Platinum mines will leave behind a sustainable legacy which will form a vital building block to meet future water demands

Slightly more out of the box idea is the use of anthropogenic aquifers as storage and chemical conditioners.  This concept was first introduce by Eland Platinum Mine(EPM) and reported on in previous papers.  At EPM water is used through a serious of natural aeration and aerobic storage facilities to reduce nitrate levels.  In 2013 another group introduced pilot studies by virtue of abstraction in support of the water conservation and demand management strategy; which has proven that it could enable the operations to overcome water shortage periods and reduce pressure on Rand Water (RW). The pilot sites would deliver water into the dirty water circuit, but within five to ten years it may further be used to overcome months with zero potable water supply. .  In platinum mines the more the aquifers are used the cleaner the water becomes, simply because introduced pollutants are not constant sources and country rock is mostly inert.  In the future these aquifers have the potential to become larger storage facilities protected from floods and limited evaporation losses. It is foreseen that some of the mines in the western belt may have more water stored in primary aquifers than water stored within major water dams. Yields from these aquifers for individual aquifers may be up to 450 m3/hour and storage of 18 Mm3.  . Why then this paper if we are already using it?  The issue is that the true value of these aquifers an only be unlocked when they are  used as recharging aquifers and thereby actively storing dirty water within a dirty water aquifer.  Once we are able to undertake this the positive environmental gains such of environmental overflows, condition dirty water, reduction of pollution and significant reduction of the use of potable water from RW. {List only- not presented}