Water Stewardship

Canada is a freshwater-rich country. Every year, our rivers discharge close to 9% of the world’s renewable water supply, while Canada has less than 1% of the world’s population. With this abundance comes responsibility. Did You Know? Did You Know? Water Stewardship A water balance forecasts a mine’s water flows, changes in the amount of water, and water management infrastructure over the life of a mine. This involves modelling a range of scenarios based on normal, wetter or dryer conditions, taking into consideration the impacts of climate change. The water balance is then used to model water quality and to forecast water quality over time. This information is important in planning water management infrastructure and minimizing a mine’s potential impacts to the environment and other watershed users. A watershed is the area of land from which all surface and subsurface waters flow through a sequence of rivers, lakes, and other water bodies into the sea. Because of the interconnected nature of these bodies of water, the quality and quantity of water at any one point in the watershed can have serious impacts for the rest of the network. What is Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM)? A globally recognized sustainability program that helps mining companies manage their environmental and social responsibilities and evaluate and publicly report their performance A mandatory requirement for companies in a growing number of mining associations around the world, offering tools to drive continuous performance improvements Water Stewardship The TSM Water Stewardship Protocol lays out a clear set of criteria for companies to: • Commit to water stewardship by making someone accountable for water stewardship and communicating this commitment to communities of interest • Implement a water management system that maintains a water balance and proactively manages water quantity and quality • Engage with other water users and communities of interest in watershed-scale planning and governance of the watershed beyond the mine site • Set water-related objectives to measure and report on performance Raising the Bar: Leading Practice in Water Stewardship What does good practice look like? • A senior management commitment to water stewardship is communicated to employees and communities of interest • A water monitoring program includes measures to mitigate identified risks to water quality and quantity, and plans are in place to respond to any incidents • Relevant employees and contractors receive water management training • The mine participates in watershed governance groups and engages with communities of interest to understand how they are using water resources • An assessment is conducted of broader impacts to the watershed from the site’s water management practices • Water performance objectives are tracked and reported to both senior management and the public