Posts from the ‘Mining’ Category
Water in Mining Summit
Jeff Jolly (AQ2) was invited to chair the second day of presentations and discussion at The Water in Mining Summit, held in Perth 16-18 September 2014. He has provided a summary of the event.
Background
Mining plays a major role in water use in WA (36% of all water is used by mining companies and 56% of all groundwater used is in mining) and interest in the Summit was good, with about 80 attendees from mining companies (BHPB, Newmont, Rio, Roy Hill, MMG, Anglogold Ashanti and Cameco), government departments (Department of Water WA, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection QLD, Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO) and a number of consulting groups. Read more
Operational Value from Compliance Reviews
Periodic compliance reporting is one of the conditions of many groundwater abstraction licences. Typically, compliance reports include the volume of groundwater abstracted, the resulting effect on groundwater levels, groundwater quality and a comparison of these against licensed conditions. In Western Australia, for example, reporting requirements are outlined in the Department of Water’s Operational Policy No.5.12 and they have variously been called Wellfield Assessments, Annual Aquifer Reviews and Groundwater Monitoring Reports.
Operational Value
However, over and beyond maintaining an abstraction licence or a component of social licence, there is often the opportunity to use a compliance review to add operational value. We believe there is often the opportunity to review the data from an operational perspective with potential benefits for costs and risk management. Read more
Western Australia’s Water in Mining Guideline
The Western Australian Department of Water recently published a new guide outlining the approval process related to water management for mining projects in Western Australia – Western Australian water in mining guideline, May 2013.
The guide applies statewide and outlines how the Department of Water (DoW) will regulate the management of water resources for a mining project (principally by the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914).
DoW advocates a consultative approach and encourages preliminary discussions with the proponent very early in the mining project. The guide also provides advice on the key issues and information related to water that maybe required as part of the approval process. These include water supply and dewatering requirements, mine water balance and management plans for any excess water and key water-dependent environmental receptors that may be affected by the proposed mine. DoW advocates flexibility in determining the important water management issues for each specific mining project. Read more
