“These evaluations are a key to upholding the promises we’ve made to ensure that community needs and concerns are reflected in our water management plans. We’re not just pumping water, we’re managing it.”
– Tomas Goode
Principal Hydrogeologist, PhD, PG
We know water is a valuable resource, especially in Southern Arizona, and as the South32 Hermosa’s principal hydrogeologist, it’s clear that South32 is responsibly managing it. That’s how I see the Hermosa Difference in action.
In fact, thanks to its underground mine design, monitoring systems and the deployment of one of the first dry stack tailings facilities in the U.S., Hermosa’s water use is 75 percent less than other mines in the region. That breaks down to just 0.6 gallons of water used per pound of metal produced when in operation, while mining projects have historically used 5 or more gallons of water to produce each pound.
We have best-in-class systems in place to keep water safe and clean. To that end, we commissioned two advanced water treatment plants to treat groundwater that is pumped for relocation so that it meets or exceeds stringent state and federal health and safety standards.
Our goal is to make sure any water we release back into the environment is higher quality than when we found it. Our systems actually improve a water resource that is naturally poor in quality due naturally-occurring groundwater elements that pre-date Hermosa, including selenium, lead and arsenic.
As part of Hermosa’s water efforts in action, we completed in 2020 a $30 million site cleanup of mine waste left by a previous miner, which helped save taxpayers money, protect the environment, and stop and mitigate heavy metals from polluting local waterways, both now and in the future.
We also have a water quality monitoring program dating back to 2016 that gives us robust baseline information to assess water quality and inform operational designs.
Our water monitoring processes can be described in three phases.
The first phase, the seeps and springs program, monitors over 80 springs in the Patagonia Mountains, collecting field parameters like conductivity and pH, which are measures of water salinity, flow, acidity, and biological information.
This monitoring gives South32 an understanding of the water quality, where and how the water flows, and the biodiversity at these locations, which all together then allows us to identify potential impacts on the seeps and springs in the future.
The second phase, the groundwater monitoring program, measures water levels and quality at surrounding wells. We can evaluate the groundwater from a baseline perspective and identify any potential community impacts, then work directly with the community to address these issues if needed. The third phase would include monitoring of water once released from our water treatment program.
These evaluations help us uphold the promises we’ve made to ensure that community needs and concerns are reflected in our water management plans. We’re not just pumping water, we’re managing it.
South32 is consistently researching and studying the environment. By understanding the characteristics of groundwater, we can make better decisions on water management. Through the Hermosa Difference, South32 is forging a new path for mining – a more sustainable path.