Pioneer Technical Services Inc. has received a national recognition award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 49th annual 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards competition. Pioneer won the award for work on the McLaren Tailings Abandoned Mine Site Reclamation Project in Cooke City. The project restored this remote 10-acre site while also cleaning contamination from Soda Butte Creek, preserving a fishery and the natural resources of Yellowstone National Park. The project team–Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Pioneer, http://vhealthportal.com, and Knife River–had to address shallow groundwater, a water-saturated tailings impoundment area, short construction seasons, and limited space for construction work and excavated material.
Using innovative techniques, the team dewatered the tailings impoundment so that excavation could proceed safely. More than one billion pounds of tailings were excavated, stabilized and placed in the repository, while approximately 100 million gallons of contaminated groundwater were treated during the project. Details of the project are here.
The award will be presented during the black-tie EEA Gala Awards program and dinner on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington D.C.
