Observing what matters · South Africa & worldwide
Tailings dam monitoring,around the clock.
Continuous water level and freeboard data from your tailings storage facilities — in all weather, at any time, on any phone. So when the call comes at 3am and nobody can get onto the catwalk, you still have the number.
- 5 mm
- Measurement accuracy
- 1 min
- Shortest reading interval
- Solar
- No mains, no battery changes
- 3am
- Answers when you need them
The common thread
Most tailings dam failures come back to one thing.Nobody was watching the water closely enough.
Our aim is to stop tailings dam failures by doing one thing right: monitoring.
The blind window
A reading is a snapshot.The risk lives between them.
The morning reading looked fine. Freeboard breached the required level at 17:30. The next person only found out the following morning — twelve and a half hours of exposure that nobody knew about. LevelSense does not replace that site visit. It tells you what the water is doing in the hours between them, when getting someone onto the catwalk is not an option. Read our guide to tailings dam monitoring.
When it actually matters
This does not replace the site visit.It answers the 3am phone call.
Routine monitoring is not the point. The point is the moment you cannot get to the tailings dam and cannot get anyone else there either — and somebody needs an answer now.
The mine calls at 3am after a storm
You open your phone and read the current freeboard before you are out of bed — instead of guessing until someone can get onto the catwalk at first light.
The storm is still going
Nobody is going up there while it is active, and that is exactly when the water moves. The readings keep coming regardless of the weather.
You cannot reach the person who checks
No answer on the radio, and your boss is waiting for a number. The dashboard gives you the same answer the site visit would have, immediately.
Alerts
Two levels of warning,to the people who matter most.
Both levels are fully configurable per device and per tailings dam — you decide the thresholds, who gets told, and how they are reached.
Level 1 — early warning
The water has moved enough to be worth knowing about. Sent while there is still time to plan a response rather than react to one.
Level 2 — critical
A critical threshold has been crossed. Everyone on the escalation list is notified immediately, whatever the hour and whatever the weather.
Alerts go out by email, SMS or WhatsApp — to the site manager, the engineer on call, the environmental officer, or whoever needs to know first. Different people can be set for each level, so a level 2 wakes the person who can actually act on it.
The offer
We are not selling you a device.We are giving you the information.
The device on your tailings dam is just how we collect it. What you are paying for is a continuous, trustworthy record of what the water is doing — on any phone or desktop, and in a report you can hand to a regulator.
Built around how your team works
The dashboard is fully customisable — arrange the sites, devices and readings that matter to you, and set the alert thresholds per device. Every month it generates a compliance-ready report you can download for your regulatory submissions.
- Live freeboard, pool depth and temperature on any phone or desktop
- A bracket comes with every device and bolts onto the existing catwalk — no new structure, no cabling, no trenching
- Nothing needed from your side: no network to provide, no IT project, installation in days
- Works anywhere there is signal to a cell tower
What you are buying
A service, not a product.
Three things, for one monthly fee. None of them is the hardware.
The data
A reading you can act on
Water level, freeboard and temperature from every tailings storage facility, as often as every minute and accurate to within 5 mm. Continuous through storms and after hours, when a manual reading is not possible and the numbers matter most.
The evidence
A record you can defend
A compliance-ready tailings dam report generated every month, with two years of searchable history behind it. Proof of what the water was doing, and proof that somebody was watching.
The service
We keep it running
We install it, monitor the platform, maintain the units and replace anything that fails within two working days. Keeping the data flowing is our job, not another one for your team.
How it works
From the tailings dam to your phone,without a site visit.
- 01
Device and bracket
We supply the device together with its bracket. It clamps or bolts onto the existing catwalk and reads level and temperature on your chosen interval.
- 02
Wireless transmission
Readings go out over the cell network from anywhere with tower signal. No cables, no trenching, no IT project.
- 03
LevelSense cloud
Data is validated and stored with a full historical record for every device.
- 04
Your dashboard
Live charts, history, alert thresholds and compliance-ready monthly reports.
How we guarantee it
Data is only worthwhat you can trust it for.
Every tailings dam safety decision you make off this platform rests on the reading being right and the reading being there. This is what stands behind it — and nothing else on the market does all of it.
