Enhancing environmental water quality monitoring with MWAS: A case study of Water-Eco’s tailings pond investigation

Water-Eco's application of MWAS in tailings pond seepage detection

Water-Eco Ltd (Vesi-Eko Oy), an environmental consultancy based in Kuopio, Finland, specializes in water body assessments and practical environmental work. In a recent project, Water-Eco was tasked with investigating potential seepage of contaminated water from a tailings pond into an adjacent lake. The challenge was to quickly identify any leakage points through the dam wall to target investigations to correct location.

To address this, Water-Eco employed the 3AWater Multimetal Water Analysis System (MWAS), a portable, on-site tool capable of detecting trace metals in water in under 15 minutes. By conducting rapid analyses near the dam wall, Water-Eco could detect elevated metal concentrations before dilution occurred in the lake, allowing for precise localization of seepage point.

“We were able to analyse seventeen different water samples during six hours of on-site work with a two-person crew. We sent only seven meaningful samples to the laboratory for confirmation and further investigation. The MWAS was also easy to use—after just one hour of training by 3AWater. We’ll continue using MWAS in future projects, as it made our fieldwork more efficient and saved us a lot of time.”
— Erkki Saarijärvi, CEO, Water-Eco Ltd

Key benefits realized:

Immediate identification of seepage locations: On-site results enabled Water-Eco to pinpoint exact leakage areas during fieldwork, allowing the team to focus investigations efficiently on the critical areas.

Optimized laboratory sampling: By concentrating on locations with confirmed contamination, Water-Eco reduced the number of laboratory samples by approximately 50%. This ensured higher-quality data while also saving time and costs.

Erkki Saarijärvi continues on broader on seepage waters: “Water seeping from a contaminated site through dam walls and surrounding soil can account for a significant share, sometimes up to 30% of total outflow.The environmental impact of this seepage is often overlooked, as more attention tends to go to controlled discharge points. MWAS is a powerful tool for investigating these hidden contamination pathways into nature.”

Broader advantages of rapid on-site water quality analysis

The success of MWAS in Water-Eco project underscores several overarching benefits of rapid, on-site water quality analysis:

1. Adaptive sampling strategies

Real-time results enable field teams to decide on the next sampling location on-site, leading to a more accurate and targeted dataset for environmental assessments.

2. Reduced laboratory costs

By screening samples in the field and selecting only the most relevant ones for lab analysis, unnecessary lab work is minimized—leading to significant cost savings.

3. Elimination of revisit necessities

On-site analysis prevents the need to revisit remote sites due to unexpected lab findings days later. This reduces travel and personnel costs while enabling quicker responses to any environmental risks identified.

The integration of 3AWater's MWAS into environmental monitoring exemplifies how rapid, portable analysis tools can transform water quality assessments. With the ability to make real-time decisions, reduce laboratory costs, and avoid unnecessary return visits, MWAS supports more responsive, efficient, and precise environmental work.