- Home
- /
- Initiatives
- /
- Global Water Initiative
Global Water Initiative
Supporting practical approaches to water stewardship, water efficiency and context-based decision-making in mineral processing. The Water Wheel framework and mining archetypes integrate water into life-of-mine planning.
About This Initiative
The Global Water Initiative improves decisions across the system by linking processing choices, water outcomes and broader planning. It exists to help the industry consider water earlier and more effectively across projects and operations.
Water is a defining operational, financial and social challenge in mining.
The Challenge
Water sits at the intersection of processing performance, cost, approvals and community trust, yet it is often considered late and in isolation. The Global Water Initiative brings the knowledge together so that water is designed into decisions from the start, not managed as an afterthought.
Our Approach
Through the Water Wheel framework and a set of mining archetypes, the initiative gives operators a shared way to reason about water across the life of a mine. The work runs across CEEC’s three pillars: curating the best available knowledge, convening operators and experts, and producing the practical baselines and tools the industry can put to use.
Who It Is For
The people this initiative is built to help.
Teams designing and running water systems who need practical, proven approaches.
Decision-makers weighing water risk, cost and ESG evidence.
Those building the evidence base and testing what works.
Who’s Involved
The steering group and the sponsors together in one place, the same way project pages show it.
An Industry Advisory Group of operators, researchers and technical experts guiding the initiative’s direction. Links through to the group’s own page.
The organisations funding this initiative, recognised across everything it publishes.
Outputs
What the initiative has published so far. Everything here also lives in the Knowledge Centre, found by tag.
Global Water Initiative Roadmap
The vision, goals and pathway for the initiative, developed across a four-session campaign.
Establishing the Water Knowledge Baseline
Coordinated by Prof Claire Cote of UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute, with Prof Neil McIntyre, Prof Mansour Edraki and Dr Pascal Bolz.
Engaging Communities and Indigenous Rights-Holders in Water-Related Decision-Making
Dr Jocelyn Fraser and Dr Nadja Kunz, on participation in water and technology decisions.
Water Effects with the Neo-Marvin Orebody
Emerging insights from the integrated modelling work, presented with Whittle Consulting.
Case for Change
Why the initiative exists and what it sets out to shift.
Projects Under This Initiative
Water Knowledge Baseline
Capturing existing knowledge on mine water management; Phase 3 runs to December 2026
Neo Marvin
Integrated planning and water modelling on a neutral copper-gold orebody
Communities Study
How communities and Indigenous rights-holders engage on water decisions
mTRL
The readiness framework, shared across every initiative