Adapting and evolving with changing priorities or targets, the integrated water management plans (IWMPs) created at each of our operations in 2013 provide an overview of water stewardship at our operations, and help us work towards our company-wide 2015 water goals.
“Integrated water management plans provide the opportunity to develop a comprehensive approach to water management, where information is centralized and where staff from various departments can collaborate in developing and implementing the plan,” said Troy Jones, Director, Environmental Performance. “The creation of cross-functional water teams at each operation is the first step in this direction.”
“Developing a water plan helped us document our water management strategies,” said Chris Blurton, Environmental Scientist, Cardinal River Operations (CRO). “We created a plan that is accessible to everyone on-site so that we’re all on the same page about our approach to water management. If you have a question about water management at Cardinal River, this plan is the first place you would look.”
One of the water management strategies outlined in CRO’s IWMP was to reduce the number of discharge points that cross the operation’s 25-kilometre haul road in order to decrease reliance on licensed settling ponds and minimize the number of ways that water, which may have had contact with mine activities, can leave the site.
“Reducing the number of discharge points also decreases the strain placed on multiple treatment structures and improves our operational efficiency,” said Blurton. “If we have fewer discharge points to monitor and maintain, a greater amount of our attention can be spent on the few that remain.”