Accuracy
Accurate to within 5 mm, up to 8 metres above the water.
Power
Solar. No mains supply and no battery changes.
Approval
ICASA approved. Designed and built in South Africa.
Connectivity
Deployed across South Africa and further afield in Africa. Works anywhere with signal to a cell tower.
Reading interval
You set it, as often as every minute.
Alerts
Two configurable levels, sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp the moment a threshold is crossed.
Your dashboard
Fully customisable. Lay out the sites, devices and readings the way your team works.
Monthly report
Compliance-ready summaries generated every month, ready to download.
Data retention
Two years of history, kept and searchable.
Security
Encrypted on site, in transit and in the cloud.
Components
Industrial-grade parts, specified to last in a harsh environment.
Support
A dedicated line to us, not a call-centre queue.
Replacement
A replacement unit with you within two working days.
Before and after
What changes on day one.
Same tailings dam inspection regime, same people. The difference is what you know in between.
Without LevelSense
- Nothing to tell the mine at 3am but an estimate
- Blind while the storm is still going
- Waiting on someone to drive out and look
- Hours between event and detection
- Paper logs and spreadsheets at month end
With LevelSense
- A current reading on your phone before you are out of bed
- Data keeps coming through the storm
- An answer without sending anyone onto the catwalk
- Alerted the moment a threshold is crossed
- Compliance-ready report generated every month
Commercials
One monthly fee.Everything included.
Priced per device, per site. Tell us how many tailings dams you need covered and we will send you a quote.
Request a quoteDevice hire
No capital outlay. The unit stays ours.
Device insurance
Damage from site conditions is covered by us. A lost or stolen device carries a once-off replacement fee.
Data and connectivity
Connectivity is on us. No SIM contracts to manage.
Monitoring and maintenance
Platform support and upkeep, with no callout fees.
Common questions
If something here isn't covered, ask us directly.
How often does LevelSense take a reading?
You set the interval, as often as every minute. That turns the one or two manual readings a day into hundreds, so a change in freeboard is picked up as it happens rather than at the next site visit.
How accurate is the measurement?
Accurate to within 5 mm, up to 8 metres above the water. The device measures the distance down to the water surface and reports level and temperature on your chosen interval.
What has to be installed on site?
A bracket is supplied with every device. It clamps or bolts straight onto the existing catwalk, so there is no new structure to build, no cabling and no trenching. Installation is typically days, not months.
Does the site need power or a network connection?
No. The device is solar powered, so there is no mains supply and no battery changes. It transmits over the cell network and works anywhere there is signal to a cell tower, with a second network taking over if the first one drops. Connectivity is included — no SIM contracts and no IT project.
What happens when freeboard reaches a critical level?
There are two alert levels, both fully configurable per device. Level 1 is an early warning while there is still time to plan a response; level 2 means a critical threshold has been crossed. Alerts go out by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and you choose who receives each level — so the response starts at the event rather than at the next scheduled reading.
Does this replace physical site inspections?
No. LevelSense is not a substitute for your inspection regime — it gives you the water level in your hand when a site visit is not possible. When the mine calls at 3am after a storm, when the storm is still active, or when you cannot reach the person who does the checks, you still have a current reading to work from.
Can the dashboard be set up for our sites?
Yes. The dashboard is fully customisable — you arrange the sites, devices and readings to suit how your team works, and set alert thresholds per device.
Can the data be used for regulatory reporting?
Yes. We generate a compliance-ready report every month, and two years of history is kept and searchable per device, so the record is there when a submission or an audit needs it.
What does it cost?
One monthly fee per device, per site, with no capital outlay — the unit stays ours. Device hire, insurance, connectivity, monitoring and maintenance are all included. The figure depends on how many devices and which sites, so tell us how many sites you need covered and we will send you a written quote.
What if a device is damaged or fails?
Damage from site conditions is covered by us and a replacement unit is with you within two working days. A lost or stolen device carries a once-off replacement fee.
Next step
Talk to us.
Typically up and running within days of go-ahead.
LevelSense accepts no responsibility for incorrect data, outdated survey data or response time.