953 4. KEY RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR INSIGHTS Adaptive basin scale water management, risk reduction, sustainability and economic viability The systematic review indicates that the relationship between mining and water management has evolved from a predominantly compliance-oriented approach toward a more strategic risk-management framework. Historically, water was largely treated as an environmental liability associated with treatment, discharge, and regulatory reporting. However, increasing water scarcity, climate variability, regulatory pressure, and social conflict have repositioned water as a determinant of operational and economic viability and long-term closure performance. Recent literature highlights the need for integrated, basin-oriented and system-based approaches that incorporate monitoring, reuse, alternative supply sources (de Lima & Amaral, 2025), and long-term planning across the mine life cycle (Kennedy, 2025). In this context, modern mining operations increasingly integrate water management into core business planning, risk assessment, and closure strategy rather than treating it solely as an environmental mitigation (Hamilton, 2019; Sonter et al., 2020). The most prominent transition is from site-scale mitigation to basin-scale management. Hydrological processes, cumulative impacts and multi-sector competition cannot be managed within the concession boundary. Effective approaches involve shared monitoring, data transparency, coordinated allocation and long-term planning across users. This reframes water from a permitting requirement into a shared infrastructure system that determines both environmental sustainability and project bankability. Water availability already constrains mineral production, particularly copper, where a significant share of output exceeds regional availability limits. Relocating production to less stressed areas is often economically unfeasible, making water scarcity a structural constraint rather than a marginal environmental issue. Adaptive basin- and regional-scale management is therefore essential to sustain future mineral supply under rising demand (Islam, et al., 2025). Interviews corroborate this shift, with company representatives describing water as a determinant of operational continuity rather than mere regulatory compliance. Investment decisions are primarily driven by shutdown risk, leading to greater emphasis on anticipatory planning, supply redundancy, and basin-level coordination (Osores, personal communication, 2025). Nature-Based Solutions complement engineered infrastructure by regulating -rather than increasing- water availability. Wetland restoration, infiltration systems, and watershed conservation stabilize dry-season flows and buffer extreme events. This function becomes critical under climate change, where variability -not average supply- drives operational risk. The interviews reinforce these conclusions by showing how companies operationalize integrated water management. Mining water systems are managed as strategic systems combining governance, engineering, monitoring and stakeholder engagement. Particularly in headwater regions, operations directly affect downstream users, making watershed-level planning essential to maintain social license and operational continuity (Quiroz, personal communication, 2025). Operational experience confirms the economic rationale identified in the literature. High levels of water recirculation drastically reduce freshwater demand and operating costs. More importantly, preventing shutdowns -often costing millions per day- makes preventive water management financially rational. The economic driver is therefore continuity and risk avoidance rather than compliance. Long-term liabilities reinforce this logic. In tailings management and mine closure, underestimated water risks can multiply post-closure costs. Incorporating climate variability and hydrological uncertainty
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0Mzk2