The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and the International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP) will collaborate to support mining companies in preventing and reducing water pollution caused by acid rock drainage and metal leaching from mines, with the aim of ultimately safeguarding water quality and reducing long-term remediation costs.

The collaboration will focus on developing a new resource to support the implementation of INAP’s Global Acid Rock Drainage (GARD) Guide in mining operations by nonspecialist audiences working on sites and at a corporate level.

The results of the collaboration are expected to be published in early 2025.

“Water and nature are integral to the healthy functioning of the environment, the economy and to human wellbeing. As a mining and metals industry, we must consider all potential impacts from operations on the environment and communities close to sites at an early stage of site-level planning and design approaches that mitigate these risks.

“Acid rock drainage and metal leaching are preventable with proactive planning and so we hope that ICMM and INAP’s collaboration will provide our industry with a practical resource that helps to ultimately safeguard water quality around mine sites,” says ICMM environment director Emma Gagen.

“INAP continues to drive globally recognised leading practice in acid rock drainage and metal leaching risk management through industry-led collaboration, knowledge development and sharing. INAP welcomes the collaboration with the ICMM to develop a framework that supports the implementation of the GARD Guide by nonspecialists.

“A strong example of INAP’s current focus on acid rock drainage and metal leaching is on preventing and controlling it at the source, through better material characterisation and handling, including early intervention at all stages of the mining and processing life cycle. The resource being developed with ICMM will be a welcome addition to INAP’s source control toolbox,” says INAP technical manager Gilles Tremblay.

Acid rock drainage and metal leaching are natural processes that occur when sulphide minerals in rocks are exposed to air and water, producing sulphuric acid.

When waste material that contains sulphide minerals is not managed in the right way on mine sites, it can accelerate these natural chemical processes and result in highly acidic water, which can leach metals from rocks into the surrounding environment.

Preventing and managing the impacts of acid rock drainage and metal leaching is said to require informed site-level planning from the start of a mine’s operation until its closure.

In January 2017, ICMM published a Water Stewardship Position Statement which requires members to implement water stewardship practices that include strong and transparent water governance, effective and efficient management of water at operations and collaboration with stakeholders at a catchment level to achieve responsible and sustainable water use.