Objective
This workshop equips mine closure planners, engineers, and consultants with practical skills to apply Rillgen2D, a two-dimensional mathematical model of rill and gully erosion, to evaluate the likely erosional performance of proposed landforms and cover systems. Participants will gain understanding of the model’s theoretical basis, hands-on experience with data preparation and simulation, and the ability to interpret results to support design refinement.
Course Summary
Mine closure designs frequently overestimate the erosional performance of proposed landforms and cover systems, creating long-term liability and costly ongoing post-closure maintenance due to rill and gully erosion. This half-day workshop introduces Rillgen2D, a newly developed predictive erosion model purpose-built for mine closure engineering applications. Through a combination of theory, live demonstration, and guided hands-on exercises, this workshop will give participants practical experience across the full modeling workflow: preparing topographic data, selecting site-specific parameters, running simulations, interpreting results, and applying findings to refine landform and cover designs. Designed for mine closure planners, civil and environmental engineers, and consulting professionals, the workshop presents real-world case studies from legacy mine sites to demonstrate how Rillgen2D can be integrated into landform and cover design workflows. Participants will leave equipped to independently apply Rillgen2D to evaluate cover and landform design alternatives, identify areas of high erosion risk, and incorporate modeling into design workflows.
Detailed Course Description
Mine closure practitioners face increasing pressure to demonstrate that closure landforms and cover systems will remain stable over design-life timescales. Predictive erosion modeling is increasingly expected as part of defensible closure design, yet few practitioners have hands-on experience with tools suited to the task. This workshop gives participants hands-on experience with Rillgen2D, a two dimensional mathematical model of rill and gully erosion, developed specifically for landform and cover design in mine closure applications. Rillgen2D predicts where, when, and how much erosion is likely to occur across a landform given inputs of topography (i.e., digital elevation model), rainfall, and cover material characteristics (e.g., rock armor size or soil and vegetation shear strength). The course is designed for mine closure planners, environmental and civil engineers, and consulting professionals involved in closure design and prior erosion modeling experience is required.
Presenters
- Nate Abramson | SRK Consulting, Consultant Hydrologist
- Jon Pelletier | University of Arizona, Professor (Geomorphology)
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