Assessing Mining-Related Water Impacts: A Case Study-Based Systematic Review Supporting a More Comprehensive Approach

Mining-related impacts on water are often more persistent, costly, and extensive than suggested by standard reporting practice which frequently omits the indirect impacts on third parties associated with mining-induced alterations to water flow and quality and rarely covers the associated economic knock-on effects (costs). Based on a literature review, this paper aims to identify and categorise such underreported impacts using 15 international case studies from nine countries covering surface and underground operations and a wide range of commodities. For each of the seven proposed water impact categories such as discharge of mine effluents, mine waste-related pollution, de- and rewatering, hydrological alterations, etc., corresponding case studies and associated key impact parameters are compiled. Linking mining-induced pollution to water quantity and costs is proposed as a potential means to curb the externalisation of costs. In addition to the literature data, original calculations are provided on how the creation of vast “lakescapes” in former lignite districts exacerbates water stress in two of Germany’s driest regions. The main objective is to strengthen the future licencing decisions of authorities and better anticipate mining-induced water impacts at a time when rising demand for energy transition metals intensifies the competition for limited water resources in many already water-stressed mining regions.