Water

Water is a critical resource for people, biodiversity and economic stability.

Material Topic Information

Why it matters

We depend on access to water. Its effective management is fundamental to the sustainability of our operations and the ecosystems and communities in which we operate, especially given the challenges of a changing climate.

Ambition

We aim for effective stewardship of water resources and responsible water management across all current and future projects. We seek continual improvement in water efficiency and the minimisation of water loss through surface discharge and evaporation.

Contributing to SDG's

Salient Human Rights Issues

Materiality

Water at Fortescue

Water is an essential resource for Fortescue’s mining operations, global growth activities, and community engagement efforts. It supports essential processes such as ore processing, dust control, is a key consideration for future green hydrogen production, while also playing a key role in sustaining the ecosystems and communities surrounding our operations. Our commitment to water stewardship is embedded in our operational strategy and guided by principles of compliance, collaboration and sustainability.

FY25 Highlights

In FY25, Fortescue advanced our water stewardship practices through several key activities.
At the Chichester Hub, the MAR program continued to demonstrate its value in maintaining aquifer levels and supporting local ecosystems and we continued to demonstrate water efficiency, exceeding performance measure.

At Iron Bridge, the operationalisation of the magnetite slurry pipeline significantly improved water efficiency by reducing abstraction needs and enabling water recycling.

No significant water-related environmental incidents were recorded in FY25. Compliance with regulatory requirements was maintained across all operations. There were no disruptions to water supply that affected our operations in FY25. These outcomes underscore Fortescue’s dedication to managing water responsibly while achieving operational and environmental goals.

Company-wide water use

43.9GL

Functional withdrawal

182.8GL

Other managed withdrawal

62GL

Water demand

71.6GL

Water consumption

154.8GL

Water discharge

19.3GL

Water reuse

Metals and Operations

Our operations in the Pilbara accounted for 226 gigalitres (GL) of withdrawals in FY25, representing 99.9 per cent of the material water volumes managed by Fortescue in FY25.

In FY25, 177GL of water was abstracted for mine dewatering at our Chichester Hub and 145GL was reinjected as part of our Chichester MAR program.

Global Energy and Growth

In FY25, material water withdrawals for global energy and growth totalled 0.3GL, supporting six significant resource exploration projects: four in the Pilbara, one in Argentina and one in Gabon. Withdrawals for global energy and growth accounted for less than one per cent of the total material water volumes managed by Fortescue.

Looking forward, we expect that our ongoing resource exploration work will result in similar or increased water demand, depending on the intensity and staging of exploration activities at our significant exploration projects.

FY25 Performance

A full breakdown of our FY25 water withdrawal, consumption, reuse and discharge is provided in our FY25 ESG Databook.

Read our FY25 ESG Databook.

Impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities

Fortescue’s operations rely heavily on water, presenting both risks and opportunities. While innovative practices improve resource efficiency and minimise environmental impacts, proactive management is still required. Effective stewardship ensures sustainability, operational resilience, and strong stakeholder collaboration.

Fortescue’s operations interact with water resources in diverse ways, resulting in both positive and negative impacts.

On the positive side, our commitment to sustainable water management has led to the implementation of innovative practices that enhance resource efficiency and minimise environmental impacts. At Iron Bridge, water recovered from the magnetite slurry pipeline is reused, improving water efficiency and reducing abstraction from the Canning Basin. Our Chichester Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) program reinjects excess groundwater to maintain groundwater levels near the Fortescue Marsh, a wetland of national significance.

Our activities can also pose challenges. Dewatering of mine pits can alter groundwater levels, potentially affecting local ecosystems, cultural heritage sites, and other water users, including pastoralists. Discharges and effluents, if not carefully managed, can degrade water quality in receiving water bodies. Additionally, seasonal weather events, such as cyclones, can impact water infrastructure, leading to unplanned discharges or contamination risks.

To mitigate these impacts, Fortescue employs a comprehensive approach that includes regulatory monitoring and compliance, adaptive management strategies, and ongoing engagement with stakeholders. This ensures that water-related impacts are identified, mitigated, and managed effectively.

Water is indispensable to Fortescue’s operations, supporting essential processes such as iron ore processing, dust suppression, and drilling. It is also a key component in green hydrogen production.

Beyond operational needs, water plays a critical role in maintaining regulatory compliance, building community trust, and fostering collaboration with stakeholders. Effective water management allows us to operate sustainably while safeguarding the ecosystems and communities that rely on shared water resources. By integrating water stewardship into our business strategy, we ensure the resilience of our operations and contribute to sustainable development.

Water-related risks are significant for Fortescue and include challenges related to sourcing, compliance, and environmental resilience.

