NewsMiner

*This article was written by Edison Mating who is a Philippine-based mining engineer.

The mining industry consumes large volumes of water and by far is the most significant environmental consideration in mining. As mines go deeper, more water is released from aquifers leading to potential contamination. As more ore is processed and shipped at and near ports, for far off battery manufacturers, even the marine water environment is coming under pressure. 

Lowering ore grades require extensive processing methods thus inevitably uses more water. In the U.S. alone according to the USGS, roughly 4 billion gallons per day is used in mining mostly coming from groundwater sources.  

The Philippines, a country of more than 7000 islands located in semi tropical climes, is not immune to water problems. Water.org reports that more than three million Filipinos don’t have access to clean water. In addition, the water that is available is coming under increase pressure from mining. 

The Philippines’ marine waters are highly exposed to a wide environmental footprint from nickel shipping ports to the actual mining sites. In 2022, the Philippines were the second largest producer of nickel with 370,000 metric tonnes of nickel ore, although far from Indonesia’s one million metric tonnes. 

While groundwater, on the other hand is mostly affected in gold, silver and copper productions from acid mine drainage to tailings storage facilities. 

The Philippines is not immune from headlines in mining disasters from the Marcopper tragedy in 1996 to Philex’s mine tailings spill in 2012. 

Marine Water Risks

Nickel operations are quite close to marine waters such as those in Palawan, Zambales, Surigao, Dinagat, Agusan, Samar and Tawi-tawi. Most of these areas also host loading areas and are exposed to the following risks.

1. Siltation: This is common barge loading areas where nickel ore accumulates overtime and is also observed in the waters discoloration normally brownish or reddish in color.
2. Heavy Metals Contamination: Friends of the Earth Japan (FoE Japan), a Tokyo-based international non government organization, has been monitoring the waters surrounding the mine sites in the Philippines for over a decade and confirmed unsafe level of hexavalent chromium in bodies of water in Palawan and in Surigao del Norte. Although bodies of water near nickel rich soils can naturally have this heavy metal and does not necessarily link directly to the mines since heavy rains could dissolve naturally occurring chromium in rocks and volcanic dusts. Mines can however increase the risk of potential exposure.

Groundwater Risks

Gold, silver and copper operations in mountainous regions in the Philippines such as those in the Cordilleras and Cagayan affect groundwater quality. 

1. Acid Mine Drainage: This is a common groundwater risk and can also occur naturally known as acid rock drainage. Sulfide rich gold and copper ores are common and when these rocks are exposed to oxygen in contact with air and water, they form acid mine drainage. This is often observed as “rusting” of rocks in freshwater rivers.

2. Over-consumption: Water is a scarce resource and the potential of over-consumption is high in mining and milling operations. Groundwater is released from aquifers when exposed in mining operations and is used in dust suppression activities, washing and drilling or channeled out of the portal or pumped out for milling operations. Water is primarily used in conveying or transport as slurries in pipes.

Water regulations and what can be improved?

The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment has investigated the regulations of water use in the mining sector in the Philippines providing answers to the basic water questions. We have identified just few below that needs to be revisited to improve measures in mitigating risks in water usage in mining in the Philippines.

1. Recycling. Sadly there is generally no recycling requirements for water use in mining although may be required in the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). However fiscal and non-fiscal incentives are provided in the Clean Water Act. An incentive may encourage mining companies to recycle water but is not a strong force to require a definite amount of water to be recycled against its freshwater consumption.
2. No specific regulations to cover water usage in copper and gold mining operations. Gold and copper operations are complex and require special attention such as the dissolved copper in water.
3. No online database of penalties and fines related to water in the mining sector. Although the Philippines have laws and statutes covering water use, it’s quite difficult to relate one law over the other. A user-friendly online database will help companies track their water usage and abide by the rules and regulations, after all everybody loves a good reference, a quick guide to everything.

There is still a long way to go for the Philippines to mitigate water risks in mining.

Different Needs of the Same Resource

In ecology there is the competitive exclusion principle which says that two species can’t coexist if they occupy exactly the same niche, competing for identical resources. While mines and miners are not a different species, their need for resources competes directly with human basic needs. As water becomes increasingly a precious resource, decisions need to be made.

However, when two species whose niches overlap may evolve by natural selection to have more distinct niches, resulting in resource partitioning. This requires the academe, government, non-government organizations, the international community and the mining sector for a reliable and reliable solution to scarce water resources.