Water is at the heart of mining.
We need it to effectively conduct our operations and transport our products, while at the same time not degrading local water quality, or compromising the access rights of other users. To demonstrate our commitment to effective water stewardship this World Water Day [22 March], our latest Sustainable Development Report reveals that in 2014, Anglo American’s water saving projects conserved around 36 million m3 of H2O, equivalent to 173,077 years’ worth of baths and cups of tea based on the average UK household.
Limiting the impact our operations have on local water supply is crucial for us at Anglo American, especially as 70% of our mines are in water-stressed areas.
Our latest Sustainable Development Report reveals that in 2014, for the second year running, we exceeded the 2020 water savings target of 14% by achieving an estimated 16% water saving against our projected water usage.
Water saving projects, which include more effective dust suppression, the dewatering of tailings dams – the structures that hold in water containing the ground-rock tailings from the ore-milling and separation process – and more efficient ways to extract metals and minerals from ore, saved us approximately 36 million m3 of water.
Our total water consumption decreased from 201 million m3 in 2013 to 195 million m3 in 2014. The reduction was primarily attributable to higher levels of water recycling at Los Bronces Copper mine in Chile as well as water savings achieved through the implementation of the Water Efficiency Target Tool (WETT), used to forecast projected business-as-usual demands of individual operations and register water-saving projects.
Of our total operational water requirements, last year, 69% were met by recycling/re-using water (2013: 67%). Our operations also seek to reduce their dependency on high quality water through water switching and the use of lower quality water where practicable.