Designing mine water infrastructure for climate resilience

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Mineral production represents a significant sector for the Canadian economy accounting for $43.9 billion in 2017; however water issues have emerged as a major constraint to expansion of the mining sector globally. Water can affect mineral production in a multitude of ways including production stoppage due to water scarcity and flooding events, or community opposition to new projects due to potential negative impacts on water resources. I was recently awarded an NSERC Tier II Canada Research Chair in Mine Water Management and Stewardship. This Chair reflects my long term research goal to characterize and mitigate two distinct types of risks associated with mine water use and the rebound dynamics between them: (1) techno-engineering risks affecting the feasibility of mining projects (Mine Water Management); and (2) societal risks affecting communities within mining regions (Mine Water Stewardship). Over the next five years, this NSERC Discovery program will advance my research through assessing and resolving the diverse array of water-related risks that mining companies and communities may face under future climate extremes. This will be achieved through the following sub-objectives: (1) Assess the exposure of mining and exploration projects in British Columbia and surrounding communities to water-related risks associated with climate extremes; (2) Determine competing trade-offs associated with alternative mine water management strategies that could prevent the occurrence of water-related climate risks; and (3) Devise an approach for designing mine water infrastructure systems that enhances climate resilience according to the priorities of most concern to diverse stakeholders. Climate change is predicted to intensify mine water risks in Canada due to increased frequency of floods and droughts, and higher peak flows in some regions due to more rapid snow-melt. These issues are particularly challenging for companies to proactively manage because many sites are located in remote regions with limited access to historical weather records and poor resolution of future climate projection models. Many mining companies are thus highly reliant on external consultants to ensure that mine water infrastructure is adequately designed. This work will build upon my established research partnerships with engineering firms to devise novel approaches for making climate risk assumptions during the early stages of mine water infrastructure design to incorporate future uncertainties. The work will train 3 high quality professionals (HQP) in pioneering methods for simulation modelling and decision analytics, equipping them with much-needed skills to revolutionize today's mining industry through improving the management of the complex competing trade-offs associated with water and climate.