Rainfall, runoff and process water can accumulate faster than facilities managing large red-mud ponds can safely store or redirect. At this refinery, rising levels began to compromise embankment integrity and day-to-day operational safety, pushing the site toward compliance risk and potential production limits.

Residue areas at a Western Australia alumina refinery began to accumulate water faster than the site could safely manage, narrowing operating margins and increasing pressure on containment structures. As levels continued to rise, the refinery faced mounting production risk and closer regulatory scrutiny, with uncontrolled accumulation threatening both day-to-day continuity and long-term environmental compliance.