Clean water technologies and initiatives

At Cameco, we understand the importance of clean water. Whether for drinking or for sustaining aquatic life, it's imperative that we continually improve our environmental performance and the quality of our discharged effluent.

Reverse osmosis at Key Lake

Reverse osmosis is a process that pushes water through a fine membrane, trapping contaminants and allowing clean water to flow through. Water from the Key Lake de-watering system is treated in this manner prior to its release to the environment.

While only suitable for water with low levels of dissolved solids, reverse osmosis produces exceptionally clean water and is an important part of our treatment system at Key Lake. Since upgrading the system to handle more volume in 2008, we've been able to treat up to 23,000 cubic metres per day, producing high quality water that is well below the applicable environmental quality guidelines. Some of this treated water is recycled for use in the Key Lake mill, reducing the volume of water we need to withdraw from the environment for mill activities.

Water recycling at Rabbit Lake

A new water recycling program has been implemented at Cameco's Eagle Point mine, solving a seepage problem and reducing the amount of fresh water withdrawn for underground use.

Underground seepage water is drawn from a collection sump located 400 metres below the surface and then redistributed to work areas where it is used for jobs like drilling and washing muck piles. This recycling initiative has reduced fresh water consumption in the area by approximately 40%. Cameco expects this change will reduce the volume of water requiring treatment at the site and also save energy and money.

The system was successfully implemented in October 2011 demonstrating the benefits of segregating and reusing water where possible at our sites.

Water diversion at McArthur River

The McArthur River mine has improved its water management system to divert clean water from the underground mining and processing activities. Managing the flow of groundwater into the mine is a part of routine operations. Collecting the clean water flowing into the mine allows us to discharge it directly back to the environment without treatment.

Improvements to the system have reduced the volumes flowing through McArthur River's water treatment plant, improving both plant efficiency and environmental performance. In addition to the environmental benefits, we're saving more than $150,000 annually by reducing the quantity of chemical reagents required by the mine's water treatment process.

Adding to this initiative, the site is installing infrastructure to allow the use of some of this clean water for industrial purposes both underground and on surface. This will further reduce the amount of freshwater used at the site.

Water monitoring

Groundwater and surface water monitoring programs are in place at all Cameco sites to monitor environmental performance and the quality of the surrounding environment. The location and frequency of sampling varies for each site based on site-specific modeling, risk assessment, and regulatory requirements. Samples are collected in accordance with approved procedures and are analyzed at approved site or third-party labs.

Analysis of surface and groundwater samples confirms the effectiveness of our environmental protection systems and helps us identify opportunities for improvement.