Wetlands treatment of mine drainage from the Tucush Valley waste dump at the high altitude Antamina Mine, Peru
2009
A new water treatment facility was constructed in 2005/2006 to manage drainage from the expanding
Tucush Valley waste rock dump at Antamina Cu-Zn-Mo mine, located in the rugged high Andes in Peru,
4,200 m above sea level. The treatment system comprised a combination of sediment ponds, serpentine
channels and wetlands. The wetlands cover six ha and are designed to treat up to 115 L/s for removal of
nitrates, ammonia and metals.
The project is the highest operating wetland in the world and provides an important precedent for water
treatment at other operating and abandoned high altitude mines, particularly in the Andes. Monitoring to
date indicates the wetland is functioning as designed with effective removal of nitrate and zinc. Further
monitoring is required to confirm effective treatment of other target parameters. However, all water
parameter concentrations measured at the treatment system discharge point are compliant with established
water quality requirements.
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