East DOZ Dewatering Program in DOZ Underground Mine, PT.

Freeport Indonesia, Papua, Indonesia

Program Penirisan DOZ Timur di Tambang Bawah Tanah DOZ, PT. Freeport Indonesia, Papua, Indonesia
Fari Putra,
Underground Hydrology PT Freeport Indonesia affiliated Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
Email: fputra@fmi.com

ABSTRACT
DOZ Underground Mine is located in highland of mid-Papua mountain ridge, Papua, Indonesia. It is targeting 80K Ton
per day production with block caving methods. Block cave mining alters the hydrological characteristics of the area
being mined and when the cave expresses itself at the surface in the form of subsidence, it increases the entrapment area
for surface water. Operating a large block cave mine in a region with an average annual rainfall of 5500 mm in steep
mountainous terrain and complex geological and hydrological features presents a challenging scenario for dewatering
or depressurization of the area. East DOZ mine is located in 3136 meter above sea level in elevation, water level at this
area before mining is around 3330 meter above sea level. This condition made mining in this area became near
impossible and if the mining still be done, it would be dangerous for the people and equipment that were working there
beside potential of mud rush slides.

The aim of dewatering program in east DOZ underground mine was lowering water level in the area so it could be mined
safely beside reducing potential of mud rush slides.

Underground Hydrology of PT Freeport Indonesia who was in charge of doing dewatering program in East DOZ
Underground mine did dewatering drilling to lower water level in east DOZ mine instead of did water pumping.
Horizontal dewatering drillings were done in several areas in surrounding east DOZ mine. Total 226 Holes and 93,619.1
meter of dewatering and piezometer were drilled in surrounding east DOZ area during 1997 to 2008.

The result of dewatering drilling that had been done by Underground Hydrology team was total 10,647 gallon per minute
(672 liter per second) of water had been succeed came out from most of dewatering holes and water level in east DOZ
area had been lowered from 3330 meter above sea level to 3214 meter above sea level (116 meter drawdown). And until
the mine area was closed in 2009 there was no serious accident that related to mud rush slides issue.

Dewatering drilling program in east DOZ that had been done by UG Hydrology in PT Freeport Indonesia was successful
to lower water level in that area and could be mined safely with no serious accident that related to mud rush slides issue.

Key words: Deep Ore Zone, DOZ Block Cave Mine, East Ertsberg Skarn System, Dewatering, Papua, Indonesia.

ABSTRAK

Tambang Bawahtanah DOZ terletak di dataran tinggi punggungan gunung pertengahan Papua, Papua, Indonesia.
Tambang Bawahtanah DOZ menargetkan 80 Ribu Ton per hari produksi dengan metode ambrukan. Pertambangan
dengan metode ambrukan mengubah karakteristik hidrologi daerah yang ditambang dan ketika cave muncul di
permukaan dalam bentuk penurunan, hal ini meningkatkan area jebakan air permukaan. Operasi tambang dengan
metode ambrukan skala besar di suatu wilayah dengan curah hujan rata-rata tahunan 5500 mm di daerah pegunungan
yang curam dan geologi yang kompleks serta fitur hidrologi menyajikan skenario menantang untuk dewatering/penirisan
atau depressurization di area tambang tersebut. Tambang DOZ bagian timur terletak di 3136 meter di atas permukaan
laut, ketinggian air di daerah ini sebelum penambangan sekitar 3330 meter di atas permukaan laut. Kondisi ini membuat
pertambangan di daerah ini menjadi hampir mustahil dan jika pertambangan tetap dilakukan, itu akan berbahaya bagi
orang-orang dan peralatan yang bekerja di sana di samping potensi longsor lumpur basah.

Tujuan dari program dewatering di timur tambang bawah tanah DOZ adalah untuk menurunkan ketinggian muka
airtanah di daerah tersebut sehingga dapat ditambang dengan aman di samping mengurangi potensi longsor lumpur
basah.

Underground Hidrologi dari PT Freeport Indonesia yang bertanggung jawab melakukan program dewatering di
tambang DOZ Underground bagian timur dengan metode pemboran alih-alih melakukan pemompaan. Pengeboran
dewatering horisontal dilakukan di beberapa daerah di sekitar timur tambang DOZ. Total 226 Lubang dan 93,619.1
meter dewatering dan piezometer dibor di sekitar daerah DOZ timur selama 1997-2008.

Hasil dewatering pengeboran yang telah dilakukan oleh tim Underground Hidrologi adalah Total 10.647 galon per
menit (672 liter per detik) air telah berhasil dikeluarkan dari sebagian lubang dewatering. Permukaan air di daerah
timur DOZ telah diturunkan dari 3330 meter di atas permukaan laut ke 3214 meter di atas permukaan laut (116 meteran
penurunan). Dan sampai daerah tambang ditutup pada tahun 2009 tidak ada kecelakaan serius yang berhubungan
masalah luncuran lumpur basah.
Program pengeboran dewatering di DOZ timur yang telah dilakukan oleh UG Hidrologi di PT Freeport Indonesia
berhasil menurunkan tingkat air di daerah itu dan dapat ditambang dengan aman tanpa kecelakaan serius yang
berhubungan dengan masalah luncuran lumpurbasah.

