In today’s landscape of increasing water scarcity and tighter environmental standards, the successful development and operation of mining projects relies on the adoption of innovative technologies and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
August 2025 – Efficient and sustainable water management is a cornerstone of the mining industry. Going beyond compliance to local regulations and adopting international standards such as those from the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) or the Canadian Dam Association (CDA) reflects a broader commitment to sustainability. These frameworks combine robust technical criteria with climate change considerations and encourage the design of structures capable of operating effectively even during the project closure phase.
In this context, Álvaro San Martín, José Valle and Jonathan Cooper, Water Resources Managers for Chile, Peru and North America at Ausenco, agree implementing these standards—alongside specialised methodologies, advanced technologies, and a truly integrated approach—is key to efficient water management in mining operations.
“A comprehensive mine water management plan that considers climate projections, watershed requirements and discharge targets is essential to anticipate and mitigate water-related challenges throughout the mine's lifecycle. This long-term, integrated approach should be applied from the very early stages of the project,” emphasizes Álvaro San Martín.
The challenge of reducing water footprint
Today, mining companies are adopting strategies to reduce their water footprint, focusing on both contact water (which has interacted with minerals and rocks) and non-contact water. “The first step is to develop an integrated water management system covering the entire site and to clearly understand its purpose and objectives,” says Jonathan Cooper. “Specifically, this means how much water is needed for processing and the environmental constraints that must be met.” Weather conditions and site location play a key role in this process, as they directly influence water availability and how it is managed.
A robust water balance model forms the foundation of any water management system. This model describes the quantity and seasonality of natural inputs (rain and snow) as well as internal sources and on-site water use. “The water balance is an essential starting point for understanding how the system will perform under different conditions and for identifying operational risks,” explains Cooper. “It also serves as the backbone of a predictive water quality assessment, used for both permitting and mitigation design.”
Additional complementary models—such as hydrogeological models, hydrochemical models or robust groundwater flow models—also provide valuable insights to anticipate potential impacts on water availability throughout the life of a mining project. For each identified impact, there are numerous mitigation measures that can be applied.
Innovation and new technologies
Emerging technologies and advanced tools play a fundamental role in more efficient water management. Ausenco experts highlight, for example, the significant contribution of satellite data, which allows for precise estimation of meteorological variables (radiation, temperature, precipitation, and evaporation) anywhere on the planet, overcoming the limitations of scarce or non-existent historical information in remote areas.
In addition, associations such as the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) have developed guidelines on how to incorporate and assess climate change risks in the mining sector. This information should be applied within the water management strategy to understand and anticipate how the system will respond under different scenarios.
Real-time monitoring, through hydrometeorological and piezometric stations equipped with advanced sensors, enables continuous recording of water levels and flows, improving the speed and accuracy of evidence-based decision-making. “From our experience, incorporating these technologies not only improves the quality of the available data but also allows us to design more efficient solutions tailored to each client,” explains José Valle.
Additionally, artificial intelligence and programming languages such as R and Python facilitate the processing of large volumes of data, optimise analyses, and help identify key consumption patterns. “This is crucial for developing water balance models and simulating multiple scenarios, including highly unpredictable ones,” adds Álvaro San Martín.
Integrated approach and community engagement
At Ausenco, our integrated approach is essential to efficiently and sustainably address the water-related challenges of a mining project. This involves collaboration across multiple disciplines to understand and mitigate risks arising from operational variability in water balance models—for example, expansions, changes in production rates, infrastructure relocation, etc.
Ausenco's direct interaction with communities, as stakeholders, involves a multi-stage process that includes stakeholder mapping, Free, Prior and Informed Consultation (FPIC)/ Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), a socio-environmental impact assessment, participatory monitoring, and public hearings, among other aspects. In all these instances, water resources and their underlying use and management are usually the main topic of interest.
In addition, nearby communities are often the first to be consulted about the potential impacts of a project, integrating water management with other disciplines of interest to them. They are aware that, for example, the conservation of biodiversity or soil safeguards water resources, as they act as a means of capturing and regulating rainfall, and surface and groundwater. Everything is integrated.
Our experts agree that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions; each project requires a deep understanding of the site’s unique characteristics. "Water management should be considered from project conceptualization, promoting safety, responsible resource use and infrastructure resilience. That is where we make the difference," concludes San Martín.
About Ausenco
Ausenco is a global company that redefines what is possible. The team is based in 21 offices operating on five continents to deliver services worldwide. Combining deep technical expertise with a 30-year track record, Ausenco provides innovative, value-added solutions in consulting, studies, project delivery, asset operations and maintenance for the minerals and metals and industrial sectors (www.ausenco.com).