Chief Water Officer (CWO) Program – Strategic Water Governance

Client: Newcrest Mining

Solutions Delivered:
– Embedded Chief Water Officer (CWO) role to oversee end-to-end water governance
– Monthly verification monitoring and compliance reporting
– Streamlined monitoring programs for cost and time efficiency
– Incident response leadership and SME support for water quality events
– Development and maintenance of Water Quality Improvement Plan
– Training and awareness programs for site personnel

Key Project Outcomes & Value Add: Development of a clear risk-based water management journey and specialist support to facilitate improved compliance, reporting, reduced waterborne risk, and enhanced operational compliance and assurance through centralised governance.

Project Overview:

Ecosafe International introduced a Chief Water Officer (CWO) program for Newcrest Mining to support the navigation of a risk-based water management journey and ensure effective overall governance and water outcomes. Our embedded leadership delivered specialist support, monthly compliance reporting, streamlined monitoring, incident response capability and delivery of prioritised water improvement initiatives. By implementing a Water Quality Improvement Plan and training site personnel, we shifted water management from reactive to predictive. The result was improved compliance, reduced health risks, and greater operational resilience – setting a new standard for strategic water governance in the mining sector.