Kata kunci: Deep Ore Zone, DOZ Block Cave Tambang, East Ertsberg forsiterite Sistem, Dewatering, Papua, Indonesia.

INTRODUCTION
The Deep Ore Zone (DOZ) block cave operated by PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) is the third block cave in the East
Ertsberg Skarn System (EESS) after the Gunung Bijih Timur (GBT) Mine and the Intermediate Ore Zone (IOZ) Mine
(Figure 1). Subsidence due to the GBT block cave (300 m below the original surface) breached the surface in 1986
(Hubert et al, 2000) and subsequently the IOZ block cave broke through to the GBT cave. Production from the DOZ
mine was started in 2000 and by the end of 2009 it has produced about 133 million tons of ore. Caving of the DOZ mine
had broken through to the existing limits of the GBT-IOZ cave.

Figure 1: Underground mines complex of PT. Freeport Indonesia

Wet muck rushes are identified as one of the operational risks in block cave mining (Heslop, 2000) that could result in
loss of life and premature mine closure. The complex geology and the high rainfall in the area have resulted in significant
wet muck potential at the draw points in the DOZ. The situation is further complicated by the existence of old block
cave mines (GBT and IOZ) within the same column about 300m above the DOZ extraction level.

GEOLOGY

The EESS is situated along the southern edge of the highly deformed Papuan fold belt that trends northwest-southeast
through much of the island of New Guinea (Figure 2). The oldest rocks in the area include sandstones of the Cretaceous
Kembelangan Formation that underlie the Tertiary New Guinea Limestone group (Waripi, Faumai and Kais Formation).
The dominant structures in the area all trend N110oE and include imbricate thrust sheets and tightly folded anticlines and
synclines. Normal cross faults trending N60oE postdate and offset the northwest trending faults (Coutts et al, 1999).
 Figure 2: Geology of PTFI Contract of Work.
The DOZ orebody is situated in the lower portion of the EESS. The northeast (hanging wall) contact of EESS is a skarn
reaction front in sudden contact with barren marble. The contact coincides with a zone of localized faulting and
brecciation. At the southwest side (footwall), EESS is bounded by the Ertsberg diorite intrusive (Barber et al, 2000).
From the footwall to the hanging wall, the rock units that encountered in the DOZ are as follow (Figure 3):

Figure 3: Geology of the DOZ at extraction level

• Ertsberg diorite, varies from quartz monzodiorite to quartz monzonite.
• Forsterite Skarn, a massive unit adjacent to the Ertsberg diorite contact.
• Magnetite-Forsterite Skarn, often finely bedded.
• Massive magnetite, mainly along the carbonates (marble) contact in the hanging wall.
• DOZ Breccia, a lenticular zone which plunges towards the west across the lower half of the DOZ, cutting across all
other units.
• Dolomite/marble, which extends about 300m from the skarn into the hanging wall.
 WET MUCK

Wet muck is defined as a mixture of fine grained materials

and water that has the potential to generate a sudden
outflow of the draw point or other underground
excavations. Wet muck spill (Figure 4) or rush can occur
when there is a matter of more than 30% of a size less than
50 mm with a moisture content greater than 8.5% (CNI et
al, 1998). The presence of wet muck have the impact on
production of DOZ block cave because of the potential
risk posed to humans and equipment. To reduce the risk of
injury and damage, PTFI using a remote operated LHDs
in wet areas of potential high dirt which produces a slower
production rate. Wet muck area also may experience
stability issues if they are mined irregularly.

Figure 4: Wet muck spill in the DOZ

Experience in handling wet muck issues in IOZ block cave had provided valuable insights to mitigate the problem of wet
muck in DOZ. First wet draw point in DOZ observed in Panel 14 Draw point 06W in December 2001, nearly one year
after the mine of DOZ started. Number of points wet muck draw has risen to 29 in June 2006.

Factors that contribute to the presence of wet dirt in DOZ mine include:
- Higher rainfall in the catchment and recharge areas
- Connection caving to surface area
- The presence of water bearing and transmission zones within the territory of caving
- The presence of fine material in the cave

REDUCING THE HAZARD

In interpretation of the influence of wet muck on safety and throughput in the IOZ mine, a wet muck management plan
at PT Freeport Indonesia was established in 1997 and a committee was formed to discourse wet muck issues and plan
appropriate corrective actions. Since there is significant water flow into the DOZ areas which results in the increased
wet muck potential, the UG Hydrology group has been entrusted with the task of identifying potential water sources and
reducing the hazard by dewatering the water sources, monitoring the water inflow and diversion of the surface water.

