About Us
The Environmental Geochemistry and Water Group is part of the Earth Systems Group, a dynamic multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers who provide a broad range of solutions to environmental and social problems. Areas of specialist expertise include AMD/ARD classification, prediction and management, water management and treatment, environmental and social management and impact assessments, waste management, international development, energy and carbon, climate change, sustainability and environmental information. Earth Systems has successfully completed hundreds of projects in Australia, Asia, Africa, South America, North America and the Pacific since the company’s establishment in 1993. We serve a wide range of sectors including mining, energy, oil and gas, infrastructure development, urban and rural development, water and waste water and aid and international development.
Our reputation is built on high quality, objective and value-adding service that reflects environmental expectations of the present and anticipates those of the future. Professional excellence and integrity, high standards of business ethics and quality service are the foundation of our commitment to our customers.
Our Purpose
Our “vision” is to deliver world changing solutions for a sustainable future.
Our “mission” is to identify and deliver environmental products and services to market faster, better and more effectively than anyone else.
Our People
Earth Systems has offices in 8 locations around the world. Earth Systems’ head office is in Melbourne (Australia), with additional Australian offices in Perth and Brisbane. Internationally, Earth Systems has a network of offices in Shanghai, China; Vientiane, Lao PDR; Dakar, Senegal; Kigali, Rwanda; and Bristol, United Kingdom. We also have an extensive associate network that we are able to draw on to ensure that the right skills and experience are available for each project.
Our Team
Earth Systems’ professional staff and associates possess a broad range of environmental skills that enable us to build teams capable of tackling diverse and complex environmental assignments. Some of our key staff members are listed below. International staff members can be found on the appropriate country pages. We believe that the success of the company is largely due to the high calibre people that we employ, and we are always seeking like-minded, talented individuals to join us.
Our Associates
In addition to our wide range of internal expertise, Earth Systems has developed a network of Associates that we can draw upon, as required. Our Associates are independent specialist consultants that together cover a wide range of specialist disciplines (e.g. surface and groundwater management; hydrological modelling).
Key Earth Systems Personnel
Listed below are some of our key Environmental Geochemistry and Water personnel.
Dr Jeff Taylor
Director, Senior Principal Environmental Geochemist
Dr. Taylor is one of the founding directors of Earth Systems. He has more than 30 years’ experience as an environmental and earth scientist and has managed and directed a broad variety of multi-disciplinary environmental projects, both in Australia and overseas. He is regarded as leading expert on issues related to acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD/ARD), and has specialist knowledge in the fields of water quality, environmental geochemistry and contaminated site remediation.
Dr John Waters
Principal Environmental Chemist
Dr Waters has more than 25 years’ professional experience as an environmental and earth scientist. He has specialist expertise in acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD/ARD) management (mining and acid sulfate soils), mineral waste and tailings management, ground and surface water chemistry, water treatment and environmental geochemistry. He also provides expertise in geochemical modelling for the assessment of mine site water quality and other geochemical issues.
Ms Sophie Pape
Principal Environmental Engineer
Sophie is an environmental engineer with over 10 years’ experience and expertise in the assessment and management and acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD/ARD), closure and rehabilitation planning, environmental management and monitoring and impact assessments throughout Australia and internationally. She was a key contributor to Australian federal government leading practice handbooks on “Managing Acid and Metalliferous Drainage”, “Evaluating Performance: Monitoring and Auditing”, and “Water Management” for the mining industry.
Mr David Dettrick
Principal Environmental Engineer (Surface and Groundwater Hydrologist)
David has more than 25 years professional experience as an environmental scientist and engineer. He is a specialist modeller with experience in complex mine water balances, rainfall runoff hydrologic models, and river / mine pit biogeochemical water quality and treatment models. He also provides 1D analytical and 3D numerical groundwater modelling capability for groundwater quality and aquifer behaviour. He is currently completing a Ph.D on multi-phase soil gas (oxygen) transport modelling for the estimation of sulfide oxidation rates in AMD mine materials for mine pits, tails storages and waste rock dumps.