Abt Associates’ staff performed an independent evaluation of how the Yanacocha Mine, located near Cajamarca, Peru, affected water quantity for both rural and urban domestic uses. Local citizens expressed concern that the mine – the largest gold mine in Latin America – was decreasing the quantity of water available as well as degrading water quality.

Our model results showed that flows in some streams have and will continue to be decreased during the critical dry-season period. These results were used to determine which streams are most influenced by the mine and to evaluate potential mitigation options.

The results were based on our:

• Field and modeling study to assess the mine’s impacts on water quantity;
• Mine facility and regional stream network model based on geographic and satellite information; and
• Watershed model for partitioning rainfall among runoff, evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge based on site-specific climate, vegetation, and soils data.

We used the geographic/satellite and hydrologic models to predict stream flows with and without the mine facilities.

Read more about this work:
History and Lessons from the Mesa de Diálogo y Consenso CAO-Cajamarca, Peru