WA Minister for Water to open international Water in Mining conference

Responsible water usage is a core aspect of ensuring sustainable work operations in the minerals sector. Water research, management and security are areas where overall industry knowledge continues to become more informed, thereby enhancing the level of understanding surrounding water usage. The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) will address many of these core aspects at the Water in Mining Conference 2009 (WIM 09).

To be held at the Sheraton Perth Hotel from 15-17 September 2009, WIM 09 has the important theme of  ‘From concentrator to community - protecting our social license to operate’. The Hon Graham Jacobs MLA, Western Australian Minister for Water and Mental Health, will officially open the conference.

Conference Chair Professor Chris Moran is looking forward to what is sure to be a successful and productive event.

“Mining industries are particularly dependent upon water for production and WIM 09 aims to consider the importance of reducing, re-using and recycling so that water does not become a constraint in mining industry operations,” said Professor Moran.

“Effective water management in mining and processing of minerals is critical for sustainability outcomes, which inextricably links the production issues to the social licence to operate.”

Delegate participation in WIM 09 will be of a global scale, with keynote presentations secured from the University of Chile and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil. In addition to the three-day program, with a range of interesting technical paper presentations, WIM 09 will feature a trade exhibition, pre-conference workshop and two post-conference day trips.

Some of the identified themes that are to be addressed at WIM 09 include:

• Water access, management and security
• Risk management of water use/operations in the industry
• Minerals processing and refining
• Production, environment and community-related issues
• New technologies available to help decision makers and operators

“Mining industries are, without a doubt, dependent upon water for production,” said Professor Moran.

“Australia has been hit hard by a shortage of water in the past decade, with the drought affecting mining and the output of raw minerals.

“... WIM 09 is one event to be a part of to examine some of these issues, and consider what some of the more pressing emerging issues are that require attention for research, management and policy formulation, to ensure that the mining industry continuously monitors water usage and doesn’t take water supply for granted.”

Further information can be obtained from the conference website.