Mining, Water and Society: Recycling of Mining Effluents as a Social Solution to the Use of Water in Mexico

Abstract

According to a Ghana thesis written in 2008: “Mining is viewed as one of the important economic activities which have the potential of contributing to the development of economies. At the same time, the environmental and health impacts of mining on surrounding communities have been a major concern to governments, the general public and stakeholder organizations, and individuals. While the contributions of mining activities to the economic development of Ghana is well acknowledged, others contend that the gains from the mining sector to the economy are achieved at significant environmental, health and social costs to the country.” Mexico has lived in the last five years some experiences similar to the following: “on August 6, 2014, nearly 40 million liters of a copper sulfate acid solution poured into the Bacanuchi and Sonora Rivers from the Buenavista del Cobre copper mine, which is owned by Grupo México. The spill impacted an area almost 200 miles along the Sonora River Basin, which is home to more than 22,000 people. It has been more than a year since the spill and officials from both the mine and Mexican government claim the river is now safe. An environmental remediation plan was submitted by the mine and approved by Mexican environmental officials. However, cleanup efforts have reached about 19 miles from the site of the spill, which only encompasses land owned by Grupo México.” These facts emphasize the need for research on the recycling of treated water in the mines in order to provide the neighboring communities with clean sources of water and to reduce the probability of spills from the tailings dams, known in Mexico as “presas de jales” due to overfilling and/or combinations of climatic change impacts, such as cyclones or hurricanes. In this chapter, some approaches to the recycling of treated water are presented taking as an example a cooperating mine located in Central Mexico.