Measuring and monitoring pore water pressure (the pressure exerted by water contained between the pores/particles of rock and soil) is important in a mining context. Surface mines often have areas where there is significant water buildup that can affect the surrounding topography, including causing water to move into rock or soil deposits. This can potentially have an effect on the pore water pressure in these areas.

Aside from the effect of water held within the mine property, heavy rain and other environmental factors can affect the water table and behavior of water within rock and soil inside and adjacent to the mine, which can also affect pore pressure. It is vital that ongoing monitoring is performed using pore water pressure sensors. This pressure can have a direct effect on the stability, behavior and load-bearing capacity of the terrain in and around the mine, and this has implications for safety and ongoing productivity.

The effectiveness of pore pressure sensor monitoring, whether used to measure pore pressure in the phreatic (groundwater) or unsaturated/vadose zone, is maximized if piezometers or other types of sensors are integrated into a centralized data collection and monitoring system.

For this type of application, the Loadsensing LS-G6 Surface Wireless Data Acquisition System is ideal for pore pressure sensor monitoring, as it allows large numbers of piezometers or other pore pressure sensors to be connected to a central system and monitored at user-defined intervals. This robust system requires very little operating power and is completely wireless (range of up to 15km), making it ideal for surface mining environments, where remote locations and harsh environments are frequently encountered challenges.