Water
Responsible water management is critical to our operations and we are committed to using and protecting this vital resource sustainably.
Our commitment
We are committed to advancing our understanding of water risks and value while seeking new opportunities for water efficiency.
MinRes acknowledges the fundamental importance of water, both as an essential element for life and as a critical component for our operations and supply chain. Our goal is to uphold strong, transparent governance over water resources, manage their use responsibly and work collaboratively with key stakeholders to promote sustainable water practices.
Our approach
Across our operations, we use water for exploration and resource definition drilling, dust suppression, domestically in our camps and offices, vehicle and infrastructure washdown and processing at our operational sites.
We take a holistic approach to water management, with several corporate policies and procedures.
MinRes designs, constructs, operates and maintains water withdrawal, storage, treatment and discharge facilities in adherence to relevant standards and local legislative requirements.
We also conduct comprehensive baseline assessments and modelling during the planning stages of our projects and during the life of the mine.
Our water performance is reported to the Board monthly, with progress and targets shared at Sustainability Committee meetings.
We also have a dedicated Water Working Group responsible for matters and activities related to the management, conservation and preservation of water resources located within and adjacent to our operations.
Risk management
Our management approach to water-related risks considers the contextual setting of the natural environment and the interactions MinRes and our host communities have with water resources.
We manage water-related risks through several mechanisms including our corporate Enterprise Business Risk Register and Operational Risk Registers maintained at each of our mine sites.
We proceed with operational activities when the residual risks to water values are considered acceptable and on the basis that there is no material risk to high-quality or scarce regional water resources.
To support risk identification processes, we assess at a catchment level our operations’ baseline water stress level, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI) 2021 Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas.
The WRI provides a high-level overview of baseline water stress and considers 13 critical metrics.
This is complemented by our local water context and analyses which inform our approach towards developing and implementing appropriate management actions for each operation based on their level of risk.
Our year-on-year approach will evolve to reflect changes in risks and opportunities associated with water resources and to support our operational, host community and environmental water-related needs.
Community engagement
To ensure water is responsibly governed and to protect water quality and water access, it is important to be a collaborative partner within the communities where we operate.
As we progress our water stewardship journey, we engage with stakeholders to identify risks and opportunities associated with water resources and share updates on our work, the water quality of the watershed, and technologies being implemented to improve water quality.
Refer to our Community and stakeholder relationships page for further information on our engagement with communities.
Potential risks and management actions
Potential risk:
Changes to the intensity and frequency of extreme events such as cyclones, floods and droughts have the potential to increase the risk of damage to our facilities and existing infrastructure such as access roads, rail lines, mining pits, processing equipment and port facilities.
Management actions/controls:
We complete flooding assessments to consider extreme rainfall events. We utilise information on the sustainability of groundwater resources under various climate forecasts, undertaken by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, when setting groundwater allocation limits in areas we operate. Further to this, we conduct technical assessments to review the recharge rate of groundwater resources to ensure appropriate management and maintenance.
Key documents
To realise our commitment, we have established a robust framework of policies, standards and procedures:
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