Water Management
Water is a critical shared resource for our stakeholders as well as for global society, and water management and stewardship are critical sustainability issues.
Our environmental impact studies and assessment all include comprehensive water management plans that are tailored for each operation. We maintain comprehensive water quality monitoring programs to help ensure that we meet all applicable regulatory requirements. The plans include establishing a baseline water conditions and provisions for ongoing water sampling and testing. Site-level environment teams maintain the primary responsibility for water management.
All our operations use water for processing, and we recycle and reuse water.
The Marigold Mine is a zero discharge site, which does not release water to the environment. At other operations, water is tested before discharge, to ensure its quality meets all applicable discharge requirements. In 2019, there were no incidents of water discharge where water quality exceeded applicable regulatory requirements.
At our Puna Operations, water must be removed from the pit, and water runoff from surface waste rock facilities must be managed. At Seabee, water must be removed from the underground workings. The Marigold Mine and Puna Operations require water for dust suppression around pits and on haul roads.
At the Marigold Mine, the primary water source is groundwater; no surface water is consumed. At Seabee, we use only surface water and do not consume groundwater. At Puna Operations, most water is drawn from local pumping wells.
In 2019, we adopted the MAC’s Water Management Protocol, and in 2020 will be refining active water-balance models at our sites, and conducting further watershed-level assessments.
2019 Water Consumption (m3)
| Business unit | Surface water consumed | Ground water consumed | Water recycled (m3) | Water recycled as % of consumption | Water discharged (m3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marigold Mine | 2,339 | 1,186,791 | 237,565 | 20% | - |
| Seabee mine | -485,218 | - | 571,454 | -118% | 522,388 |
| Puna Operations | 5,492,287 | 308,060 | 3,801,860 | 66% | 158,620 |
| Total | 5,009,408 | 1,494,851 | 4,610,879 | 71% | 681,008 |