More water trucks won’t fix your dust problem

“The mining industry has historically defaulted to ‘just add more water trucks’ when dust problems persist,” notes Martin Krehenbrink, CEO at Bind-X. “But forward-thinking site managers are now questioning whether plain water, regardless of application frequency, is fundamentally the right tool, given increasing water scarcity.”
Why spraying more water falls short
On paper, watering haul roads might appear low-cost and straightforward. But its effects wear off fast, often within 20 to 40 minutes. This creates a constant, resource-intensive loop with high fuel and water use: 3 to4 trucks per shift, especially during the dry season.
The problem doesn’t stop at inefficiency. Plain water on its own damages road surfaces, compromises safety, and disrupts operations. Too much water means operators face slippery conditions, wet ruts, and potholes.. Tyre wear increases. Maintenance teams are left fixing the very roads the water is supposed to protect.
“Water trucks are out in force, but they’re not solving the root problem. In many cases, they’re making it worse by degrading the roads,” says Martin. “We’ve seen haul speeds drop purely because of wet, greasy conditions.”
One method doesn’t fit all
Each part of your site has unique dust dynamics. In-pit areas may respond well to water. But static surfaces, like bunds and stockpiles, require longer-lasting suppression. And heavy-traffic haul roads benefit from stabilisation rather than repeated wetting.
Yet many sites still rely on one method, spraying plain water, as the primary dust control method, regardless of traffic volume, dust generation rate, or reapplication effort. It’s easy to default to water trucks. They appear to get the job done. But in reality, you’re spending time, fuel, labour and water, just to chase a problem around the site.
“Smarter dust control starts with zoning,” says Martin. Not every part of the site generates dust the same way. “In-pit at the active face, plain water with cannons works, sure. A well-timed wetting strategy can keep things under control.”
“But when it comes to your high-traffic haul roads, and areas like bunds, stockpiles, ROM edges, or rehab zones, these aren’t places you should be hitting with a water truck every few hours,” he says.
For those zones, you need a set-and-forget approach. Ideally you would use biological binders or soil stabilisation products that create a crust or binding layer that lasts for weeks or even months, depending on conditions.
“But it should be environmentally safe and re-minable at a later time,” explains Martin.
“When we see sites step back and treat dust control the way they treat any operational risk, by assessing cause, exposure, and impact, better decisions follow. The progressive ones are already doing this.”
You spend less, get better results, and free up your crews to focus on higher-value work.

A smarter approach
Newer technologies now offer the same durability as older methods like bitumen emulsions, lignosulphonates, and polymers, without the environmental downsides. One example is Terrabind, a biological dust control method that uses natural processes to form a solid cement-like layer on the wearing course. It keeps dust in place without oil, polymers, or synthetic resins.
Once applied, it penetrates the surface and holds dust down through heat, wind, and even rain. It’s biologically safe and scalable.
“We’ve helped sites cut water usage by 75%, and some up to 90%,” says Martin. “Removing water trucks from haul roads not only reduces water use, it eliminates unnecessary interactions with dump trucks and speeds up haul cycles.”
Eramet reduced road water usage by 85% with a biological dust control approach at their Grande Côte Opérations (GCO) in Senegal. In 2022, the mining services team realised they were spraying over 242,000 litres of water per day on the roads just to keep dust under control. They wanted to reduce water consumption, so the business proactively decided to test other options. The team found that Terrabind reduced water usage by 85% and created a three-fold drop in dust fallout. You can read more about that story here.
Measure first. Then take action.
Before you default to more water, pause and assess what’s really happening onsite. With the right data, you can make smarter, targeted decisions:
- Use dust monitors to pinpoint hot spots
- Schedule your drones to regularly assess surface conditions and track dust movement
- Conduct visual audits to measure effectiveness by zone
- Stabilise haul roads with environmentally safe binders
“Smart sites are moving from firefighting to forward planning,” says Martin. “They’re using technology like dust monitors, drones, and data to decide where and when to act.”
The solution isn’t just running water trucks, it’s a new mindset. Treating dust control as a strategic process instead of a reactive routine opens the door to better performance, lower costs, and safer roads.
Because if you’re just spraying water, you’re not solving the problem. You’re delaying it.