Flexible, Fast, Reliable: Mobile Water Solutions for the Mining Industry
December 2025
In mining, water is inseparable from productivity. From dust suppression and ore processing to boiler feed and potable supply, every stage of an operation depends on reliable access to treated water. Yet conventional water infrastructure often struggles to keep pace with today’s rising production demands and tightening sustainability expectations.
Mobile water treatment solutions are emerging as a practical and versatile response. Fully packaged in trailers, containers, or skids, these systems can be deployed within weeks across Oceania to meet short-term, emergency, or multi-year water needs. By avoiding CAPEX upgrades, the OPEX-based solution gives operators the flexibility to adapt quickly while maintaining operational resilience.
Why Mobile Systems Are Gaining Ground
Mining operators are under pressure to do more with less: minimise environmental impact, increase cost optimisation and operational efficiency, and stay agile in the face of a volatile commodity market. Mobile water solutions are increasingly recognised as a fast, cost-efficient way to address these challenges.
Unlike permanent systems, mobile units can be deployed quickly, scaled to changing requirements, and easily removed or relocated. This makes them valuable during commissioning, planned maintenance, emergencies, or technology upgrades. And with OPEX-based rental models, miners can secure a critical water supply without committing to significant upfront capital expenditure.
How Mobile Water Treatment Supports Mining Operations
Mining presents some of the toughest water challenges—remote sites, variable raw water quality, and strict environmental discharge standards. Veolia’s mobile water solutions are specifically designed for these exact scenarios. Rapidly deployable to isolated locations, they provide process water for mineral processing, boiler feed, or potable supply; enable tailings and pit dewatering through clarification and metals removal; and safeguard production during extreme weather events or plant breakdowns.
Technology options include the Actiflo high-rate clarifier for suspended solids removal, Hydrotech* Discfilter for filtration, and membranes such as reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and deionisation. Specialty solutions like degassing and Hydrex* chemical dosing add further flexibility, supported by remote monitoring via Starlink and Veolia’s Hubgrade platform.
A recent project in Queensland demonstrates this capability. Faced with excess pit water containing heavy metals, calcium sulphate, and high suspended solids, a mining operator required treatment to enable safe discharge or reuse in processing. Veolia deployed a combination of multimedia filtration, reverse osmosis, and chemical dosing systems, with additional operational support provided by fly-in, fly-out crews. Continuous monitoring ensured compliance with discharge criteria while maintaining uninterrupted production.
With flow capacities ranging from 10 to 1,000 m³/hour and 24/7 support from Veolia’s experts, mobile units offer a reliable and scalable alternative to fixed infrastructure—helping miners secure water resilience in an increasingly regulated environment.
Looking Ahead
As industries navigate growing environmental responsibilities and operational complexity, the demand for smart, fast-deploying water solutions will continue to rise. Mobile water treatment systems are evolving from temporary fixes to strategic assets—enabling companies to optimise water use, reduce risk, and move toward more circular and sustainable operations.
At Veolia, this shift is closely aligned with the company’s GreenUp strategic program—a forward-looking initiative aimed at accelerating ecological transformation. Mobile water treatment is one of the many ways Veolia is supporting industries to depollute, decarbonise, and regenerate water resources—creating value not just for today’s operations, but for a more sustainable future.
*Trademark of Veolia; may be registered in one or more countries.