Holden Mine Water Treatment Plant Operations

Project Summary

Upon the successful completion of a new water treatment facility, IMCO was given the opportunity to manage and operate the new facility. The Holden water treatment plant is producing clean, treated water from the mine, surface runoff, and groundwater. The treated water meets all state drinking water and aquatic life standards. Already, fish are back in Copper and Railroad Creeks and the indigenous plants are thriving. This is a critical step toward ensuring the health of those creeks, Lake Chelan, and the surrounding communities for decades to come. 

The water treatment plant is continuously being improved upon with small projects also performed by the IMCO Holden team. IMCO's team has been operating the plant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for Rio Tinto since 2016. 

Details

Location

Holden Mine, WA (near Holden Village)

Owner

Rio Tinto

Contract Amount

Confidential

Duration

Ongoing since 2016

Project Highlights

In 2021, the Holden Mine Water Treatment Plant achieved the significant milestone of treating their one billionth gallon of water, the equivalent of 1,515 Olympic swimming pools! This milestone meant the plant was discharging approximately 378 gallons per minute of treated water from the wastewater treatment facility at Holden into Railroad Creek.