Mine Closures - Tailings Dam & Groundwater Management
Storage of contaminated water in reservoirs/dams may result in seepage of polluted water into ground and that may impact the quality of water in local groundwater. Contaminated water containing high TDS, heavy metals and rare earth material my seriously alter the water quality present in aquifers and local water bodies.
Geological formation of the containment shall be major and critical components that shall be reviewed for the suitability of applications. Groundwater monitoring bores around the containment are prime requirements to see any escape of contaminants from the storage/dams/reservoirs.
Adjacent creeks and drainage systems are recommended for monitoring of pollutants. Monitoring programs covering schedule and monitoring parameters are developed and implemented to assess movement of pollutants such as total dissolved solids, pH and other critical parameters that are applicable for the operation of mines.
Groundwater bores, not required in rehabilitated catchments, should be decommissioned and plugged to comply with the recommendations outlined in groundwater management guidelines enforced by states and federal government guidelines.
It is always recommended to maintain an adequate number of groundwater bores for future monitoring and evaluation of long-term success of rehabilitated catchments. Adequate infrastructures are essential parts of a rehabilitation plan that should cover manual data collection, online data recording, storage, evaluation and reporting for compliance.