2021 and beyond, page-2296

Good question Joe,

It's hard to find any info on your question cause there exists a void of any "baseline" studies. This void (of baseline studies) exists because there is no interaction between companies, state, and the community to discuss the environmental impacts. Sharing with and disclosure of ESG matters, amongst all parties (state, company, communities etc), is very poor.

DLE generates large amounts of spent brines, stated by the MD to be 22.5 billion litres per year.

*for context, 22.5 billion seconds of time = 713.5 years...per year.

The disposal (re-injection) of spent brines may pose a real challenge to the mobile nature of highly enriched brine.

Brine returned to its origin may have no impact on the surface...but

It is likely large amounts of spent brine will have an effect on lithium rich brine concentration (and fresh water), over time.

This extra source (i.e. spent brine inflow), can have a significant effect on project economics, such as phisically forcing brines into a saturated basin, installation of re-injection changing pipelines and changing feed wells to appropriate changing positions (and changing depth). The changes dependent upon the volume of re-injection (increased in production).

With an increase in reserves and potential production capacity, volume at the discharge point/s increase proportionately, leading to increased capital expenditure.

This discharge strategy should be included in the DFS and EIS in an accurately built numerical groundwater model required to develop the production plan.

Sorry for the long post, but I tried to keep it short and sharp.

PS water consumption needs similar attention, but that was not your brief.