ChemCentre Senior Scientist Dr Kathryn Linge presented new research on the future use of mine pit lakes at the 2025 Ozwater Conference, Australia’s premier water industry event. Her work was also published as a technical paper in the official conference proceedings
The study, led by Dr Linge in collaboration with Dr Netramani Sagar (ChemCentre), Dr Elise Bekele and Dr Greg Davis (CSIRO), and Dr Andrew Knight (Curtin University), explores water quality and reuse opportunities for mine pit lakes after mining ends.
The paper, Identifying Opportunities for Mine Pit Lake Reuse After Mine Closure, details the results of water sampling and analysis from 26 mine pit lakes across Western Australia. The study provides a unique snapshot of pit lake water quality in arid Australian conditions and assesses potential reuse options such as livestock watering, irrigation, recreation, and aquaculture.
Key findings from the study include:
- Salinity is the primary constraint for reuse, with total dissolved solids exceeding guideline values in most pit lakes, particularly in the Goldfields region
- Water quality strongly reflects groundwater inputs, with pit lake chemistry influenced by local salinity, regional geology, and mining legacy
- Two pit lakes met Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (after suitable treatment), showing that under certain conditions, pit lakes may provide viable freshwater resources
- Recreational use may be possible for selected lakes, especially in the Murchison region, pending further assessments of microbial and physical safety.
“There are more than a thousand mine voids across Western Australia, many with the potential to form pit lakes after closure,” said Kathryn.
“This work helps address a major knowledge gap around how these water bodies evolve and how they might be repurposed to deliver safe, sustainable benefits to communities and ecosystems.”
This research contributes to a growing body of work supporting sustainable mine closure strategies and water reuse planning in Australia’s resources sector.
The study was funded by the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), CRC CARE, and CRC TiME, with support from the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
