Mine tailings are highly corrosive and have high electrical conductivity. Typically, the zone of interest in mine tailings is deeper than 12 cm, and, because the CWS655 is not designed for burial, it is not an appropriate choice for monitoring mine tailings.
Some customers have successfully used water content reflectometers, such as the CS650-L or the CS655-L, to measure water content in mine tailings by coating the sensor rods with heat-shrink tubing. This affects the sensor output, and a soil-specific calibration must be performed. Care must be taken during installation to avoid damaging the heat-shrink tubing and exposing the sensor’s rods. In addition, covering the sensor’s rods invalidates the bulk electrical conductivity reading. Unless the temperature reading provided by the CS650-L or the CS655-L is necessary, a better option may be to use a CS616-L with coated rods.