13
access to water resources and necessary technologies more
difficult. In addition, mining companies must now comply
with global standards, which brings additional complexity
to water management.
As a major water consumer, the mining sector is
expected to promote and support the implementation of the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainable and circular water management is critical for
the mining industry to achieve a “social license to operate”
and long-term profitability 46. Priority areas for the min-
ing sector to achieve a sustainable future include ensuring
sufficient water resources for mining operations (SDG 6
Clean Water and Sanitation), improving the resilience of
mines to climate-related hazards (SDG 13 Climate Action),
and mitigating or avoiding significant adverse impacts of
mining activities on land and water resources and the sur-
rounding environment (SDG 3 Health and Well-being and
SDG 15 Life on Land). Water use and management was
identified as the most important sustainability issue in all
mining regions. Robust management strategies are needed
that are in line with the SDGs and drive sustainable mining
practices to meet modern water management challenges 47.
Overall, the mining sector is urged to adopt a more adap-
tive and comprehensive approach to water management in
the face of climate change 48.
Definition and Objectives of Integrated Water
Management
Integrated water management (IWM) describes a holistic
assessment, planning and comparison of water availability
and water use, taking into account the interactions between
hydrological and climatic conditions, utilization processes
and relevant socio-economic processes. It includes a risk-
based approach to water quality and quantity management,
taking into account interactions between anthropogenic
and natural processes and their impacts on the environment
49. Water quality and quantity must be managed as an inte-
grated system, with a focus on understanding the dynamics
of water and its constituents 50. The complexity of water
systems and the need for coordinated decision-making are
key aspects 51. The concept of “water use” was introduced
to operationalize regional water objectives, which contrib-
utes to the integrated management of water resources 46.
Politically, the need for a bottom-up approach that
promotes stakeholder involvement and good water gover-
nance is emphasized 52. The aim of integrated water man-
agement in mining is to use water resources sustainably and
responsibly throughout the life cycle of a mining operation.
To achieve this, the available and required water resources
along the entire life cycle of a mine must be reconciled with
the supply and demand in each operational phase of the
mine. It is therefore crucial to develop an understanding of
the following aspects:
• How much water of what quality is required in the
various processes.
• How much wastewater is produced and in what
quality.
• Whether the wastewater generated meets the quality
and quantity requirements of neighboring processes.
On this basis, careful planning, precise evaluation, sus-
tainable conservation, professional treatment and constant
monitoring of water use can be carried out. The primary
goal is to minimize the impact of mining operations on
local water resources, protect water quality and ensure sus-
tainable water management practices. The aim is to reduce
the water footprint of operations without compromising
production 53.
The current state of integrated water management in
mining is characterized by a growing emphasis on systems
approaches that consider the interplay of water quality,
production efficiency and environmental impacts 49. Of
particular importance is the early involvement of key stake-
holders in order to recognize potential conflicts of use at
an early stage and minimize them or identify synergies. An
integrated water management plan requires that operators
and employees recognize water as a valuable resource and
consider the mine as part of the local water cycle.
Elements of Integrated Water Management
Optimal water management includes probabilistic water
balance models, sufficient monitoring of surrounding
hydrological conditions and mine water quality and quan-
tities relevant to each phase. According to 54, the tradi-
tional, spreadsheet-based approach to water management
is gradually being replaced by a dynamic systems approach.
This modeling approach provides a flexible way to respond
to or simulate transient and probabilistic events. This not
only allows predictions to be made about trends in water
quality and quantity, but also complex system interactions
and feedback effects can be assessed. This is a powerful tool
to assess the overall performance of the water management
system. Sensitivity and risk analyses can be used to identify
sensitive units in the water management system, units with
large fluctuations and units where a system failure would
cause the most damage. Changes in the mining process
can be flexibly incorporated into the considerations and
their effects on the mine’s water balance can be visualized.
