Water is essential to virtually all mining and mineral processing activities and, in Australia, the minerals industry is increasingly facing competition from other users, such as agricultural and urban development, for access to this important natural resource. Additionally water is the principal agent (in addition to air) by which potential pollutants can be carried from mine sites to the surrounding environment by surface and subsurface flows. Consequently sound water management practices are essential for the minerals industry to operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
The objectives of the program are to:
- Identify methods for more efficient utilisation of water in mining and mineral processing;
- Better qantify the potential impacts of water use by sites on surrounding ecosystems; and
- Devise improved techniques for minimising the environmental impact on the surrounding landscape of contaminant transport by both surface and subsurface water flow.
Robust Guidelines and Assessment Procedures for Metal-Contaminated Sediments
