Catchment-based water management in the mining industry: Challenges and solutions

The mining industry's aspirations towards a catchment-based water management approach have similarities with the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) which has been committed to by many governments around the world. However IWRM has proved challenging to implement in practice. This paper considers the question: Which challenges are mining companies likely to face when implementing a catchment-based approach at a mine site level? Drawing on lessons from the IWRM literature, it is argued that three coordination challenges must be overcome: fit, horizontal interplay, and vertical interplay. The problem of fit arises because the boundaries of mining leases do not align with water catchments, necessitating collaboration between companies to manage cumulative impacts. Problems of horizontal interplay arise because mining sites are typically one of several water users within a catchment, requiring that they liaise with diverse stakeholders to understand the multiple values provided by water. Problems of vertical interplay arise across organizational levels and require alignment between corporate and site priorities. Drawing on examples from Australia, Mongolia and Germany, each coordination challenge is described, mechanisms for overcoming each challenge are discussed, and the paper concludes with future research directions.