The Mosaic Co., Plymouth, Minn., said March 7 that its ongoing treatment of the salt saturated brine inflow at its Esterhazy, Sask., potash mines continues to show positive results. Based on recent data, the brine inflow is estimated to have declined to a rate of less than 5,000 gallons per minute (gpm). This compares favorably to a prior estimated initial inflow rate ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 gpm in late January and an estimated inflow rate of approximately 12,000 gpm reported in mid-February. Mosaic also indicated that it is pumping salt saturated brine out of the Esterhazy mines at a rate in excess of 6,000 gpm.
Mosaic said the new measurement suggests that the company’s injection of calcium chloride near the identified inflow area is positively impacting the inflow and, together with its pumping and storage activities, reducing the underground brine levels.