of this mining can our planet support. It is clear that the future of mining differs from mining in the future. The laws of nature are being compromised by mining. This paper studies the problems at the core of the mining business which need to be addressed. What kind of mining will serve our existence with nature on this planet? What kind of mining perspectives are we able to formulate without having negative effects for future generations? Is mining technologically sustainable? The values of predictions, imagination, and creativity must be integrated to define what mining should be. Those values should be in the technologies necessary to restoring equilibrium of nature (Geomimic) as well as in complete extraction of metals, better utilization of the mineral reserves, and design the usage of metals to recycle. The purpose of this research is to examine many views and perspectives for future generations and to accelerate the pace of innovation of having mining without socio-environmental liabilities by design and by understanding nature. KEYWORDS: Geomimic, Sustainability, Waste mine Design, Management by Loss. INTRODUCTION The future of mining is being stifled by many antiquated and stagnant attitudes and policies by the industry and society as a whole. The time is now or never for real action and education against these attitudes and to upgrade them to meet the current needs of this planet if we are to survive. Doing this will prove that we understand and respect nature for us and our posterity. It will also show a positive assessment that the mining process can be reversed before the point of no return. And that is to say, only if reversibility is still an option. It may not be anymore but it’s worth a try. We need to use our imagination and engineering know-how to come up with new proposals to change the core of mining. It would entail re-engineering. There is a profound difference between the future of mining and mining in the future. The future of mining is the continuation and persistence of past practices in the industry and expecting new results. Mining in the future requires a paradigm shift for extraction through modern thinking about mining as it pertains nature. The new paradigm for mining in the future would restore equilibrium with nature. Always keep in mind the connection of mining to nature. What is the future of nature? To predict mining in the future we need to use past experiences in mining and our knowledge of modern science and engineering to formulate a prototype that will enhance mining while maintaining equilibrium with nature. Mining and protecting nature are not mutually exclusive. This new prototype has nothing to do with the level of bonding or insurance that the mining industry can legally provide. The goal of this paper is to contribute some new ideas to help transform the mining industry based on the laws of nature and its limitations. Using this new prototype we will develop the following 1. Extraction of minerals Reserves-Dimensions-Technologies 2. Usage of mineral resources-Manufacture’s products designed to be reused and recycled 3. Nature- Equilibrium (physical, chemical and biological)"

