Water contamination adversely affects the lives of two billion people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, half of the world’s population will struggle with water scarcity by 2025, with 785  million people currently lacking basic access to clean drinking water. However, the demand for consumer products requires mining, which can lead to water contaminants that affect aquatic wildlife, vegetation, and humans.

Companies decide to start the mining of a particular uranium deposit based on many factors. One major consideration for mining is the presence of environmentally impactful elements such as arsenic, nickel, and cobalt by-products known as tailings and waste rock.

Now, a new local resource — college research interns — combined with modern technology, will help Anaconda drill into a new solution for developing the placer mine.

Supported by Mitacs, students from College of the North Atlantic are helping the company find a cost-effective mining process to extract gold from Deer Cove, while leaving the natural habitat largely intact. It’s the first Mitacs project in Newfoundland to pair college interns with industry.