OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING ON THE ... - IIED pubs

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5.3.3 Alluvial mining None known and none anticipated. 5.3.4 Monitoring systems The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) regularly monitor flows and water quality at the Loskop Dam, as well as other upstream and downstream sites. In addition, DWAF also regulate the quantity and quality of all effluent discharges through a system of effluent discharge permits or licences. Each licensed effluent discharger is required to carry out a routine monitoring programme of the flow and quality of their effluent and supply this to DWAF. The Department then conducts a randomised series of audit samples to check the veracity of the effluent returns submitted by each discharger. 5.3.5 Water quality data A selection of water quality data have been obtained to demonstrate some of the different effects that deep versus shallow coal mining has on water quality, and to show the changes that take place when mine water seeps, or is discharged into, surface streams (Table 5.6). Table 5.6: Selected water chemistry data for water samples from a deep underground coal mine, a shallow underground coal mine and three surface water (stream) samples collected at different distances from their shallow underground coalmine source. (Data adapted from Hodgson & Krantz, 1999). Parameter Deep Underground Mine Shallow Underground Mine ccc Sampling Sites Surface Flow (Close to source) Surface Flow Surface Flow (0.75 km (1.5 km from from source) source) pH 8.06 6.78 3.41 3.20 3.12 EC (mS/m) 164 228 120 212 219 Ca 186 561 60 139 144 Mg 89 107 38 83 91 Na 120 15 46 44 40 Cl 13 3 66 52 44 SO4 910 1,767 562 1,460 1,509 Al - < 0.1 27 110 107 Co - 0.04 0.92 1.63 1.58 Fe - 21 2.7 5.6 11.8 Mn - 3.2 25.5 37.5 36.7 Ni - 0.1 0.39 1.13 0.94 Zn - 0.36 0.74 2.05 1.95
5.3.6 Implications for water quality and quantity management The available evidence suggests that the extensive areas of coal mining in this sub-catchment have had, and will continue to have, very high impacts on the sub-catchment’s water resources and particularly, the water quality of all streams and rivers. The primary cause of these impacts is the extensive acid mine drainage where water of low pH, with high concentrations of total dissolved salts and metals, enters local water courses and results in a complete change in the water chemistry. The large volumes of acid mine drainage and the long period of time over which these discharges and seepages have taken place has resulted in the impacts still being discernable (as altered water chemistry characteristics) over two hundred kilometres downstream from the Witbank and Highveld Coalfields These effects are also accentuated by seepages from power station ash dumps, as well as effluent discarded by different industries, including the Highveld Steel Plant and various foundry operations. The small, closed copper mining operations in the lower reaches of this sub-catchment have no impacts on the basin’s water resources. One of the positive aspects of increased salinity values caused by acid mine drainage is that the increased salt concentrations tend to diminish the presence of suspended sediments in local streams and rivers by autoflocculating sediments. Overall, the serious nature of the impacts caused by mining or attributable to mining in this sub-catchment has been the subject of concerted research and management attention for several years. The latest development has been the launching of the COALTECH 2020 programme that seeks to harness the collaborative efforts of all role players in a concerted attempt to derive appropriate and cost-effective management strategies that will help to resolve these problems. 5.4 The Middle Olifants sub-catchment 5.4.1 General description 5.4.1.1 Hydrology This sub-catchment comprises the portion of the Olifants basin between Loskop Dam and the junction of the Selati and Olifants rivers. It receives upstream inflows from the Wilge and Little Olifants-Riet sub-catchments, as well as the Steelpoort and Blyde sub-catchments. Within this sub-catchment, the most important tributaries are the perennial Elands, Moses, Selons, Bloed and Makhutswi rivers, whilst several smaller tributaries, both perennial and seasonal or episodic, enter from the north-west and south-east. One very large impoundment on the Olifants River, the Mogoma Matlala (Arabie) Dam, provides water supplies to numerous small towns and settlements in the sub-catchment, as well as large volumes of water for irrigation schemes along both banks of the Olifants River. Nine other medium-sized dams are also located in this subcatchment and supply water for domestic use and for irrigation. Many of the mines and industries in this sub- ccci
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING
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exploited, the size of the facility
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2.3.6 Stockpiling and transport of
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4.1.6 Mining and mineral processing
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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Compari
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Table 1.6: Minimum annual productio
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Table 3.26: Mining operations in th
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Several enthusiast
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1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFO
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Box 1.2). Each research team is req
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The MRC cannot be held responsible
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of amenity or deterioration in wate
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Typically, river flows in the count
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In simple terms, all of the propone
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shared by more than one country, es
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most appropriate technical or inves
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CAMEROUN GABON CENTRAL AFRICAN REPU
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1.6.1 Data on the location, nature,
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1997). In future studies, more atte
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Section 5 briefly reviews the water
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Mining methods vary widely and depe
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Removal and storage of ores and was
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These effects are usually ameliorat
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Water quality changes are widely co
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these substances are often mobilize
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The acidification of the water has
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and kinetic stability of the comple
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This process is carefully balanced
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neutralize each other - this situat
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(Chenje, 2000). Despite the recent