Jan 1, 2016

By Harry M. Conger

Thirty years ago, the U.S. gold mining industry was hanging on by its fingernails. Save for one great mine, the Homestake, most production was coming from copper smelters such as Kennecott and Magma. Even Homestake itself was under great pressure from rising costs and a fixed price for gold. The outlook was dim, to say the least. Today, as it has for most of the past decade, the American gold mining industry stands among the world leaders in production, and in the development of mining and mineral processing technology. What caused this dramatic change? Obviously, the freeing of the gold price was a major factor, as was the decline in South African production, but these events alone could not have created the U.S. strength we see today. It was technology, investment, and the determination of miners to build an entirely new industry that were the indispensable ingredients. The U.S. Bureau of Mines, with great foresight, had begun the research that led to heap leaching before the gold price began to rise, and Newmont had committed to build a small mill at Carlin, a move then considered quite risky. From that point, the U.S. gold mining industry was placed on lower-grade ores then being found in Nevada and elsewhere, but it was soon apparent that we would have to develop new technologies to deal with more refractory ores, carbonaceous as well as sulfide-bearing. This is now being done with considerable success. Despite its success, or perhaps because of it, the gold mining industry has come under pressure from various groups who characterize their activities as motivated by "public interest." The public interest they refer to properly include the health and safety workers and impacted communities, as well as protection of the environment, and with these concerns we miners have relatively little argument. In fact, we consider health, safety and the environment among our highest priorities, and not just because regulations may require us to do so. The argument, however, is not about the regulation of a viable mining industry, it is about a well-organized movement to attack and condemn mining in the media and to misrepresent its importance to the Nation and its willingness to accept responsible regulation. Once largely local or regional, the interest groups to which I refer are now quite large, national in scope, and even becoming international. This trend, taken together with finances raised from their dues and contributions, would make the interest groups formidable adversaries for mining, but their grip on the media enormously magnifies their influence. Unfortunately, it also makes possible the wide dissemination of incomplete, incorrect or slanted information. I am not here to "bash" the interest groups. On the whole, I believe that many of them have made positive contributions to society. As conservationists, however, I question their authority to make, or foster, decisions about which American industries and communities live and which die. To illustrate, I would like to present for your consideration the problem of cyanide, one of the issues over which the gold mining industry is most threatened. CYANIDE-POISON OR MIRACLE SOLVENT? Let me get this out of the way right up front: cyanide in most of its chemical forms is toxic. In some forms it is also listed as a carcinogen. These are adverse characteristics cyanide shares with a considerable number of industrial chemicals, including some that are widely used without the stringent regulations already in place for the mining uses of cyanide. In these uses, by the way, the risk to humans comes from direct ingestion of cyanide or cyanide-bearing solutions, or from the accidental acidification of solutions leading to release of hydrocyanic acid gas. That these risks are under control in mining can be seen from the fact that, in modern U.S. practice, there has never been a documented fatality attributed to cyanide! Because of its toxicity, cyanide cannot enter and be accumulated in the food chain. It can, however, be a threat to birds and animals that ingest cyanide-bearing solutions. Protection against this is, quite properly, a responsibility of individual mining operations, and considerable sums are spent each year to prevent or reduce bird and animal exposures. It should be evident, though, that many human activities, including highway traffic, windmills, use of pesticides and the like, result in bird and animal losses. Mining's use of cyanide, and the measures taken to protect birds and animals, should be considered in context. Cyanide must be kept out of surface streams and groundwater, and existing regulations mandate this. Any cyanide residues left in leach heaps, waste dumps and disused facilities must be eliminated, and we have proven technologies to do this now, just as we have means to detoxify tailings prior to disposal. The gold mining industry decries those rare instances when irresponsible operators fail to deal with contamination, and agrees that they should be held responsible. We do not agree, however, that the great majority of responsible companies should be punished, in advance, for accidents that have never happened. So much for the poison, what about the "miracle solvent?" Is that an overstatement? Well, consider the fact that gold has been called "noble" from earliest times, because it does not oxidize under atmospheric exposure, and that it appeared to the ancients to be utterly insoluble. Later generations of scientists did discover that it could be dissolved, but only by a combination of acids so potent that it became known as aqua Regia. Later still, it was found that chlorine would also dissolve gold, and attempts were made to base commercial processes on this, without a great deal of success. It remained

Jan 1, 1995

By Duluth Engineers' Club, Engineers' Club of Northern Minnesota

"Prospecting and Exploration. Since the Lake Superior ores occur in pockets or distinct bodies and vary much as to character and location, the actual mining of the ores is preceded by much work of an exploratory character. This work includes prospecting and exploration.Prospecting is the term generally applied to the quest for surface indications of ore, or the conditions which would warrant the expectation of finding ore in the vicinity. It includes such 'operations as geological examination, dip needle work, shallow test-pitting, and trenching. The ore bodies of the Mesabi Range are non-magnetic, and dip needle prospecting is therefore valueless. On the Cuyuna range, however, magnetic attraction as evidenced by the dip needle has been extensively employed as a guide to the location of ore deposits; in other localities it has found limited application.Drill Exploration. After the presence of an ore deposit is known or suspected, resort is generally had to exploration by means of diamond or churn drills. On the old ranges geological conditions generally make this manner of ascertaining the exact limits of an ore deposit impracticable; so, if two or three adjacent drill holes develop considerable depths of ore, the sinking of a shaft for underground exploration, development and mining is generally considered warranted. On the Mesabi Range, however, the flat-lying and comparatively shallow characteristics of the ore formation warrant much more extensive drill explorations. On this range, then, an ore body 'is almost invariably followed· out with the drills, and its limits are determined to the point where the complete plan of development can be worked out in advance of actual mining operations"

Jan 1, 1920

By Jon C. Yingling

Lean manufacturing, pioneered by Toyota, has been credited with the most significant improvements in production efficiency and product quality since the transformation from craft manufacturing to mass production in the early 20th century. It represents a comprehensive philosophy for structuring, operation, control, and management of production systems that is believed to have wide applicability. This paper outlines major lean manufacturing principles and discusses their potential for application in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1999

