Sustainable water management at Boliden
In the public debate, the argument about the water impact of mines is often raised as one of the main reasons why we should not have mining operations. Taking that as a starting point, we decided to investigate how sustainably we manage our water.
Sandra Lindahl, who works as a water management manager at Aitik, tells us more about how this important natural resource is managed at Boliden Aitik in particular.
“I think what’s most important is focusing on trying to keep back as much water as possible, which we do today. To use the water in an optimal way.”
The water is recycled
Water management at Aitik has improved over the years, and at present we are recycling about 90 percent of all water. Sandra also explains that emissions have almost halved since 2015, thanks to our ability to expand the capacity of the clarification pond.
“Now we don’t need to pump up water from the rivers any more, but we use our own process water instead of making clean water dirty,” she explains.
Check the quality
Another key element concerns sampling, which is done in accordance with our internal control programme. But additional samples are taken together with the water management association for the Kalix and Torneå rivers in order to check the water quality in this area. Members include Boliden, LKAB and local municipalities.
Continuous improvements are constantly moving developments forward. This summer, for example, a flow-proportional sampler was installed at the point of discharge. This will both make things easier for employees and make sampling more representative.
“It feels great to work for a company that actually cares about improvements and gives you the freedom to improve and work on the issues that are important,” concludes Sandra.
This is the second film in a series called "The story is mine." The first film, which is about reclamation work in general and the project in Holmtjärn.