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Swaziland Water Environment Tanzani
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Draft Environmental Management Bill
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siting of works plan for approval t
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The draft policy encourages develop
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provides a definition but one which
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2.9.3.9 Zimbabwe Environmental Impa
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Sector Activity Industry °Chemical
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Cyanides and related compounds (CN)
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of Natural Resources and the South
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3.1.1 Geology, topography and soils
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Air temperatures across the Zambezi
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or fuelwood production. Similar pat
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Zambia. Clearly, some water quality
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3.2.1.6 Human impacts on water reso
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The Botswana segment of this area f
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3.4.1.4 Surface water users The onl
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3.5.1.2 Geology The Upper Karoo Bat
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3.5.6 Implications for water qualit
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3.6.4 Monitoring systems None. 3.6.
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3.8.1.5 Water management systems Th
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3.9.1.2 Geology This sub-catchment
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3.9.5 Water quality data None avail
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Z-87 Mulobezi Amethyst Operating Ve
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3.11.1.6 Human impacts on water res
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3.12.1.2 Geology This sub-catchment
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• Increased quantities of suspend
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Determinant Fischer’s Farm Raglan
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3.13.1.4 Surface water users There
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The Nampundwe pyrite mine poses a r
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Z-90 Chisuki Mica, Tin, Tantalite O
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along the major roads between Chiru
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3.16.1 General description 3.16.1.1
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Z-17 Jessie Gold Starting Very Smal
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Small intrusions of Greenstone form
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Several stretches of streams and ri
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3.18.1.5 Water management systems T
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3.18.6 Implications for water quali
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3.19.1.6 Human impacts on water res
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3.20 The Mazowe (Mozambique) sub-ca
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3.20.4 Monitoring systems This area
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The only settlements of any size ar
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3.23.1 General description 3.23.1.1
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3.23.4 Monitoring systems None. 3.2
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• Non-point impact from minefield
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This is Zones G1-G6, B1-B3, S1-S6,
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The catchment falls mainly under th
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The two lone water quality data poi
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• Non-point domestic effluent, ru
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Land use comprises the Siabuwa, Oma
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3.28 The Ume sub-catchment 3.28.1 G
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3.28.4 Monitoring systems None. 3.2
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3.29.1.4 Surface water users The Ci
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Thristle Etna Gold 6.7 Medium Tiger
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Sanyati, all may well contribute or
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3.30.1.5 Water management systems T
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This is Zone Z1 of Area C (ZSG, 198
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3.31.5 Water quality data Only one
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3.32.2 Mining and mineral processin
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Land use above the Zambezi Escarpme
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Extensive alluvial mining of gold t
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The major settlements are the metro
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3.34.6 Implications for water quali
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• Urban run off, urban areas of C
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3.36.1.4 Surface water users The to
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3.37.1.1 Hydrology This is Zones M1
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The catchment falls under the Harar
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3.37.3 Alluvial mining Alluvial min
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widely intruded by Mashonaland Dole
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3.38.4 Monitoring systems ZINWA is
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4. THE LIMPOPO BASIN In order to pr
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Mountains. Most of the basin consis
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the City of Pretoria and the northe
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continues to flow in the deeper all
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Each basin state maintains its own
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Land use in the upper parts of the
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the Limpopo River some 100 kilometr
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None obtainable in time for this re
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In the Botswana sector of the sub-c
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Table 4.9: Mining operations in the
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4.7.4 Monitoring systems ZINWA is c
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There is exploration for diamonds (
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There is exploration, mainly for di
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Hwange National Park (ZSG, 1998). A
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4.12.1.3 Pedology, agriculture and
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4.13 The Marico sub-catchment 4.13.