In addition, the system behavior under extreme condi-
tions (e.g., extreme weather events) can be investigated and
access to water resources and necessary technologies more
difficult. In addition, mining companies must now comply
with global standards, which brings additional complexity
to water management.
As a major water consumer, the mining sector is
expected to promote and support the implementation of the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainable and circular water management is critical for
the mining industry to achieve a “social license to operate”
and long-term profitability 46. Priority areas for the min-
ing sector to achieve a sustainable future include ensuring
sufficient water resources for mining operations (SDG 6
Clean Water and Sanitation), improving the resilience of
mines to climate-related hazards (SDG 13 Climate Action),
and mitigating or avoiding significant adverse impacts of
mining activities on land and water resources and the sur-
rounding environment (SDG 3 Health and Well-being and
SDG 15 Life on Land). Water use and management was
identified as the most important sustainability issue in all
mining regions. Robust management strategies are needed
that are in line with the SDGs and drive sustainable mining
practices to meet modern water management challenges 47.
Overall, the mining sector is urged to adopt a more adap-
tive and comprehensive approach to water management in
the face of climate change 48.
Definition and Objectives of Integrated Water
Management
Integrated water management (IWM) describes a holistic
assessment, planning and comparison of water availability
and water use, taking into account the interactions between
hydrological and climatic conditions, utilization processes
and relevant socio-economic processes. It includes a risk-
based approach to water quality and quantity management,
taking into account interactions between anthropogenic
and natural processes and their impacts on the environment
49. Water quality and quantity must be managed as an inte-
grated system, with a focus on understanding the dynamics
of water and its constituents 50. The complexity of water
systems and the need for coordinated decision-making are
key aspects 51. The concept of “water use” was introduced
to operationalize regional water objectives, which contrib-
utes to the integrated management of water resources 46.
Politically, the need for a bottom-up approach that
promotes stakeholder involvement and good water gover-
nance is emphasized 52. The aim of integrated water man-
agement in mining is to use water resources sustainably and
responsibly throughout the life cycle of a mining operation.
To achieve this, the available and required water resources
along the entire life cycle of a mine must be reconciled with
the supply and demand in each operational phase of the
mine. It is therefore crucial to develop an understanding of
the following aspects:
• How much water of what quality is required in the
various processes.
• How much wastewater is produced and in what
quality.
• Whether the wastewater generated meets the quality
and quantity requirements of neighboring processes.
On this basis, careful planning, precise evaluation, sus-
tainable conservation, professional treatment and constant
monitoring of water use can be carried out. The primary
goal is to minimize the impact of mining operations on
local water resources, protect water quality and ensure sus-
tainable water management practices. The aim is to reduce
the water footprint of operations without compromising
production 53.
The current state of integrated water management in
mining is characterized by a growing emphasis on systems
approaches that consider the interplay of water quality,
production efficiency and environmental impacts 49. Of
particular importance is the early involvement of key stake-
holders in order to recognize potential conflicts of use at
an early stage and minimize them or identify synergies. An
integrated water management plan requires that operators
and employees recognize water as a valuable resource and
consider the mine as part of the local water cycle.
Elements of Integrated Water Management
Optimal water management includes probabilistic water
balance models, sufficient monitoring of surrounding
hydrological conditions and mine water quality and quan-
tities relevant to each phase. According to 54, the tradi-
tional, spreadsheet-based approach to water management
is gradually being replaced by a dynamic systems approach.
This modeling approach provides a flexible way to respond
to or simulate transient and probabilistic events. This not
only allows predictions to be made about trends in water
quality and quantity, but also complex system interactions
and feedback effects can be assessed. This is a powerful tool
to assess the overall performance of the water management
system. Sensitivity and risk analyses can be used to identify
sensitive units in the water management system, units with
large fluctuations and units where a system failure would
cause the most damage. Changes in the mining process
can be flexibly incorporated into the considerations and
their effects on the mine’s water balance can be visualized.
In addition, the system behavior under extreme condi-
tions (e.g., extreme weather events) can be investigated and