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There is tension at the heart of any discussion about mine water management; rising demand for commodities is driving ever-larger mining projects. These projects carry greater impacts and risks related to water consumption and tailings management systems.

We are also seeing ¡°increased demands from stakeholders, such as local communities and regulators, to reduce those impacts and risks, which must be carefully weighed when developing and extracting a mineral resource,¡± explained Javier E. Torrealva, project technical lead for Mine Water Management. Set alongside this, ¡°shareholders expect consistent revenue and adherence to schedules¡± for new mining projects, whether greenfield or brownfield.

This complex web of needs and expectations means that ¡°early and comprehensive mine water management planning is a key part of resilient, cost-effective, and sustainable mine plans that address water challenges during mine construction, operation, and closure,¡± Torrealva continued.

Such a plan will include strategies to supply water for processing, meet water quality discharge objectives and other watershed-specific requirements (often determined by stakeholders), and minimize the amount of contact water.