Mandalay Challacollo Mining Company asked Aquist for an advisory to plan and oversee a well construction campaign and pumping tests compromised in a groundwater exploration area at Pozo Almonte Community, Tamarugal Province, Tarapacá Region.

This requirement also had the goal to find and characterize sustainable groundwater resources that could feed the mining processes in the project.

To accomplish such goals, the following activities were planned and implemented:

• Gathering of previous hydrogeological and geophysical data from the project area.
• 4 exploration wells at Guatacondo gorge, Pozo Almonete Community.
• Construction supervision and recording of drilling information.
• Well installation design and pumping test analysis.

In this exploration campaign we accomplished the recognition and evaluation of groundwater resources at the area, characterizing unities underground and their capacity to store and to let flow water. In line with the above, a hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical conceptual model was created.

Finally, a potential sustainable pumping flow was determined fixing the technical basis and setting the future location of new water collection projects.