By John R. Riede

Most modern crushing and grinding facilities are automated to some degree. Some, of course, have a very minimum of automatic control whereas others utilize very complex control equipment. However, with very few exceptions, the re has not been a new basic control philosophy applied in this field in the past seven years. The philosophy has been broadened in scope and applied to larger plants, some of them with data logging and so- called computer control, but almost always the same tried and proven basic control philosophy is the basis for the control system. New types of control devices to better implement the automatic control have been developed and are continuing to be developed. These devices and their application will be explained and the advantages and disadvantages of each will be discussed. Automatic lubrication of plant equipment is most essential, but this paper will not cover these systems. The use of data logging and computer analysis of the data obtained is fairly recent and it is hoped that by careful analysis of this information that new and better basic control philosophy will be forthcoming. This paper will describe the basic philosophy applied in its simplest form to several types of crushing and grinding equipment, and it will describe how it is being expanded to more complex systems. Some of the economics with regard to first cost, return on investment and maintenance will be covered.

Jan 1, 1965

By John R. Marks

Introduction An engineer is a builder and a problem solver. He uses knowledge of the properties of matter and energy to furnish the needs of society. Engineers form the bridge between scientific researchers and the general public, most of whom are technologically illiterate. Mining, metallurgical, and petroleum engineers extract minerals from the ground and process them into usable forms. Then, other engineers further process them into society's needs. Minerals engineers deal with more uncertainty than other engineers. Each ore deposit has its own personality and each ore is metallurgically unique. Minerals engineers, therefore, must be flexible, often applying larger safety factors and contingencies than other engineers, and frequently functioning as a jack of all trades. A minerals engineer can work in coal, oil, oil shale, base metals, ferrous metals, precious metals, industrial minerals, strategic minerals, or in exploration. Other mining jobs include banking and financing, education and research, marketing and sales, and government. As a minerals engineer, you may be among the first to work on the ocean floor or the moon. College Preparation A difference between college and industry is the type of problems to be solved. A typical college problem has an exact answer derived from given information. An industry problem is more apt to have a solution chosen from a number of alternatives. Information required for the solution is not given. It must be measured, calculated, looked-up, estimated, or otherwise derived. Solutions involve trade-offs, economics, and human factors, as well as application of physical laws and theory. When a college problem is answered, you move on to the next one. In industry, however, the headaches may just be starting with the implementation of the solution. Students often complain that they see little use for the theory they are learning. This is valid. A good professor will link theory and practice. Another difference between college and industry is the price of failure. In college, you can make a half-hearted effort in an assignment and take your C or D. On the job, however, poor engineering results in potentially effective projects being rejected and unsound projects being undertaken. Poor performance results in cost overruns, schedule holdups, oversights, disgruntled employees, irate bosses, unsafe structures, and unreliable systems. The costs are time, money, and possibly lives. The student pays the university for his work - not the other way around. So the rewards for good schoolwork often seem nebulous. But education must be viewed as an investment. Working for good grades will help you think better, learn more, receive better job offers, and perform more effectively on the job. There is no substitute for hard work. Avoid taking the easiest electives. If you desire a more liberal education or dislike rigorous physical sciences, mathematics, or engineering courses, change majors. Remember, you are training to be an engineer, not a computer programmer or market analyst. At least one summer of industry employment is necessary for minerals engineering students. The sooner you gain actual experience, the sooner you will know whether to change majors. Most large companies hire students during summer. It is best to send out applications around Christmas break. First and second year students usually work as laborers. Upper-classmen may work as engineering technicians. Students must sometimes choose between returning to a company at a higher position or trying a different company at a lower position, for more varied experience. Both alternatives have advantages. Do your best on these summer jobs. The company is watching. If you do well, the chances are good you will get a job offer when you graduate. Good references are important when you begin job hunting. Interviewing occurs near the end of your school career. The standard procedure is to send your resume with a cover letter to each company you are interested in. The resume for a graduating engineer with little experience need not exceed one page. The cover letter must be written for the individual company.