Dewatering Program

The crucial objective of underground mine dewatering program is to dewater the saturated formations, provide a
depressurized zone for mining in the DOZ and reduce the risk of generation of wetmuck. The hydrogeology of the DOZ
has been investigated since 1997 (Setiawan et al, 2004). Dedicated underground dewatering drifts have been developed
outside the perimeter of the predicted ultimate cave zone. A new dewatering drift at southwest side is currently proposed
to allow drilling access to the future southwest side of the mine. All of these dewatering drifts are designed to support
the “passive dewatering”, where drilling is conducted from lower elevation and targeted to the water bearing zones at
higher elevation. Water intercepted by the holes flows by gravity and is drained through a network of drainage holes
between level/elevation.

About 387 dewatering holes have been drilled to various water bearing targets within the influence zone of the EESS
area, with the most holes in the east, southeast, north and northwest. For just east area, total 226 Holes and 93,619.1
meter of dewatering and piezometer were drilled in surrounding east DOZ area during 1997 to 2008. More than 9 years
up to 2009, with an average 20,000 meters of drilling per year, several major aquifers have been intersected and
significant depressurization has been achieved.
The total groundwater discharge from the entire EESS has increased significantly from about 450 L/s in 2003 to more
than 700 L/s in 2004. This increase in the amount of water is the result of aggressive dewatering drilling into the southeast
diorite and the diorite/limestone contact on the southeast side at an elevation about 3,300 m. From 23 dewatering holes
drilled into this zone, the total initial discharge was about 480 L/s and the initial pressure was more than 70 Kg/cm2. The
response of the hydrogeological system to the dewatering was measured at 23 piezometers installed at the vicinity of
EESS. More than 300 m drawdown was recorded since 2001 in open borehole GE01-07 southeast side of DOZ. The
most significant drawdown (about 130 m) in GE01-07 was recorded in 2004 (Figure 5). This drawdown is the result of
significant discharge through 23 dewatering holes drilled into the diorite and the contact with the limestone on the
southeast side. 10,647 gallon per minute (672 liter per second) of water had been succeed came out from most of
dewatering holes and water level in east DOZ area had been lowered from 3,330 meter above sea level to 3,214 meter
above sea level (116 meter drawdown).

Figure 5: Groundwater flow and levels within Diorite/limestone contact at SE side of DOZ
Drawdown has also been recorded in the limestone piezometers on the north side of DOZ, although no significant drilling
has been conducted into this zone since 2003. It is indicated that the existing holes have been discharging more than the
recharge into this system. PTFI have continued drilling into this area on the northwest side from the northwest dewatering
drift at 3120 m level. However, as already mentioned earlier, the limestones in the north of the DOZ are characterized
by compartmentalized zones of aquifer, and the delineation of the area that will be breached by the cave limits within
these formations is crucial to ensure dewatering of the saturated zone prior to the progress of the cave limits to the north.

CONCLUSION

Operating the DOZ block cave mine in a high rainfall area poses complex hydrological problems. Through an effective
dewatering program and through monitoring of rainfall on the surface and moisture content at the drawpoints, PTFI is
operating the mine safely and efficiently in spite of the potential for wet muck. Some of the actions taken to reduce wet
muck potential in DOZ Mine include:
- Active dewatering – On an average, about 20,000 meters dewatering drilling is conducted every year to reduce
ground water and lower the water table from existing water bearing zones around the DOZ. The program has
been successful in diverting water away from the caving areas and in depressurizing the mining areas of the DOZ
block cave.
 - Remote loaders in wet muck areas – The use of remote operated LHDs in wet muck areas has reduced the risk
of exposure of mining personnel in high wet muck potential areas.
- Wet muck inspections - Regular and comprehensive wet muck inspections by geotechnical engineers,
hydrologists and operations engineers provide an assessment of the moisture conditions in the drawpoints and
help identify areas of high wet muck potential so that necessary precautions can be undertaken while mining in
high risk areas.
- Standard operating procedures – The implementation of standard operating procedures in different categories
of wet muck drawpoints have resulted in safe operation in high risk areas. There has been no Lost Time Accident
(LTA) due to wet muck spill in the life of the DOZ block cave mine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank the management of PT Freeport Indonesia for permission to publish this paper. The
contribution made by underground geotechnical and hydrology personnel involved in DOZ Mine to this paper is
gratefully acknowledged.

REFERENCES

Barber et al, 2000. Freeport Indonesia’s Deep Ore Zone Mine, Proceedings MassMin 2000, October 29- November 2,
2000.
Coutts et al, 1999.Geology of the Deep Ore Zone, East Erstberg Skarn System, Irian Jaya, Proceedings PACRIM ’99,
1999.
HCI and CNI, 1998, IOZ Wet Muck Study.
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2000.
Hubert et al, 2000. Tele-Operation at Freeport to Reduce Wet Muck Hazards, Proceedings MassMin 2000, October 29-
November 2, 2000.
PT.Freeport Indonesia, 2004. Procedures for Pulling Wet Muck, Safety Policies, Procedures and Guidelines, March
2004.
Setiawan et al, 2004, Dewatering and Identification of Groundwater Sources at DOZ Block Cave Mine PT. Freeport
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