II A 1 Paul Younger Keynote Address - Abandoned ... Avoca Copper Mines, Wicklow, Ireland Tourism...
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Transcript of II A 1 Paul Younger Keynote Address - Abandoned ... Avoca Copper Mines, Wicklow, Ireland Tourism...
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Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Orphaned and Abandoned Mines: in pursuit of best practicein pursuit of best practice
Paul L Younger C.Geol. C.Eng. FIChemE FCIWEM FIMMM
HSBC Professor of Energy & Environment
Hydrogeochemical Engineering Research & Outreach (HERO) Institute for Research on Environment & Sustainability (IRES)
Newcastle University, UK. (paul.younger@ncl.ac.uk)
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Orphaned and Abandoned Mines
= O&AM
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Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Scope of talk … • Dimensions of the issue • Priority setting – policies, perspectives,
pragmatism • Community engagement – who, what and
why? • Partnership approaches – panacea or
pain-in-the-rear? • Towards best practices
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Dimensions of the issue • Orphaned / abandoned mines:
– A lethal legacy?: long-term environmental impacts
– A precious patrimony?: community memory and the heritage ‘industry’
– both of the above? (in Europe – often yes; elsewhere … ?)
Dimensions of the issue
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Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Environmental impacts of O&AM: pathways
• Air: dust-blown emissions: ingestion • Soil: direct ingestion / arable /
pastoral use; land stability • Water: rivers (dissolved phase and
sediments), aquifers, ecosystems, drinking water
Effects generally highly localised
Effects downstream: ≤ 100s of km Dimensions of
the issue
2
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Dust and Land Stability Issues
Miami, Oklahoma (Tar Creek Superfund Site) Miami, Oklahoma (Tar Creek Superfund Site) –– PbPb/Zn /Zn orefieldorefield
Dune Dune bedformsbedforms on windswept, on windswept, finefine--grained mine wastesgrained mine wastes
Crown hole over deep Crown hole over deep mine roof collapsemine roof collapse
Dimensions of the issue
4
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
O&AM land instability: Impacts on Essential Infrastructure
DolphingstoneDolphingstone, Edinburgh, East Coast Main Railway Line, Edinburgh, East Coast Main Railway Line
CrownCrown--hole above ancient mine hole above ancient mine voids subject to recent change in voids subject to recent change in
water table positionwater table position
Dimensions of the issue
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
O&AM Stability Issues objectively dangerous
AberfanAberfan, , South South Wales, Wales,
2121--1010--1966, 1966, 144 people 144 people killed (116 killed (116 of them of them school school
children)children)
Dimensions of the issue
5
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Environmental impacts of O&AM: frequency
• Air: an issue only with Pb, As, Hg, Cd etc • Soil: areal impact of pollution dependent
on markets (e.g. dairy herds etc) • Water: BY FAR THE MOST COMMON RECEPTOR AND VECTOR OF O&AM POLLUTION
Dimensions of the issue
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Impacts of O&AM on water environment: surface waters
• Iron: most common pollutant (Mn, Zn, As often also mobile at pH ≈ 7)
• Acidity, low pH: an issue where weathering is near-surface:- spoil heaps, old tailings, shallow workings
• Other pollutants: e.g. SO4 – an issue where drinking water is abstracted downstream
Dimensions of the issue
6
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Typical iron-rich (‘ferruginous’) mine water discharges
Ynysarwed, South Wales, UK - marginally acidic deep coal mine discharge, 250 mg/l Fe
Skinningrove, Cleveland, UK - two strongly alkaline ironstone mine discharges, both with 17 mg/l Fe
Dimensions of the issue
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Major acidic discharge: Wheal Jane, Cornwall (UK), Jan 1992 (et seq.)
Dimensions of the issue
7
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Acidic mine waters in a dry environment: Brugspruit, Witbank Coalfield, S Africa
Dimensions of the issue
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Impacts of O&AM on water environment: ground waters
• Remarkably few recorded cases of pollution of major (i.e. potable supply) aquifers: – Major early example: Sth. Durham UK – Several other cases now pending in
Europe – Under-reporting to date: does it reflect
slow onset of obvious aquifer pollution after mine abandonment (decades)?
Dimensions of the issue
8
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Water abstraction boreholes
Discharge into the sea
Evapo- transpirationInfiltrating
rainwater
Major recharge area
Mine water upflow
Runoff
Diminished recharge over glacial drift
Infiltrating rainwater
Piezometric surface
(confined)
Permian: Magnesian Limestone Aquifer and minor basal units
Glacial drift (Quaternary)
Coal Measures (Upper Carboniferous)
Sea or river
General groundwater flow direction
Water table / piezometric surface
KEY
Water table (unconfined)
Level of shallowest mine
workings
Water abstraction boreholes
Discharge into the sea
Evapo- transpirationInfiltrating
rainwater
Major recharge area
Mine water upflow
Runoff
Diminished recharge over glacial drift
Infiltrating rainwater
Piezometric surface
(confined)
Permian: Magnesian Limestone Aquifer and minor basal units
Glacial drift (Quaternary)
Coal Measures (Upper Carboniferous)
Sea or river
General groundwater flow direction
Water table / piezometric surface
KEY
Water table (unconfined)
Level of shallowest mine
workings
South Durham (UK): Aquifer Pollution From Underlying
Abandoned Mines Dimensions of
the issue
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Spennymoor
Bishop Auckland
Shildon
Darlington
Stockton-on- Tees
¤ ¤
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Middlesbrough
Billingham
Hartlepool
Sedgefield
Ferryhill
¤ ¤ ¤ Newton Aycliffe
30.0 0 10.
00
100.00
100.00
300.00
¤
SO42- concentration contour (mg/L)
Water supply boreholes
Observation boreholes
Extent of the study area
Extent of the mine workings
Major settlements
100. 00
Spennymoor
Bishop Auckland
Shildon
Darlington
Stockton-on- Tees
¤ ¤
¤ ¤
¤¤¤
¤ ¤
¤ ¤
¤ ¤ ¤
¤ ¤ ¤
¤ ¤
¤
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Middlesbrough
Billingham
Hartlepool
Sedgefield
Ferryhill
¤ ¤ ¤ Newton Aycliffe
30.0 0 10.
00
100.00
100.00
300.00
¤
SO42- concentration contour (mg/L)
Water supply boreholes
Observation boreholes
Extent of the study area
Extent of the mine workings
Major settlements
100. 00
Predicted plume migration to 2010
Dimensions of the issue
9
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Predictions of the calendar years in which specific public supply wells will exceed drinking
water limit (250 mg/l SO4) for first time
2019Hope House
2057Waterloo Plantation
2038Great Stainton
2029Stillington
2024Hopper House
Year in which SO4 concentration predicted to first exceed 250 mg/l
Public Supply Well
Dimensions of the issue
Keynote Address: NOAMI Workshop, Winnipeg, Oct 26th 2006
Chair of Energy and Environment
Heritage issues and O&AM
• Mining is probably the second (certainly the third!) oldest profession
• The earliest reliably-dated archaeological remains of mining keep getting ever more ancient (e.g. Bronze Age now widely- attested in NW Europe)
• Conserv