Every mine operator wants the same thing from their environmental geochemistry advice: confidence.
Confidence that approvals will hold up.
Confidence that their operations are optimised to save cost during mining and at closure;
Confidence that operations won't be disrupted by surprise ARD issues and liabilities.
Confidence remedial work efforts and cost are minimised;
Confidence in their data -in preparation for closure.
Operationally, confidence comes from one place: rigorous characterisation, done early, grounded in a deep understanding of geology. Get it right at the earliest possible opportunity, and you're managing known quantities for the life of the mine. Defer it, and you're carrying risks that compound — risks that can cost orders of magnitude more to address once they've manifested, than they would have cost to understand up front.
However, confidence also comes from who is conducting that characterisation and developing your Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) planning. Environmental Geochemistry International (EGi) exists to give mining operations the certainty that they won't make headlines for the wrong reasons. Here are the reasons why EGi is a good choice.
Deep Expertise - Built Over 40 Years of Specialisation
We wrote the handbook that the industry uses. EGi authored the AMIRA ARD Test Handbook and pioneered the NAG test — the standard methodologies now used globally by regulators, universities, and competitors alike for geochemical characterisation of mine waste. Other firms quote from it. We wrote it.
We're geologists doing environmental work, not the other way around. EGi starts with the geology — understanding the deposit, the materials, and the site-specific geological controls on ARD potential. That geological grounding is why our assessments identify risks and opportunities that generalist environmental consultants can miss, and why we can easily integrate ARD findings into site geological block models and processes.
Every person you deal with is a specialist. EGi is deliberately top-heavy with principal-level geochemists. When you engage EGi, you get direct access to people who actually know the answers.
500+ mine sites across 30+ countries. We have over four decades of project experience across every major commodity and geological terrane. That comprehensive reference base means we have almost certainly worked with materials and mining contexts just like yours before.
Institutional memory that outlasts your own staff. At one site, EGi has maintained a continuous 24-year engagement — longer than any current employee of the mine operator. When ownership changes or staff turnover occurs, we maintain the geochemical history of the site. That continuity means no relearning, no context lost, and no ARD management risks and tasks forgotten between owners.
In-House Laboratory = Better, Faster Results
Testing and consulting under one roof. EGi operates its own geochemical laboratory. That means the same team that designs your test program runs the laboratory work, interprets the results, and writes the report. No handoff between a commercial lab and a separate consultant. No lost context.
Faster turnaround. Because we control the laboratory schedule, EGi can complete sample testing roughly a month faster than firms relying on large commercial laboratories. In the context of project approval timelines, a week or months is not a convenience — it can make a huge difference.
Outstanding care. If a result looks unusual, we investigate it and discuss it with you — rather than letting it pass through as a number on a spreadsheet.
From Characterisation Through to Closure
The full geochemical service set. EGi's scope extends well beyond front-end characterisation. Our service lines include geochemical testing and assessment, an in-house geochemical laboratory, geochemical water-quality modelling (including pit-lake predictions), groundwater investigation and modelling, mine materials management and ARD classification, water management and treatment, and integrated landform stability design for mine waste facilities. One firm, one engagement, fewer coordination gaps.
Following the problem from the source to water. EGi combines geochemistry, hydrology and hydrogeology — linking geochemical water quality modelling with surface and groundwater pathways — so we can tell you what the drainage chemistry will be and where it will go.
Practical advice, not just a report. EGi's people know how mines operate. What we recommend is implementable — designed to work within operational constraints, not just satisfy a guideline. Where a simpler, more practical approach to waste dump design or management will achieve the same outcome, we will tell you.
A Consultant That Listens — and Teaches
We check in, not just deliver. EGi maintains ongoing communication throughout projects to confirm that what we are producing continues to meet your evolving requirements. We understand that the scope can shift mid-project, timelines can compress, and objectives can change. We adjust with you rather than delivering something that is no longer needed.
We work as a true partner. Between formal engagements, EGi operates as a sounding board — fielding questions, providing informal guidance, and being available when you need a quick answer. Not everything is on the clock.
We build your team's capability. EGi actively trains and upskills its clients' environmental teams — delivering presentations on geochemistry fundamentals, co-presenting at conferences with clients, and progressively building internal competence. We believe that clients who understand the basics of their own geochemistry make better operational decisions and ask the right questions.
On the Ground Where You Need Us
Fearless internationally. Internationally, EGi has a track record of deploying senior personnel to challenging sites — remote locations, complex environmental situations, and jurisdictions where other consultants hesitate. Our longest-running international relationships were built by putting people on the ground and staying.
Long-term commitment. The bulk of EGi's work comes from repeat, long-term clients — many of whom have been with the firm for decades. Client retention at that scale is not achieved by telling people what they want to hear. It is achieved by consistently delivering what is needed.
Technical Integrity That Regulators Value
We are straight up with our findings. EGi will report what the science says, even when the findings are not what anyone wants. This integrity is of real value to you when it comes to getting approvals. Regulators have said that when reporting is done by EGi, it is trusted. That trust is earned over decades of doing things properly — not by telling regulators what they want to hear, but by producing work they do not need to question.
Independence you can rely on. EGi is a specialist in what it does, not a division within a larger multidisciplinary firm. Our technical opinions are shaped solely by the evidence, not broader commercial concerns.
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