African Mining February 2022 | Page 21

ENVIRONMENT •

Mining companies typically dewater pits and either make use of the water in the operations and / or distribute the water . What is extraordinary about Elandsfontein is a technically managed aquifer recharge system on a scale that has never before been managed by a mine . In other instances , aquifers are recharged to sometimes store water that can then be drawn from in times of drought . We are actually pumping water back into the aquifer to allow it to continue flowing on to its final destination – the Langebaan Lagoon .

Ultimately , Elandsfontein extracts groundwater , directs it around the open pit in a closed system , and reinjects it back below the water table , thus protecting the local ground water resources and the Langebaan Lagoon , and all this while maintaining the integrity of the water . So , it ' s something that we ' ve had to make sure that we can do , and do right , before actually going ahead with activities .

Tell us more about the transparent management of this sustainable solution The dewatering started four and a half years ago as we needed to draw the water down slowly to make sure that the ore is dry . This allowed us to test the system and now we can say with confidence that it ' s working .

With regard to the extensive groundwater monitoring network : there are approximately 27 monitoring boreholes , some of which are upstream of the mine , enabling the mine to understand the quality of the water flowing towards it . This forms the baseline . A range of boreholes at varying distances between the mine and the lagoon allow water quality to be tested at intervals to check if there are any changes in water level , or any variations in water quality , allowing the mine to respond to changes timeously , if necessary .

Early morning aerial view of Elandsfontein processing plant , Earth Plant .

What does make the Elandsfontein story unique is our proximity to environmentally sensitive areas , and how we ' re working very closely with the stakeholders and our neighbours , one of them being SANParks , to make sure that we minimise any negative environmental impact . And obviously , at the same time , provide benefits to the local communities .

Kropz has a water monitoring committee – another first in South Africa . Can you tell us more about this unique factor ? In a South African context , one of the conditions of the mine ’ s water use license was that we establish a water monitoring committee – the members of this committee , and the frequency of meetings was specified by the Department of Water and Sanitation . This committee , made up of the project ’ s expert groundwater consultants , the Department of Water and Sanitation , other organs of state , farmers associations , the Department of Agriculture , the local municipality , local NGOs , and specialist water organisations , meet every six months to discuss feedback on the water monitoring results collected over the prior six-month period . This allows for a very transparent relationship between the mine and key

Although the mining method used is fairly simple , what makes Elandsfontein ’ s phosphate deposit both complex and interesting , is the fact that it lies beneath the natural water table , in very close proximity to the beautiful Langebaan Lagoon , making the operation ’ s water management a critical focus area for us . The Langebaan Lagoon is a significant wetland in terms of Unesco ’ s Ramsar , and the area relies largely on tourism , specifically eco-tourism , so stakes were high in conserving the area and the environment .

Due to the magnitude of the successful acquifer recharge managed by a mine , can this be considered a world first ? We needed to draw down this natural body of water underground to safely access the phosphate responsibly – in a way that doesn ' t affect the groundwater , in either quality or quantity .

Cyclones and cross flow separators used for classification of ore ahead of flotation .