Jan 2, 1985

By Irving D. Cohen

In order to overcome our reliance upon foreign energy sources for both crude supply and finished products, we must realize the goals proposed by Project Independence. In general this involves expanding production of existing and new oil, gas, and coal resources, utilizing and improving nuclear technology and the developing of new energy sources such as solar, geothermal, oil shale, tidal, wind and stimulation techniques. There is a continuing debate, both in the scientific community and the consuming public as to the potentiality of nuclear power generation being cost effective and environmentally and safety conscious. The development of new sources of energy does not occur overnight; it is rather a continuing effort in time and money to achieve the goal of providing energy to an ever increasing demand. The public has been accustomed to the availability of energy whenever and wherever it was needed. The era of "energy gluttony" has begun to fade into the realm of "energy awareness". Unfortunately, it required the action of another country to bring the picture that has been discussed many times in the past by energy suppliers into correct focus. Nevertheless, the public responded by conservation efforts to reduce energy wastefulness. Still, the demand for foreign importation of energy supplies is on the rise. What is our recourse? The largest known unexploited energy resource available in the United States is our coal resources. Moreover, the Department of the Interior has noted that 63 counties in Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas hold 60% of the nation's least expensive strip minable coal. This western coal is the most abundant and least costly Fossil Fuel in the United States. It is acknowledged that western coal is an important input in meeting the energy needs of our nation.

Jan 1, 1976

By K. Zhang

Real option value (ROV) method is considered to be more practical and advanced compared to net present value (NPV) method in evaluating a mining project, in particularly when there is substantial uncertainty in the commodity market as well as possible operational flexibility embedded in the project. Usually, it may take months or even years for the commodity product to be available in the market after the mining activation decision is made. The impacts of postponing the delivery of commodity product on the mine?s ROV and NPV are assessed based on the proposed real option method. Postponing the delivery of the products leads to declined NPV and ROV compared to the non-postponing scenario and extended postpone results in higher lost values in NPV and ROV. For a mine with lower mining cost, by postponing the delivery, the exercising threshold of commodity price is lower because the mine owner anticipates that commodity price may rise during the time of postponing. A mine with higher mining cost requires a higher exercising price threshold to ?lock up? the profit when there is ambiguity of market situation due to the postponing of the delivery.

Feb 23, 2014

By S. McAlister

This paper outlines the development of the Falcon enhanced gravity separator. Design objectives included continuous operation with sharp separations, mechanical simplicity, minimization of process water demand, the ability to apply a centrifugal field up to 300G's, unit capacity in excess of 100 t/h within a footprint of 10 square meters, a capital cost below $US 4,000 per t/h capacity, and total operating costs of less than $US 0.40 per tonne. A parallel development has been inexpensive, effective, semi-continuous equipment for recovery of precious metals in the free metallic state. These objectives have been largely met. There are significant opportunities for the technology in many mineral processing applications.

Jan 1, 1998

By Yi Luo, Jian Yang, YUJIA LIAN

Scale physical models, constructed according to the principle of similarity theory, are widely used to simulate the mining disturbances to surrounding strata and to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented ground-control techniques. This technique has also been used for studying mining-induced surface and subsurface subsidence. The movements of the observation points installed on the physical model at different mining stages are currently measured using a total station, which is time consuming and inaccurate, especially on small-scale models.

By K. Galos

The paper presents increasing importance of mineral secondary and waste raw materials in the minerals management in Poland. Definition of mineral secondary and waste raw materials is proposed, according to current Polish law. On this basis, sources of various types of mineral waste raw materials are analysed. The special attention is paid to the wastes from mining and processing, wastes from power plants, and wastes from steelworks and other smelters. Other types of waste and secondary materials, such as metallic containers, glass containers, batteries, metallic wastes and scraps, are also taken into account. Analysis of sources of such materials is shown together with the main directions of their economic use. Available sources of information on manufacture and use of the mentioned secondary and waste raw materials are also analysed. Finally, for a wide range of waste materials, their current and expected significance as substitutes for some industrial and construction minerals in Poland is given.