One of the primary risks is water scarcity, particularly in regions with high water stress, such as Iron Bridge and Port Hedland. Limited water availability can constrain production, delay project approvals, and increase regulatory scrutiny. Dewatering operations pose additional risks by potentially lowering groundwater levels and impacting local ecosystems and cultural heritage sites.

Extreme weather events, such as intense rainfall and flooding, further exacerbate these risks by disrupting water infrastructure, potentially overwhelming drainage systems, contaminating water sources, and affecting operational continuity. Regulatory risks also play a role, as evolving water-related legislation requires ongoing compliance and adaptation.

To address these risks, Fortescue employs robust water sourcing strategies and adaptive management practices that account for future climate scenarios. These measures ensure that water-related challenges are managed proactively and effectively.

Water stewardship presents significant opportunities for Fortescue to drive innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and strengthen stakeholder relationships.

For example, the Chichester MAR program showcases how responsible water management can benefit both operations and the environment. By reinjecting groundwater, this program supports aquifer sustainability while meeting operational water needs. Similarly, the magnetite slurry pipeline at Iron Bridge exemplifies how innovative water recycling can reduce abstraction and improve efficiency.

Engagement with stakeholders, including Traditional Owners, regulators, and local communities, also creates opportunities for collaboration and mutually beneficial solutions. By working together, Fortescue can address water challenges, protect cultural and ecological values, and build trust with stakeholders.

Our Water Strategy

Fortescue’s approach to water management is guided by a strategy grounded in our Water Policy and Water Management Standard. The strategy focuses on the principles of sourcing water responsibly, maximising water efficiency, minimising adverse impacts, stewarding water as a shared resource and implementing robust governance.

These principles ensure that water stewardship is integrated into Fortescue’s operations, from planning and design to execution and monitoring.

A Closer Look

Managing Water

Governance

Fortescue is committed to the stewardship of water resources and practising responsible water management throughout our areas of operation and all current and future project stages.

As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, we align with Principles 7, 8 and 9 in our management of water:

Principle 7: support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

We also apply the ICMM Water Stewardship Principles where suitable as recognised best practice for the sector, though we are not a signatory.

The Safety and Sustainability Committee is responsible for overseeing all matters relating to management of water resources and water-related issues on behalf of the Board. The CEO of Fortescue Metals and Operations is responsible for managing operational water-related matters within our mining operations and is supported by the Technical Services, Group Projects and Operational teams.

Throughout FY25, the CEO of Fortescue Energy together with the Global Projects Director maintained ultimate oversight of water-related global energy and growth activities, supported by the Projects Engineering Water Management team in providing technical information and engineering design. From FY26, this responsibility will be with the CEO Global Energy and Growth.

The corporate Approvals, Communities and Environment teams also support water management practices across our operations and global growth activities.

Policies and Standards

Fortescue's internal Water Policy was approved by the Board in May 2024. It sets out our commitment and strategy for the company. Staged implementation of this policy continues to be rolled out to support water-related decision-making throughout our global operations.

Our Water Policy acknowledges the strong nexus between water, climate and biodiversity and the connected impacts on society, as well as the shared value of this resource. In recognising this value, we also acknowledge the varied risks of water stress and the importance of protecting water for the benefit of all. This acknowledgement extends to our Climate Change, Environment and Human Rights policies.

Our water strategy defined within the Policy focuses on the following core principles:

1. Source Water Responsibly: Adopt sustainable sourcing practices that minimise environmental and social impacts.

2. Maximise Water Efficiency: Leverage technologies and processes to reduce water use and recycle resources across all project stages.

3. Minimise Adverse Impacts: Mitigate physical and chemical impacts on water systems through adaptive management and continuous monitoring.

4. Steward Water as a Shared Resource: Collaborate with stakeholders to address shared water challenges and develop sustainable solutions.

5. Implement Robust Governance: Maintain transparent reporting and continuous improvement.

Our internal Water Policy is reviewed by the Water Working Group annually.

The Fortescue Water Management Standard supports the implementation of our Water Policy and provides guidance on the implementation of water management practices throughout project life cycles:

Engagement with other water users to understand their needs and priorities, share plans and where appropriate, collaborate on managing risks
Understanding water at a catchment scale to identify material water risks and provide context for water management
Mitigate the impacts and risks from our activities in relation to water management to reduce adverse environmental impacts and prevent pollution or contamination
Maximise resource sustainability and enable flexible implementation
Transparent reporting on water performance.

Compliance

Compliance with all relevant legislation and obligations, including those that govern water management, is the absolute minimum standard to which we operate.

