Water quality management strategy : an approach for the Wafi Prospect-Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea

This study attempted to develop a water quality management strategy for CRA’s Wafi Copper-Gold Prospect located in Papua New Guinea. A literature review of water quality management (WQM) and planning practices was undertaken with the intention of developing a WQM framework that can be used in mining projects like the Wafi. Two key components of the WQM framework are environmental baseline setting and the mining project’s operational details from which other components on the framework can be developed.To develop a WQM strategy for Wafi prospect, a literature research supplemented by field investigation was undertaken to establish the key components of a WQM program. For project details several assumptions were made since the prospect is still at an early stage of evaluation and the mineralisation not fully defined. Assessment of potential problems was focussed on acid mine drainage for which control strategies were developed, despite the limitations on the data available. This study highlights the importance of integrating environmental management issues at the conceptual stage of mining planning and engineering so that adverse impact on the environment, including the effect of mining on the quality of water, can be controlled/mitigated