Water Management
Going Beyond the Mine
We understand that water is not only integral to our operations, it is a vital resource for our local communities. As a result, we invest significant resources to understand and appropriately manage the water resources in the areas where we mine.
How We Engage
Our company uses sound science and state-of-the art computer modeling, supported by field data and monitoring, to develop and implement management programs that identify and mitigate potential impacts on water resources.
Site-specific water management planning begins with a thorough understanding of the climate and hydrogeology, surface water and ground water, in a given area. We use the data and information from detailed studies to develop a site-wide water balance, which evaluates the inputs (e.g. precipitation, storm water), outputs (e.g. evaporation, discharges) and uses (e.g. processing, dust suppression, storage). Our analysis helps us determine if there is enough water to adequately run our operations, how much must be treated and discharged, the amount that must be diverted around our operations, and what community needs must be protected or supplemented during and after our operations.
During the mine life, we continue to collect data through ongoing monitoring. This information is used to refine and adjust the site's water balance and water management programs.
Rock that is excavated during mining can have the potential to create Acid Rock Drainage (ARD). ARD is generated when water contacts certain minerals in the rock that are oxidized by exposure to air and naturally occurring bacteria. The ARD can leach salts and metals from rocks. The release of these substances has the potential to adversely affect the quality of surface water and ground water. Newmont's operations focus on preventing ARD through the design and implementation of site-specific management strategies.
The efficient use and reuse of water on-site are important considerations at each of our operations. Containment of process solution and mine waters not suitable for release are a focal point of project engineering design and construction. In some locations, either because of high levels of precipitation or the need to remove (or "dewater") local groundwater to allow access to the ore, the excess water not used to operate our mines or for other beneficial uses is treated as needed and discharged back into the environment.
In some cases, the dewatering discharges are used to support downstream beneficial uses such as irrigation. Our internal standard requires that discharged water serving as a drinking source meets legal requirements (including the U.S. EPA standard, when local regulations are insufficient).
Site-specific water management planning begins with a thorough understanding of the climate and hydrogeology, surface water and ground water, in a given area. We use the data and information from detailed studies to develop a site-wide water balance, which evaluates the inputs (e.g. precipitation, storm water), outputs (e.g. evaporation, discharges) and uses (e.g. processing, dust suppression, storage). Our analysis helps us determine if there is enough water to adequately run our operations, how much must be treated and discharged, the amount that must be diverted around our operations, and what community needs must be protected or supplemented during and after our operations.
During the mine life, we continue to collect data through ongoing monitoring. This information is used to refine and adjust the site's water balance and water management programs.
Rock that is excavated during mining can have the potential to create Acid Rock Drainage (ARD). ARD is generated when water contacts certain minerals in the rock that are oxidized by exposure to air and naturally occurring bacteria. The ARD can leach salts and metals from rocks. The release of these substances has the potential to adversely affect the quality of surface water and ground water. Newmont's operations focus on preventing ARD through the design and implementation of site-specific management strategies.
The efficient use and reuse of water on-site are important considerations at each of our operations. Containment of process solution and mine waters not suitable for release are a focal point of project engineering design and construction. In some locations, either because of high levels of precipitation or the need to remove (or "dewater") local groundwater to allow access to the ore, the excess water not used to operate our mines or for other beneficial uses is treated as needed and discharged back into the environment.
In some cases, the dewatering discharges are used to support downstream beneficial uses such as irrigation. Our internal standard requires that discharged water serving as a drinking source meets legal requirements (including the U.S. EPA standard, when local regulations are insufficient).
2010 Overview
Across our global operations in 2010 we withdrew a total of 505.7 million kiloliters (133.5 billion gallons) of water, 44 percent of which was ocean water that was used for either processing or cooling. The remaining 56 percent came from a variety of sources including surface water, ground water, captured precipitation and municipal supplies. The total amount of water used in our operations in 2010 was 583.8 million kiloliters (133.3 billion gallons), including 218.5 million kiloliters (57.7 billion gallons) of ocean water used for processing and cooling. Of the total water used, 306.1 million kiloliters (80.9 billion gallons) were returned to the environment and 277.7 million kiloliters (73.4 billion gallons) were recycled.
Water management plans continued to be implemented at 11 of the 12 Newmont operations that have determined that a water management plan is necessary. A water management plan was under development in 2010 at our Jundee operation in Australia..
In addition, our operations in Peru received two awards for sustainable water management during 2010. Minera Yanacocha received the III Social and Environmental Responsibility Prize for outstanding water management at the ExpoMINA Peru 2010 Conference. Earlier in the year, the Peruvian Environmental Ministry also awarded the operation with its Business Eco-efficiency Prize for 2010 in the water eco-efficiency category. (Read more of this project in the case study below.)
Snapshot: Newmont Uses State-of-the-Art Probabilistic Water Balance Tool
Case Study:
Linking Water Management to Sustainable Development
Water management plans continued to be implemented at 11 of the 12 Newmont operations that have determined that a water management plan is necessary. A water management plan was under development in 2010 at our Jundee operation in Australia..
In addition, our operations in Peru received two awards for sustainable water management during 2010. Minera Yanacocha received the III Social and Environmental Responsibility Prize for outstanding water management at the ExpoMINA Peru 2010 Conference. Earlier in the year, the Peruvian Environmental Ministry also awarded the operation with its Business Eco-efficiency Prize for 2010 in the water eco-efficiency category. (Read more of this project in the case study below.)
| 2010 Water Withdrawn (Thousand kL) | |
|---|---|
| Quantity | |
| Surface Water | 57,085 |
| Ground Water | 130,548 |
| Precipitation | 97,901 |
| Municipal Water | 1,639 |
| Ocean Water for processing | 59,166 |
| Ocean Water for cooling | 159,368 |
| Total | 505,707 |
Snapshot: Newmont Uses State-of-the-Art Probabilistic Water Balance Tool
Case Study:
Linking Water Management to Sustainable Development