At our Pilbara operations, key legislation relating to water includes the Western Australian Environmental Protection Act 1986, Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914, Mining Act 1978 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. We also apply relevant regulation, guidance and policy, such as use of operating strategies in the water licensing process.

We ensure compliance with relevant legislation via several processes, including:

Approvals and permitting with ongoing reporting and audits.
Our Water Management Standard and Water Policy.
Water management plans and operating strategies implemented at all operational sites.
Engineering Statement of Requirements (SORs) for assurance on design and construction.

Incidents of non-compliance are managed and recorded in Fortescue's Business Management System, incorporating incident review processes, lessons learned and mitigation implementation. Significant incidents are reported to the relevant regulator, in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Reporting

Water reporting is a critical component of Fortescue's water governance practices. Statutory and voluntary reporting of water data is regularly undertaken to meet our obligations and commitments, and includes statistics on monitoring events and representations of measured data against trigger and threshold criteria.

We disclose our water withdrawal, consumption, reuse and discharge in accordance with GRI Standard 303 ‘Water and effluents 2018’ for facilities within our operational control.

Our Interactions with Water

Our materiality threshold for water use is a withdrawal of 16ML (0.01 per cent of our total withdrawal in FY24). Facilities withdrawing less than the threshold have been excluded from all water disclosure.

In FY25, we recorded material water withdrawals at:

our operational mine sites, port and rail infrastructure from our Metals and Operations portfolio
major mineral exploration projects in the Pilbara, Argentina and Gabon, along with an energy project, from our Global Energy and Growth portfolio.

Detailed information on these major assets and their interactions with water is provided within the FY25 ESG Databook located in our Document Library.

Metals and Operations
Our major interactions with water occur at our Pilbara operations, including Christmas Creek, Cloudbreak, Solomon, Eliwana, Iron Bridge and our Hedland port and rail operations.
Global Energy and Growth
Our growth areas are focused on resource exploration, green technology and renewable energy.
Land Leases
Fortescue leases land to third parties at several locations. Water use by those third parties is outside the scope of our operational control, and thus outside the scope of our sustainability disclosure and water accounting under the GRI Standards.

Our Actions

Fortescue’s actions to steward water resources and mitigate impacts align with the mitigation hierarchy, and include:

Considering water during scoping, siting and design. We apply water-specific guidelines, including principles for reducing, reusing, and recycling water as well as technical specifications to infrastructure and project design. Climate change assessments and hydrological studies are conducted to evaluate risks to operational water supply under varying scenarios, informing infrastructure design and contingency planning. Engineering specifications for flood immunity and drainage systems ensure resilience against storm events, while operational water risk management programs incorporate stewardship planning and regular facility-level risk assessments. Water stewardship management plans prepared for projects or developments as they progress towards operations.

Conducting thorough environmental impact assessments, incorporating water-related impacts. Potential developments with significant projected water demand are assessed for water risk and water stress using the BETA Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas tool. Impact assessments are informed and guided by regulatory approvals processes and incorporate water modelling tools, scenario analysis, and sensitivity testing to evaluate potential effects on environmental, economic, and sociocultural water-dependent values, as well as infrastructure design.

Implementing sustainable, adaptive water protection measures and impact mitigation strategies. We manage water resources at a catchment level across our operations and site-specific water balances are used to quantify supply and demand and identify opportunities to improve water use efficiency. We mitigate water-related impacts through comprehensive management strategies and collaborative measures. These practices are complemented by ISO 14001-certified environmental management systems at Fortescue Zero Power Systems, further supporting our commitment to sustainable water management.

Managing and monitoring water in compliance with our regulatory approvals. We monitor water quality and quantity at our operations, along with the health of key local water-dependent ecosystems and habitats, such as stygofauna and groundwater dependent vegetation, allowing us to ensure that impacts are minimised. Monitoring activities and responsibilities are documented in our Business Management System (BMS) and results uploaded to Fortescue's environmental data system (EnviroSys). We adhere to strict environmental regulations, conditions of approval and internal standards.

Managing Performance

Fortescue ensures that water management outcomes are monitored, reviewed, and reported against trigger and compliance thresholds. Water monitoring outcomes and performance indicators reveal opportunities for efficiency improvements and guide the effectiveness of water stewardship strategies.

Water monitoring data identifies any instances where trigger or threshold criteria have been exceeded and if compliance requirements are met. In FY25, a small number of inconsistencies were recorded, where water quality analyte limits of reporting were greater than the trigger threshold. These are currently being addressed.

Site-based water performance indicators are used at an asset level to help drive continuous improvement in efficiency and minimisation of water loss. Performance against these indicators also help us evaluate the effectiveness of our water stewardship strategy.

