A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

Evaluating Performance: Monitoring and Auditing
Elements of the monitoring program
Elements of mining project monitoring programs can be broadly categorised into
environmental, social, occupational health and safety (OHS), and routine operational
monitoring. Typical elements of environmental, social and OHS monitoring, and
indicative frequencies of monitoring throughout all stages of project development
(exploration/feasibility, construction/operations/expansions, closure and postclosure)
are outlined in Appendix 2 of the Leading Practice Monitoring handbook.
Routine operational monitoring is not specifically addressed in Appendix 2, although
some operational monitoring parameters, including water balance, ore and waste
production rates and composition, have direct relevance to other aspects of
monitoring such as discharge water quality and acid and metalliferous drainage.
Each project will have specific regulatory monitoring requirements. However, the
incorporation of additional monitoring parameters and performance evaluation
criteria is essential to the identification and proactive management of environmental,
social and OHS issues during the project life. Leading practice methods go beyond
regulatory requirements and aim to investigate high-risk aspects, quantify and
mitigate impacts, develop solutions and assess the success of control measures.
A risk-based approach is recommended to ensure that, regardless of the size of
a mining operation, site-specific monitoring programs incorporate appropriate
monitoring elements, parameters, frequencies and applicable performance criteria
on which to assess the monitoring data.
Baseline monitoring
Where it is possible to incorporate baseline monitoring (for example, with greenfield
projects and expansions to mines), such monitoring is a critical component of leading
practice monitoring programs. Baseline monitoring should commence at the prefeasibility
stage and include all relevant environmental, economic, and social issues
identified in risk planning.
In most cases, the baseline monitoring system will need to be permanent so that
repeat assessments can be made. This will provide essential data on several aspects
not necessarily related to impacts of the mining project, such as natural variability
over time and place, and pre-existing impacts due to previous mining projects, other
current mining projects or other causes. These data are essential for correctly
interpreting the results of monitoring programs that have been designed to assess
the extent of mining project–related impacts and recovery following control of the
impact or rehabilitation.
Hail Creek Mine is a large open-cut coking coal mining operation located in central
Queensland and operated by Rio Tinto Coal Australia (RTCA). Construction of the
mine commenced in December 2001 following extensive environmental baseline
studies. The baseline surface and groundwater quality monitoring program
developed prior to the commencement of mining operations allows RTCA to detect
potential changes due to impacts from mining, based on results from routine
water sampling programs, with additional monitoring completed during rainfall and
authorised discharge events.
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