Technology
Towards excellence in water management
Rio Tinto Technology initiated a programme to examine how water management practices could be improved within the Group. Rio Tinto Technical Services has been undertaking water management reviews for many years and assisting Group operations with the development of water management strategies and plans.
As a result, Technical Services was well positioned to develop a world class approach to mine water management which drives improvement in strategic assurance and operational efficiency at the Group's managed operations across the world. The programme, known as "Excellence in Water Management" includes the development, selection and use of state of the art management, technical tools and methodologies promoting best practice. The programme is fully aligned with the corporate water strategy, the environmental target setting process and the Environmental Standards.
The programme facilitates a consistent and objective assessment of performance across the entire spectrum of complex water management issues within a mining operation, from initial exploration, through operation to decommissioning and closure. Based on this rigorous assessment, detailed action plans can be developed, prioritised and scheduled for subsequent implementation.
During 2003, the Technical Services programme was successfully piloted and refined at the Northparkes copper mine in Australia and at Kennecott Copper in the US. This has been followed in 2004 at Diavik diamond mine in the arctic region of Canada, Palabora copper mine in South Africa and Pilbara Iron operations in Western Australia.
The programme is raising awareness of the site staff regarding the importance of an holistic and proactive approach to management of water. The team based approach has also identified significant opportunities to reduce operational risks to businesses through the development of practical water balance models, water management plans, and finding ways to reduce fresh water inputs and discharge volumes.
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