groundwater and mining or the trouble with groundwater

8/20/2019 Groundwater and Mining or the Trouble With Groundwater

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Groundwater and Mining

or “The Trouble with

Groundwater…”

Jude Cobbing

Senior Hydrogeologist


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INTRODUCTION

• Groundwater management is fundamental to

risk reduction, and therefore to cost control.

• Basic measures, taken early, are important for

successful groundwater management.• “Prevention is better than cure”.

• Don’t forget: opportunities for a valuable watersupply.


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The Trouble with Groundwater:

• You can’t see it

• You’ve either got too much or too little

• Doesn’t respect boundaries

• Boreholes usually needed to monitor it• Expensive to clean up if it gets polluted

• Can be complex

• Headaches from old “Riparian” system, and our

fractured aquifers


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New Legal Situation in RSA

• National Water Act of 1998 – Fundamentalchange in SA water law

• National Environment Management Act of 1998and Minerals and Petroleum Resource

Development act of 2002• = Emphasis on sustainable development

• = New obligations in terms of mine planning

• = New obligations and responsibilities in terms of

monitoring and remediating water pollution• = New cost implications


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Government Notice No. 704, section 7(a)

“Every person in control of a mine or activity

must take reasonable measures to –

(a) Prevent water containing waste or anysubstance which causes or is likely to

cause pollution of a water resource from

entering any water resource…”


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Constitution of South Africa(Act 108 of 1996)

§ Everyone has the right to have access tosufficient food and water.

§ Everyone has the right to an environment that is

not harmful to their health or well-being.

§ The environment must be protected for thebenefit of all people living now and in the future.

§ The national government is the custodian of thesources of water, such as rivers, ground waterand dams.


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Wheal Jane Mine, Cornwall, UK –

PART 1

• 1991 pumping subsidy withdrawn

• 4 Jan 1992: remedial pumping stopped

• 13 Jan 1992: accidental release of 50 Ml

of polluted (ground) water into Fal River

Estuary

• pH 3.1, Fe hydroxides, cadmium levels of

> 600 ppb. Buoyant plume.• Very visible, public outcry


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Wheal Jane Mine, Cornwall, UK –

PART 2

• In the end, plume was thought to have

little lasting environmental impact (?)

• BUT – the emergency response andsubsequent treatment system cost twentymillion British pounds, and counting…


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Getting a grip on groundwater

• Understand how groundwater exists

• Monitor, monitor, monitor

• Interpret, understand and act on your

monitoring data

• See groundwater as part of bigger water

and environmental system


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Getting the basicsright:

•Secure borehole•GPS location

•Write everything down!


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“Failure to manage impacts on water resources(surface and groundwater) in an acceptable manner

throughout the life-of-mine and post-closure, on both a

local and regional scale, will result in the miningindustry finding it increasingly difficult to obtain

community and government support for existing andfuture projects. Consequently, sound management

practices to prevent or minimise water pollution arefundamental for mining operations to be sustainable.”

- Pul les et al ; DWAF Best Pract ice Guidel ines

Conclusions Part 1


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Conclusions Part 2

• Groundwater is here to stay

• Needs to be a central part of mineenvironmental strategy

• Groundwater management will save

money and reduce risk

groundwater and mining or the trouble with groundwater

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