Mining in Western Australia places significant economic and environmental responsibility on Government and the mining industry. Groundwater abstraction is regulated by the Department of Water. The Department has recently issued a guideline for Pilbara mines, and this paper focuses on the Pilbara for its examples and studies. The guideline is intended to form the basis for developing a statewide policy, consistent with reporting and assessment policy._x000D_
With rapid expansion of the mining industry between 2005 and 2008, the groundwater resources in the Pilbara region of the State are under increasing pressure. Significant new management and regulatory issues arising recently include: cumulative impact assessment; disposal of dewatering excess by discharge, sharing or reinjection; life-of-mine approvals and closure planning; closure water quality including metals concentration in pit lakes; and in situ leaching mining methods and their impacts on regional water resources (and change of State Government Policy with respect to uranium mining)._x000D_
FORMAL CITATION:Humphreys, G and Abbott, D, 2009. Groundwater management guidelines for mining industry in arid Western Australia - examples from the Pilbara, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2009, pp 113-116 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).