Mines have long endeavoured to reduce their water use and will come under more pressure to use less water as competition grows with other water users. However, a sustainable approach to water management goes beyond the mine site and incorporates the surrounding communities. This approach becomes both more demanding and more rewarding as more people in the area will become sustainable water users.
Securing water supply should certainly be among the priorities of any forward-thinking mine, according to Peter Shepherd, partner and principal hydrologist at SRK Consulting. This is not just because a changing climate will render certain regions drier than before.
“There are some mining areas that will become more drought-prone, placing the onus on mines to use less water and design fit-for-purpose infrastructure to store water optimally,” said Shepherd. “However, mines also exist within a natural and social ecosystem, and will increasingly compete with other users who share their water catchment. This means that engagement and collaboration become important aspects of water management.”
On the technical side, exploring how to make the most of existing resources is well underway in many mines. Here, the focus has been on drawing as little water as possible from municipal and natural water sources, and on recycling water from mine water facilities to the process plant, for instance. An interesting added benefit of lined tailings dams – a regulatory requirement to avoid contamination of groundwater in certain circumstances – is that less seepage means considerably more water becomes available to the various mine processes, he noted.
ESG linkages
“Reducing reliance on municipal water sources is always a good idea, especially as many municipalities are struggling to maintain infrastructure and serve their own communities,” he said. “As part of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives, it is important that mines continue to be good neighbours and contribute positively to their local host regions.”
Recycling comes with its own challenges, though, as there can be a steady decline in water quality if there is insufficient fresh water to augment the process. Most process plants prefer a predictable quality of water that will not compromise metallurgical performance.
The longer-term solution to managing mines’ water needs, therefore, is closely linked to their ESG commitments, according to SRK principal environmental scientist Avril Owens. There is a need to look beyond the boundaries of the mining licence, to ensure a negotiated response that takes into account the needs of others in the catchment.
“This makes life considerably more complex for most mines – who can no longer determine their demand, supply, discharge and other water needs on their own,” said Owens. “The focus on the allocation and use of water in conjunction with others in the water basin and with due regard to upstream and downstream conditions has now intensified.”
Water Stewardship
She highlighted that the ESG element introduces the question of equitable water distribution, to ensure that communities, industries, agriculture and other users can still access their fair share of water. Enter the water stewardship approach, which aims to locate water management in its rightful place – as a central theme in ESG, said SRK associate partner and principal environmental geologist Lindsay Shand.
“The principles of water stewardship draw from high-level environmental imperatives,” said Shand, “but also give water users a more practical framework from which to tackle their issues of water quantity and quality.”
She noted how, in a recent project in the dry Northern Cape province, a mining client realised the importance of the complex links between the mine and its community in matters related to the water supply. With their only source being the Orange River, the mine was working towards a better balance between demand and supply.
“By taking this process a step further, the mine was able to find opportunities to build resilience and secure its social licence – rather than just off-setting its water impact,” she said. “This meant focusing its efforts directly on its catchment area, to benefit the communities and supply chains on which it relied.”
Complexity
Owens emphasised that understanding the various issues related to mine water could often be more complex than issues such as carbon emissions. It is not simply a case of trying to reduce the consumption or emission of certain volumes, for instance.
“Accounting for water in a mining environment is often very complex and might even extend to the spiritual dimension in terms of how it is perceived by local communities,” she said. “Water tends to be integrated into many other aspects of mine management – from dewatering and processing to environmental and flood protection – and there is no single industry standard that comprehensively caters for all aspects of water management.”
While there is a gradual recognition of water stewardship as a guiding approach among corporates globally, at mine operations the imperatives are usually more production-related, argued Shepherd. He added that a sign of progress was that almost every mine today had staff dedicated to water management – a welcome shift from just a couple of decades ago when such issues were subsumed under other departments.
Intimidating
Shand acknowledged that applying a water stewardship framework can be an intimidating prospect for mines. As a ‘big picture’ approach, it encompasses a wide array of elements which could certainly be daunting on first impressions.
“It is perhaps true that most people feel more comfortable in their own disciplines, whereas the best solutions are found when insights from different disciplines are integrated,” she said. “Because the field of water management is so intrinsically inter-disciplinary, it is vital that water stewardship casts a wide net.”
Importantly, taking a broader view of water risks and opportunities empowers mines to identify looming threats as early as possible. This enables indicators to be identified for prompt action.
“Managing water within changing climatic conditions and complex ESG demands is requiring a long process of learning and discovery for the mining sector,” she concluded. “This is among the key reasons why mining head offices are already talking about water stewardship. Effective responses at mine sites are going to take time, and operations each face their own specific conditions which demand relevant strategies.”
