Mines have a responsibility to manage water in a more sustainable way

 

Australian water systems lead the way in Aussie mine wastewater management with extraordinary teams of mechanical engineers, civil engineers, geologists, hydraulic experts, environmental and ecological experts, designers and building experts, amongst others. Water for mines is somewhat scarce and often, the amount of water does not match the mine’s needs or the community’s needs. Water systems need to be developed that will bring water into the mines, and the communities, as the two go hand in hand, and such water must be recycled and well managed after use.

Water management plans

Water management needs to be addressed by a mining waste management plan at each stage of the mining process, starting from getting water to the plant, ensuring water is well distributed, that it is available for every factor in the mining process, is available for the processing of the mineral, and then the transport. And then, and this is as big a part of the entire water management process, water must be recycled and replaced.

Engineers need to be expert in both groundwater and surface water, and wastewater. A team from a water supply management company in Australia assess the needs of a mine, assess the location and the resources nearby, look at the communities in the area and assess their needs, ensure that water will be managed in an environmentally friendly manner, and then come up with a plan that is practical, appropriate and cost-friendly. While any water management system for a mine is going to be expensive, it needs to be able to pay for itself fairly quickly. A mine needs to be successful and is often dependent on the water management plan for success.

Globally, mines look towards Aussie mine wastewater management to provide the solutions they need.