Jan 1, 2011

By K. Kavouridis

The energy and climate protection policy of European Union (EU), and its Member States adopted in 2007 bridges security of supply, environmental protection and competitiveness. The objectives of the EU energy and environmental strategy cover the foreseeable period till 2020. It assumes all sources of energy will be needed. The objectives for renewable and improved efficiency are ambitious; it must be established if they are also realistic. Coal can continue to make valuable contribution to the security of supply and low price of electricity, only with technologies allowing for drastic reduction of the CO2 emitted of its combustion. The aimed at -20% reduction of green-house gases (GHG) of EU-27 by 2020 is an objective limited in time and content. Europe produces less than 15% of global CO2 and this will be reduced to 10% in 2030. Emissions Trading (ET) is to remain the central instrument for CO2 management, especially in the power sector. ET scheme (ETS) or other mechanisms need designing to create an incentive for investment in higher efficiency and technologies and to Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). The ETS as the climate protection instrument of the EU can become a heavy burden (high fuel and electricity prices, less security of supply) or it can create a climate for modernization of fossil fuel power plants. The suggestion in this paper of fuel-specific benchmark system for CO2 allocation after 2012 can combine the emission levels to be reached with a strong drive to invest, the necessary investment security, transparency and the principle of proportionality. A Benchmark System as recommended by coal industry could adapt to the different circumstances in the long term and comply with EU energy and environmental policy objectives.

Jan 1, 2008

By Nathaniel Arbiter

After almost 60 years of application in this country froth flotation is still by far the most important process for concentrating metallic ores as well as a number of nonmetallic ores including fluorspar, phosphate rock, and potash. Its use on iron ores and coal is increasing. In the metals groups the largest plants and the greatest progress are found in copper and molybdenum mills, and the section of this paper that deals with applications will be found most pertinent to that field. During its long reign the flotation process has passed through several phases of evolution and has achieved progress in economy, efficiency, and simplicity of operation. Much of today's success in the flotation of low-grade ores can be attributed to that progress. Even more important to us than our ability to cope with today's conditions are tomorrow's problems, which we can contemplate with some prescience and confidence. Our annual production of copper, lead, zinc, and molybdenum--to mention only the most important metals occurring in the U.S. as sulphides--must be held at a high level in the face of a declining grade of ore. It is probable that the tonnage of such ores mined and processed will double in this country before the turn of the century. Not only will many of the existing flotation mills be enlarged again and again, but larger mills will be built here and abroad to meet our needs. At this moment, in fact, there are at least three proposed new foreign mills or expansions that envision 100,000 tons daily milling rate on copper ores. Table I (1) shows the trend in copper ore grades in U.S. in recent years:

Jan 1, 1970

By S. Garcia, J. Gebhardt, D. McBride, A. Hernandez, A. Esplín, M. Cross

The Minera Yanacocha operation consists of several heaps interconnected with ponds and gold recovery plants and presents various operating challenges. A comprehensive process model has been developed in order to better understand the effects of certain operating parameters and inventory issues. An integral component of the process water/mass balance is a model of each heap that describes heap behavior based on the individual characteristics of the heap. The heap models are linked to a mass balancing program in order to track flows and concentrations throughout the circuit. A case study of the process heap model is presented for the La Quinua heap, including results for the normal base line operation and several operational problems such as loss of solution flow to the heap (i.e., pump failure), increased flow to a section of the heap (i.e., pond volume control), effect of significant rain events, and impact of a change in material properties (i.e., change in ore type). The impact on heap operating efficiency is discussed with regard to effects on recovery and gold solution grades.

Jan 1, 2007

By C. M. Bristow

The mineral kaolinite is one of the commonest minerals in the uppermost 10 m of the continental crust; ranking in abundance alongside minerals like quartz, mica, feldspar and calcite. Only very exceptionally does it possess all the necessary properties needed to make it worth commercially exploiting. The terms 'Kaolin' and 'Kaolinite' are derived from a locality known as 'Kau-ling', in Jiangxi Province, Peoples Republic of China; where samples of a white clay used by the Chinese to make porcelain were first obtained by European missionaries and explorers in the eighteenth century.