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Page 251 and 252: Several thermal springs are located
Page 253 and 254: • Disposal of large volumes of li
Page 255 and 256: D7-13 Premier Diamond - kimberlite
Page 257 and 258: 4.15.1 General description 4.15.1.1
Page 259 and 260: 4.15.2 Mining and mineral processin
Page 261 and 262: Most of the clayey loam soils in th
Page 263 and 264: 4.17 The Theuniskloof sub-catchment
Page 265 and 266: 4.17.4 Monitoring systems The Depar
Page 267 and 268: 4.18.1.4 Surface water users All of
Page 269 and 270: Water quality data for three sites
Page 271 and 272: supplies in the sub-catchment, the
Page 273 and 274: 4.20.1.2 Geology Like the Mogalakwe
Page 275 and 276: • Minor non-point impact from non
Page 277 and 278: 4.21 The Nzhelele sub-catchment 4.2
Page 279 and 280: 4.21.1.6 Human impacts on water res
Page 281 and 282: 4.22.1.3 Pedology, agriculture and
Page 283 and 284: Code Number Name of Mine Commodity
Page 285 and 286: 5. THE OLIFANTS CATCHMENT In order
Page 287 and 288: Soil formations across the Olifants
Page 289 and 290: indices of per capita agricultural
Page 291 and 292: professional capacity within the me
Page 293 and 294: • Dark grey to blackish, mottled
Page 295 and 296: 5.2.5 Water quality data No specifi
Page 297 and 298: Several towns (e.g. Witbank and Mid
Page 299: The following mining operations are
Page 303 and 304: 5.4.1.3 Pedology, agriculture and l
Page 305 and 306: K 5.5 5 4.5 Cl 380 350 200 F 1.0 1.
Page 307 and 308: local geological formations. High c
Page 309 and 310: The South African Department of Wat
Page 311 and 312: pH 8.5 8.3 8.8 8.7 8.8 8.9 TDS 439
Page 313 and 314: Soils in the sub-catchment can be d
Page 315 and 316: No information is available on the
Page 317 and 318: In its upper reaches, the sub-catch
Page 319 and 320: The Phalaborwa Water Board has been
Page 321 and 322: m 3 /day) water abstractions, and m
Page 323 and 324: In the south-west of the sub-catchm
Page 325 and 326: • Minor non-point impact of agric
Page 327 and 328: (Figure 4.2). The tributaries of th
Page 329 and 330: 5.9.1.6 Human impacts on water reso
Page 331 and 332: y the upper Klaserie River. Recent
Page 333 and 334: 5.10.6 Implications for water quali
Page 335 and 336: In Mozambique, the Mozambican Depar
Page 337 and 338: Acid mine drainage (AMD) represents
Page 339 and 340: • Antimony, cadmium and tin conta
Page 341 and 342: • Decreased light penetration to
Page 343 and 344: 6.1.8 “Peripheral” or indirect
Page 345 and 346: Worldwide, the general public has e
Page 347 and 348: 2. That copies of this report shoul
Page 349 and 350: Banks, D., P.L. Younger, R.T. Arnes
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CSIR (1993). An Environmental Impac
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Fuggle, R.F. & M.A. Rabie (1996). E
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Love, D. & D.K. Hallbauer (2000). M
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Pettersson, U.T. & J. Ingri (2000b)
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Turton, A.R. (1999b). Water scarcit
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World Bank (1998). World Developmen
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