MELBOURNE -- A new survey by Black & Veatch, a global leader in critical infrastructure solutions, suggests that sustainable water management efforts are a priority for the mining sector in Australia.

In the survey, more than 80 percent of respondents indicated that sustainable water management is one of the leading sustainability priorities for their organisation.

Ensuring sustainable water use and supply, and eliminating water pollution, were identified as the most readily addressable sustainability issues.

“The outcomes of unmanaged water issues can result in significant delays to project approvals, impacts to operational productivity, flood damage to critical infrastructure, mining-related impacts to environmental and cultural values, and future closure liabilities,” said Mick Scrivens, vice president, director, Australia Pacific, Black & Veatch.

“Prioritising a stewardship approach using integrated and sustainable water solutions will return dividends for the environment, local communities, mining companies and the broader industry,” Scrivens added.

Yet, more than half of the respondents were unsure if their organisations had these types of sustainability commitments in place, and only 43 percent of respondents confirmed that their organisations had made commitments regarding the use of water.

This finding suggests there are opportunities for mining companies to improve the effectiveness of how their corporate-level water stewardship commitments are translated into well-understood, executable and impactful actions in the field.

Positive steps taken by regional and global mining companies over the years include replacing unsustainable groundwater supplies with desalination sources, improving focus on water recycling and initiatives to reduce operational water intensity, and improving tailings management practices.

“The drivers for water management in the mining industry have shifted over the last ten years, from meeting operational needs and towards solutions that deliver real outcomes in water stewardship and sustainable practice,” said Garrick Field, solutions director, Industrial Water and Mining, Black & Veatch.

An overwhelming 98 percent of respondents emphasised the importance of securing alignment and support from local and First Nations communities on project design and water stewardship initiatives, with half of those saying that such support is “extremely important”.

Black & Veatch provides lifecycle planning, design, construction, operation, and consulting expertise in water, wastewater, and stormwater management to help industrial clients, such as mining and metal processing operators, access the water they require at the right cost, the right quality, whenever and wherever it is needed.