1. Chris Cottingham
Principal Hydrogeologist/Client Service Manager
971-227-2256
chris@cascadegeoscience.com
Summary
Mr. Cottingham is a Principal Hydrogeologist and Client Service Manager based in
Salt Lake City, Utah. He has 20 years of experience in both the mining and
environmental consulting industries. He specializes in aquifer management, mine
dewatering, well installation and well field management, aquifer testing and
characterization, and contaminant fate and transport. Mr. Cottingham designed and
provided oversight for the expansion of the dewatering system at the Leeville Mine
in Northern Nevada. In this capacity, he completed studies to determine dewatering
strategy for the life of the mine. Mr. Cottingham also acted as the hydrogeology
representative for a project team tasked with mine expansion and the feasibility and
construction of $500 million ventilation shaft.
Mr. Cottingham has served as Client Service Manager for multiple clients. He
maintains successful professional relationships that translate into business
opportunities and lucrative projects. One of his main goals is to leverage technical
solutions in order to find cost effective solutions for his client’s needs.
Project Experience
• Client Service Manager/ Multiple Mining Clients / Worldwide
Serves as client service lead to multiple international mining clients, with
specific focus on Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Central America, and South
America. Maintains client contacts and provides the point of contact for
clients. Negotiates contract terms on behalf of the company. Develops
business development plans and revenue forecast based on known client
work pipeline. Manages internal resources to provide appropriate expertise
for client projects. Provides strong market insight for company sector plans.
• Project Technical Lead / Mine Dewatering Project / Rio Tinto Bingham
Canyon Mine, Utah
Provided technical oversight for deep, multi-instrument piezometer
installations. Designed, scoped, and coordinated the piezometers. Provide
24-hour on-call technical oversight to field staff to maximize drilling time.
Assist client with geophysical data interpretation. Designed, scoped, and
managed the modifications of a duct rodder spool for Instrumentation
installation at the clients’ request. Worked with the client, drillers, and field
staff to modify the equipment to meet the client’s safety standards and
requirements
2. • Principal Hydrogeologist, Holden Mine Reclamation Project, Rio Tinto Holden Mine,
Washington
Provided hydrogeological oversight for a mine reclamation CERCLA site in
remote north Washington. Designed and managed the installation of the
groundwater monitoring system for a 2 mile barrier wall. Provided deign
details, schedule, and costs for an extensive piezometer and well network to
provide groundwater gradient and compliance monitoring. Negotiated the
piezometer design with the state regulatory agency to provide the most
appropriate technology for the monitoring objectives. Worked with the
client, drillers, construction representatives, and field staff to ensure that the
piezometer network was installed prior to season ending weather.
• Principal Hydrogeologist / Greenfield Mining Project / Newmont Long
Canyon Mine, Nevada
Manage and execute the Initial hydrology investigation for a green field mine.
Assist client with project planning and budgeting. Work with client
representatives to coordinate drilling activities. Design, manage, and oversee
well and piezometer installation. Work directly with contractors on the
clients behalf to fulfill the maximize time and budget. Provide 24-hour on-call
field services to client to maximize drilling time. Integrate work with the
client’s geology department to realize opportunities to convert core boring to
piezometers. Organize data from external sources and integrate with new
data to recognize early groundwater trends. Analyze data to establish
baseline and pre-pumping groundwater conditions. Provide detailed
reporting and data packages for client distribution to internal, external, and
regulatory stakeholders.
• Senior Hydrogeologist / Project Study Group / Newmont Leeville Mine,
Nevada
Managed the hydrology function of multimillion-dollar mine growth study
through the stage-gate process from inception to full funding. Expanded the
dewatering well field to maximize dewatering production. Installed
dewatering wells to depths of 3,600 feet and installed 3,500 horsepower
pumps generating 3,000 gpm. Performed aquifer analysis to better
understand the local and regional scale aquifer and dewatering scenario.
Designed and built a regional aquifer monitoring piezometer field. Installed
piezometers to depths of 3,600 feet. Concurrently fulfilled the duties of
Operations Hydrologist by working with mine planners and engineers to
coordinate scheduling and deliver budgets for dewatering to meet mining
goals.
• Hydrology Project Manager / Hydrogeology Team for In-Mine Well
System / Newmont Leeville Mine, Nevada
6. Cottingham, C. and P. Young. 2012. Strategies and Technological Advancements in
Mine Dewatering. Mine Water Management in Mining Summit, July 23 – 25, 2012,
Denver, Colorado, USA.
Organizations and Affiliations
• Nevada Water Resources Association, Board of Directors, Elko Region, 2012
to Present
• Nevada Water Resources Association 2013 Annual Conference. Mine Water
Management Symposium. Symposium Chairman. January 28 - 29, 2013.
Reno, Nevada.
• International Mine Water Association, Member
• Geological Association of Nevada, Member
• National Groundwater Association, Member
Training & Certifications
• Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) Certification – Surface Miner
• Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) Certification – Underground
Miner
• OSHA 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations Training (29 CFR 1910.120)
• OSHA 8-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations Refresher Training (29 CFR
1910.120)
• Oregon Underground Storage Tank Decommissioning Supervisor
• Oregon Heating Oil Tank Decommissioning Supervisor
• Troxler Nuclear Density Gauge Certification
• EPA AHERA- Certified Asbestos Building Inspector
• NIOSH 582 Certified Analyst
• BATC Refinery Contractor Safety Orientation Program Certification (8hr)
• CPR First Aid (American Red Cross)
• Newmont Mining Corporation, Safety Journey Training
• Chevron Loss Prevention Safety Training Certification
• BP API Safety Training
Professional Organizations and Affiliations
• Nevada Water Resources Association, Board of Directors, Elko Region,
2012 - present
• Nevada Water Resources Association 2013 Annual Conference. Mine
Water Management Symposium, Symposium Chairman. January 28 - 29,
2013. Reno, Nevada.
• Nevada Water Resources Association 2015 Annual Conference. Drilling
Symposium. Symposium Chairman. January 26 – 27, 2015, Reno,
Nevada, USA
7. • Nevada Water Resources Association 2016 Annual Conference.
Groundwater Modeling Symposium. Symposium Chairman. February 29 –
March 3, 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• International Mine Water Association, Member
• Geological Association of Nevada, Member
• National Groundwater Association, Member
• Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Member