Sustainability / Our Planet
Water Use
Understanding consumption from our activities
Dewatering will be required over the life of our planned Carolina Lithium operation. When groundwater is pumped from our quarrying operation, it will be utilized at our concentrator plant, where it will support various activities required to convert spodumene ore to spodumene concentrate and other byproducts. Water will be recycled throughout the process to help minimize usage.
To support operations at our lithium hydroxide production plants – where freshwater will be critical to ensuring the highest level of quality – Piedmont will rely on our local municipal water supplies. As our operations come online, we plan to perform a range of assessments to fully understand water demand and identify opportunities to reduce freshwater withdrawals.
Monitoring and Controlling Water Quality Impacts
Piedmont is designing the Tennessee Lithium and Carolina Lithium projects so that they will not be expected to materially change the composition of groundwater. We intend to fully comply with federal, state, and local regulations pertaining to our operations in North Carolina and Tennessee to ensure water quality standards are met.
We plan to implement continuous water monitoring and controls in compliance with our permits. Our team of highly-qualified engineers and hydrologists will employ several measures to alert us to concerns and mitigate potential risks from our operations.
Mitigating Water Quantity Impacts
Access to potable water is a basic right. Piedmont is designing the Carolina Lithium project to mitigate impact to neighboring wells. If our operations at our proposed site impact water availability, Piedmont is committed to working with neighbors who may be impacted to protect their access to water. Mitigation plans have already been developed to address wells in the event that impacts occur. These plans include strategies for drilling improved wells or providing access to municipal water supplies.
In all our projects, we plan to help support the build-out of infrastructure required to deliver greater access to municipal water in the region. We look forward to helping bring more options for water supply to residents near our project sites.