Chichester Hub

We aim to ensure at least 80 per cent of water abstracted at the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek mine sites is used for operational requirements or beneficial environmental purposes. In FY25, 94 per cent of the water we abstracted was used for these purposes, demonstrating our commitment to reducing water loss through seepage and evaporation.

Eliwana

In FY23, we set a performance objective to pilot the Minerals Council of Australia Water Accounting Framework at Eliwana, in line with the ICMM Water Stewardship Framework to provide a catchment-wide view of water flows, uses and quality. This action is in progress, with baseline data being collected and the review progressing.

Solomon

In FY23, we set a performance objective to complete a site-wide water resource efficiency assessment for Solomon to inform long-term water efficiency planning. The Solomon Water Conservation Group identifies water-efficiency opportunities and facilitate action. Water savings opportunities have also been communicated through Solomon planning functions and is included in basis of design for new projects.

Iron Bridge

In FY24, we set a performance objective to set a public, site-specific water management target for Iron Bridge in FY25 following the formal transition of the project into operation. This action is in progress. As Iron Bridge continues to ramp up production, baseline water data is being collected and reviewed to ensure that site specific performance objectives are meaningful and achievable.

Additional Resources

Digital Library

Date
Title
Category
8 Apr 2025
Environment Policy 2025
Download document(0.35 kb)

Water

Material Topic Information

Why it matters

Ambition

Contributing to SDG's

Salient Human Rights Issues

Materiality

Water at Fortescue

FY25 Highlights

At Iron Bridge, the operationalisation of the magnetite slurry pipeline significantly improved water efficiency by reducing abstraction needs and enabling water recycling.

Company-wide water use

43.9GL

182.8GL

62GL

71.6GL

154.8GL

19.3GL

Metals and Operations

Our operations in the Pilbara accounted for 226 gigalitres (GL) of withdrawals in FY25, representing 99.9 per cent of the material water volumes managed by Fortescue in FY25.

In FY25, 177GL of water was abstracted for mine dewatering at our Chichester Hub and 145GL was reinjected as part of our Chichester MAR program.

Global Energy and Growth

Looking forward, we expect that our ongoing resource exploration work will result in similar or increased water demand, depending on the intensity and staging of exploration activities at our significant exploration projects.

FY25 Performance

Impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities

Impacts

Dependencies

Risks

Opportunities

Our Water Strategy

A Closer Look

Managing Water

Governance

Fortescue is committed to the stewardship of water resources and practising responsible water management throughout our areas of operation and all current and future project stages.

As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, we align with Principles 7, 8 and 9 in our management of water:

Principle 7: support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;

Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and

Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

We also apply the ICMM Water Stewardship Principles where suitable as recognised best practice for the sector, though we are not a signatory.

The corporate Approvals, Communities and Environment teams also support water management practices across our operations and global growth activities.

Policies and Standards

Water Policy

Water Management Standard

Compliance

Compliance with all relevant legislation and obligations, including those that govern water management, is the absolute minimum standard to which we operate.

We ensure compliance with relevant legislation via several processes, including:

Approvals and permitting with ongoing reporting and audits.

Our Water Management Standard and Water Policy.

Water management plans and operating strategies implemented at all operational sites.

Engineering Statement of Requirements (SORs) for assurance on design and construction.

Incidents of non-compliance are managed and recorded in Fortescue's Business Management System, incorporating incident review processes, lessons learned and mitigation implementation. Significant incidents are reported to the relevant regulator, in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Reporting

We disclose our water withdrawal, consumption, reuse and discharge in accordance with GRI Standard 303 ‘Water and effluents 2018’ for facilities within our operational control.

Our Interactions with Water

Metals and Operations

Global Energy and Growth

Land Leases

Our Actions

Surveys and studies

Scoping, siting and design

Engaging with stakeholders

Impact assessment

Water protection measures and impact mitigation strategies

Monitoring

Managing Performance

Fortescue ensures that water management outcomes are monitored, reviewed, and reported against trigger and compliance thresholds. Water monitoring outcomes and performance indicators reveal opportunities for efficiency improvements and guide the effectiveness of water stewardship strategies.

Site-based water performance indicators are used at an asset level to help drive continuous improvement in efficiency and minimisation of water loss. Performance against these indicators also help us evaluate the effectiveness of our water stewardship strategy.

Chichester Hub

Eliwana

Solomon

Iron Bridge

Additional Resources

Related Topics

Biodiversity

Circularity

Mine Planning

Human Rights

Sustainability Stories

Inland water studies in the Pilbara

Digital Library