IMWA 2010 Symposium

Speakers in this session will present existing or evolving methodologies that prevent the pollution of mine water during operations, produce a smaller water footprint and limit impacts on surrounding ecosystems.

Papers given under this topic will deal with engineering infrastructure, such as pumps, dams, groundwater diversions, and pipes which direct mine water through or around the mining operation to treatment and finally to receiving water bodies with minimal impact. It will also include innovative solutions for design of on-going and final reclamation schemes which will be of benefit to local communities.

If mine water becomes polluted, treatment is necessary before it is either discharged into receiving water bodies or used for other purposes, such as cooling, fire suppression, cleaning equipment, or as drinking water. This session will deal with the techniques used in active mine water treatment.

Passive treatment is an environmentally friendly technology to treat mine water. Under normal operating conditions no chemicals are used and the only energy sources are natural: sun light, potential energy or ‘biological’ energy from plants or microorganism, wetlands for final polishing, limestone for natural buffering, or forest buffers for noise and dust suppression. Passive systems can also utilize “natural” chemical reactions between carbonate rich rocks and acidic waters.

Mine water can be used in several ways: as geothermal energy, as cooling liquid, in agriculture, for recreation, as drinking water, or enhancing stream flow. Papers presented in this session will focus on those mine water uses.

Mine water chemistry usually differs significantly from the chemistry of ground and surface water. In this session the problems encountered with developing appropriate field sampling protocols, selection and deployment of real time monitors, laboratory analysis techniques and selection of tracers will be explored. It will also include modelling the results and consideration of legal and funding issues associated with long term monitoring after operations cease. The session also covers general aspects of mine water.

Coal is one of the most important solid fuels for electricity production and heating. Consequently, mine water issues for both, surface and underground coal mines are an important part of operational management, consultancy, and research. Speakers for this session will focus on mine water issues related to coal mining, such as acid mine drainage, pumping, prevention of pollution, geochemical aspects of coal mine drainage, encountering deep saline groundwaters, subsea mining, multi-seam mining, insitu gasification, and CO₂ sequestration.

Mine closure has become an important environmental issue worldwide. To ensure that mines are closed in a way that long term pollution of receiving water courses is minimized, special techniques have been developed in recent years. This session will address mine closure strategies in the view of mine water and related aspects of subsidence, reclamation bonding, long term monitoring, meeting a changing regulatory framework, public perception issues and impact of a changing climate.

Use of mine water and discharges of mine water into receiving water courses need special legal consideration in most countries of the world. One of the many examples covering discharges is the European Water Framework Directive. Talks in Section 9 will focus on legal and social questions concerning mine water, impact on surface landowners, ISO accreditation, due diligence, and environmental impact assessments.

Mine tailings and their associated emanating waters need experienced operators, consultants and researchers to ensure proper handling and treatment. This theme will be the platform for presentations dealing with water flowing through or emanating from mine tailings and coarse waste rock piles, as well as long term groundwater contamination plumes resulting from these and demolition of facilities.

In 1672, the French Nicholas Denys, for the first time ever described the occurrence of coal seams on Cape Breton Island. Since then, coal was mined on the Island to a greater or lesser extent. On December 31, 2009, ‘Cape Breton Development Corporation’ – the endmost large scale mining operator in the Sydney Coal Field – will cease as an entity and will amalgamate into ‘Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation’. Papers presented in this section will deal with the mine water issues of four decades of coal mining on Cape Breton Island by the Corporation and more than three centuries of coal mining on the Island.

Most mining operations produce large amounts of unwanted material that can't be readily sold to market. Such materials can be overburden, waste rock, mine water, sludges, or tailings. In most cases the mine operator must dispose of these substances. Commonly these unwanted substances are referred to as Mining Waste. This moderated discussion theme will investigate the potential for a Zero Waste Mine, and discuss the techniques and research that is needed to operate a mine as a Zero Waste Mine.

The aim of this Session is to look at how fractured rock is characterised and how data are used to assess dewatering and depressurisation in design of large pit slopes or underground mines, water inflow volume or rates, and site water monitoring and management during mining.