• OPERATIONS
All images supplied by SRK Consulting South Africa
Most water flows can be measured directly.
HOW WATER BALANCES HELP MINES PLAN BETTER AND CUT RISK
With water constraints tightening across Africa and climate variability placing new pressures on mine infrastructure, mining operations can rely on water balance modelling to improve planning and reduce risk.
According to SRK Consulting South Africa senior hydrologist Simon Bruton, mines that understand their water systems in detail are the ones best positioned to manage costs, support compliance and design resilient infrastructure.
“ A water balance sits at the centre of designing the right infrastructure, managing environmental risk and ensuring longterm efficiency,” Bruton argues.“ You can’ t manage water properly if you don’ t measure and model it.”
A water balance accounts for water flow entering or leaving a site, whether through rainfall, groundwater, run-off, evaporation, piping networks or storage facilities. In the mining sector, where operations may span hundreds of hectares and incorporate multiple water systems, these balances become critical tools for understanding both present conditions and future requirements.
Designing the right infrastructure Bruton highlights that water balances play a pivotal role long before construction begins.“ A well-built water balance allows us to test whether proposed storage dams, stormwater channels, pipelines or pumping systems can really handle the volumes they will face,” he explains.“ This becomes even more important when mines are expanding production or rethinking their water management strategies.”
Most water flows can be measured directly, he points out, but others, such as rainfall contributions and catchment run-off, must be simulated. This combination of field data and modelling gives hydrologists a complete view of how water moves through a mining site.
“ When we build a water balance, we often find gaps in monitoring networks or discover losses the mine didn’ t know about or are unable to measure,” Bruton notes.“ The balance becomes a diagnostic tool. It highlights where instrumentation needs to be upgraded and it often reveals hidden inefficiencies or unnecessary water losses.”
Such insights can help mining teams avoid oversizing infrastructure or misallocating capital to systems that will not meet long-term requirements.
Forecasting climate, production changes
Beyond understanding current conditions, forecasting is where water balances bring major value to infrastructure
SRK Consulting South Africa’ s senior hydrologist, Simon Bruton.
planning. Mines can simulate the impacts of higher production rates, new or expanded facilities, altered water recycling strategies or additional storage demands.
“ Forecasting lets us stress-test the system,” he says.“ We can see what would happen in a drought or during an extreme rainfall event, or when climate change shifts the seasonal distribution of rainfall. With all that information, mines can make informed decisions instead of reacting in crisis.”
Climate-linked modelling is increasingly important for mines across Africa, as some regions may see reduced annual rainfall but more intense storm events, while others may face longer dry spells.
“ Even if annual rainfall appears stable on paper, climate predictions show that the timing and intensity could change dramatically,” he explains.“ That directly affects storage sizing, spillway design and the security of supply.”
24 • African Mining • March 2026 www. africanmining. co. za