Water is essential for healthy communities and ecosystems, and we recognize the importance of rivers, streams and other natural water sources to the local communities. It is also essential to our mining operations, and we commit to protect water resources and effectively manage this shared resource.
Among the key water management challenges we face at the Marmato mine are limited space for water storage tanks and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) miners who intercept water used by our mine for their own use. To address these challenges, we are evaluating abandoned mine sites that could serve as underground water storage sites and engaging with ASM representatives to discuss a resolution.
One of our top objectives is to reduce our water consumption. At the Marmato mine, we treat wastewater from mining activities at our permitted wastewater treatment plant, allowing us to reuse as much water as possible and reducing the amount of water we use from fresh water sources. Routine monitoring is conducted on three industrial wastewater discharges and seven domestic wastewater discharges.