Leading the Way in Smarter Sediment Management in Mining
Rehabilitating land. Reducing erosion. Demonstrating measurable impact.
In the mining industry, effective sediment control is critical—not just for environmental compliance, but also to build and maintain a sustainable license to operate. Until now, quantifying the actual impact of erosion management strategies has remained difficult, especially across large and complex sites, but Verterra’s novel application of a remote-sensed Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is changing that.
Although RUSLE has been around since the 1940’s and is widely used in government modelling, Verterra has combined it with the Dynamic Reference Control Method (DRCM) to enable spatially accurate and cost-effective sediment loss accounting in the mining sector at both operational and rehabilitation scales.
Quantifying impact of erosion management strategies in mining has been a persistent challenge, until now.
A New Standard for Sediment Tracking
The method combines:
High-resolution satellite and drone-based groundcover monitoring
Site-specific inputs including LiDAR, rainfall, slope, soil characteristics, and management practices
Monthly spatial modelling of actual versus expected sediment loss using RUSLE and the DRCM
This approach answers three key questions:
What eroded this month?
What would have eroded under the same conditions without intervention?
How much difference did we make through our interventions?
What is the DRCM?
The Dynamic Reference Control Method (DRCM) was developed by Verterra for application in erosion control projects targeting water quality at the Great Barrier Reef. The peer reviewed method underpins the Grazing Land Management Method within the Reef Credit Scheme and ensures credits are awarded solely for improvements in land management and not for other contributing factors such as seasonal variations. Therefore, the DRCM is the key to understanding the actual impact of erosion land management strategies.
Why This Matters to Mining
Mining landscapes are dynamic. Tailings dams, haul roads, pit voids, and rehabilitated areas all contribute differently to erosion risk. Verterra’s use of RUSLE in combination with DCRM enables operators to:
Pinpoint high-risk erosion zones
Quantify the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatments
Prioritise erosion mitigation efforts based on real data
Generate verifiable sediment reduction baselines for ESG and regulatory reporting
Pioneering Dynamic Control Without a Static Plot
In traditional erosion research, proving effectiveness requires a physical control plot - often impractical for large mining operations - or comparison to aggregated data such as statewide averages. Instead, this methodology uses regional analysis to create a dynamic control based on local erosion baselines. It achieves this by identifying low-pressure analogue areas with similar rainfall, soil, and vegetation to provide meaningful comparisons. The model then calculates what cover would have occurred without intervention, therefore, providing a robust comparison for actual post-treatment outcomes.
Practical Outputs for Mine Site Management
Verterra’s system generates a suite of actionable, spatial outputs:
Baseline cover mapping to assess pre-treatment conditions
Monthly RUSLE erosion estimates with and without interventions
Visualisations of cover improvement and erosion reduction
Sediment export savings, including calculations of fine sediment based on clay content and delivery ratios
This not only supports regulatory and compliance reporting but opens the door for potential participation in emerging ecosystem service markets.
Ready to Improve Your Erosion Management Strategy?
Verterra is Australia’s leading ecological engineering company. For over 20 years, we’ve worked with industry leaders to design and deliver nature-based solutions for the mining sector that meet stringent ESG goals while unlocking new forms of value.
Verterra’s sediment accounting service offers mining companies a data-driven pathway to reduce environmental risk, streamline rehabilitation, and demonstrate real impact. Whether you’re in exploration, operations, or closure planning, we can tailor a sediment monitoring solution to your site.
Contact us to discuss how spatial sediment tracking could work for your mine site.