Jan 1, 1986

By N. A. Karl, D. R. Wilburn

"This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2016 draws upon information from industry sources, published literature, SNL Metals & Mining (SNL), an offering of S&P Global Market Intelligence (New York, NY), and specialists in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Minerals Information Center. Three types of information are reported and analyzed in this annual review of international exploration: 1) budgetary statistics expressed in U.S. dollars provided by SNL; 2) regional and site-specific exploration activities that took place in 2016 as compiled by the USGS and 3) regional events and legislation that affected exploration activities including economic, social and political conditions, which were derived from published sources and discussions with USGS and industry specialists. Commodity and regional compilations are presented in this summary. Because multiple sources were used to develop commodity and regional compilations, statistics may vary depending on the source and type of data that are being reported. The SNL data summarize budget estimates for worldwide exploration activities in 2016 for 30 nonfuel mineral commodities and metal alloys, based on company surveys. Surveys focused on precious metals (gold, platinumgroup platinumgroup metals (PGMs) and silver), base metals, (cobalt, copper, lead, molybdenum, nickel, tin and zinc), bulk commodities (bauxite, chromite, iron ore, manganese, phosphate and potash) and other commodities (aluminum, antimony, diamond, graphite, heavy-mineral sands, lithium, niobium, rare-earth elements (REEs), scandium, tantalum, tungsten, uranium, vanadium and yttrium). Information on uranium exploration activities was included in SNL’s survey for the first time in 2007. Data on lithium, niobium, phosphate, potash, REE and tungsten were compiled for the first time in 2010, and scandium, vanadium and yttrium were added in 2014 because of their increased topical significance. Since 1999, companies with exploration budgets of $100,000 and greater were included in the SNL surveys. SNL budget estimates exclude coal, and oil and gas. The 2016 SNL mining company survey compilation was reported by SNL to include an estimated 95 percent of the world’s nonfuel mineral exploration budgets. The 5 percent that was not covered was accounted for by companies that chose not to participate in the SNL survey, private companies that do not publish their budget data and government-funded exploration activities."

Jan 5, 2017

By J. Y. Hwang

Sands are utilized to make molds for metal castings in the foundry industry. Approximately a half ton of sand is disposed of for each ton of metal cast in this country. In Michigan, annual sand disposal amounts to about one million tons. A process has been developed in this study to reclaim sands from a steel foundry. Physical separations are utilized in conjunction with other operations (such as the removal of binder, metal, spruce, washes, etc.) to yield silica and chromite sands with desirable molding properties. Several different separation methods, including electrostatic, magnetic, and various gravitational approaches have been examined. Experimental results are presented. The applicabilities of these separation methods are discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By William W. Edgerton, Moussa Wone, David H. Corkum, Carlton M. Ray

"The DC Clean Rivers (DCCR) Project is a 25 year, $2.6 Billion court ordered project to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) discharging into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and Rock Creek, and also reduce flooding in the northern areas of the District of Columbia. Like all massive infrastructure programs, DCCR faced technical challenges, management challenges, risks of cost and schedule overruns, procurement challenges, and financing challenges. While DC Water is no stranger to large capital improvement projects (CIP), this CSO Program represents a once in a lifetime event for the Owner requiring the assembly of a single purpose team to implement. Some of the DCCR Project team’s most successful accomplishments to date are attributable to its introduction of early contractor involvement (ECI) to thoroughly vet the work from the perspective of the future constructors, development of functional baselines to share risks that are difficult to price and reduce reliance on geotechnical baseline interpretation during tunnel excavation, and attainment of financing through Municipal Century Green Bonds based on using design criteria of a minimum of 100 year life for the structures to establish intergenerational equity and fairness. This paper will discuss these innovations in detail and provide some sets of recommendations for the underground industry on when and how to use different approaches to better manage projects of this magnitude. INTRODUCTION The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is an independent multi-jurisdictional authority that was established in 1996. Its primary mission is to provide water distribution services to more than 640,000 residents in the District of Columbia (District), and sewer treatment and disposal to 1.6 million residents of the District, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. E. Murray

"It is a gloomy moment in the history of our country. Not in the lifetime of most men has there been so much grave and deep apprehension; never has the future seemed so incalculable as at this time. The domestic economic situation is in chaos. Our dollar is weak throughout the world. Prices are so high as to be utterly impossible. The political cauldron seethes and bubbles with uncertainty. Russia hangs, as usual, like a cloud, dark and silent, upon the horizon. It is a solemn moment. Of our troubles, no man can see the end." By now you, no doubt, are asking, 'Where did Murray get this bit of philosophy?' Well, I obtained it from an editorial entitled. "The Worst of Times", which was published in the Harper's Magazine in 1847. That's right, 1847! The parallelism between the situation in our country at this time and in 1847 is un- canny. But wait, there is one major exception the size of government. To my knowledge, the citizens of 1847 were not stifled by the extreme governmental excesses that we are experiencing today.

Jan 1, 1980