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Case study: Preserving the Crocodile River and Bierspruit

In terms of the water management strategy surface process water is contained and recycled at the various infrastructural points. The target is zero discharge. The exemption provides for water and/or effluent discharge into the surrounding Crocodile and Bierspruit watercourses only in cases of emergency.

During the year (notably in October and December 2004 and January and February 2005) some overflows occurred from the sewage works' maturation ponds and the evaporation dam into the Bierspruit catchment. This was largely as a result of the Section 54 shutdown for six weeks from end September to early November when the concentrator's water consumption was nil, and at the Christmas break, and increased rainfall during January and February.

An external audit by Jarrod Ball & Associates (JBA) of the mine's EMPR in February 2005 has indicated that, in general, the water quality discharged to the Bierspruit was within the parameters of the permit requirements except for fluorides and nitrates in the evaporation dam water. The JBA audit also highlights that there are periods where the Department of Water Affiars and Forestry's (DWAF) instream water quality requirements are not being met, but this is due to a number of reasons such as poor quality at the inlet to the zone of influence as well as potential impacts from neighbouring mines. For this reason further steps are being taken to prevent any discharge of mine industrial water to the Bierspruit.

JBA's audit indicated that Northam's activities do not significantly affect the integrity of the Crocodile River. The river's water already exceeds the DWAF's in-stream quality requirements at the point where it enters the zone that can be impacted by Northam's operations in terms of conductivity, hardness, calcium and the SAR.

Management is nevertheless concerned about the preservation of the sustained integrity of the Bierspruit and Crocodile watercourses and participates in the Thabazimbi Water Management Forum, represented by the mining sector and the DWAF which is working towards the development and implementation of an integrated catchment monitoring programme for the Crococodile River and Bierspruit.

Priorities for the ensuing year:

• Minimising discharge from the evaporation dam and the sewage plant maturation ponds.
• Construction of additional stormwater cut-off drains to divert water from the evaporation dam and settling pond catchments.
• Developing an improved groundwater flow model to facilitate the development of a contaminant flow and transport model.
• An integrated water management plan to be reviewed annually.