Mine Pit Lakes: Characteristics, Predictive Modeling, and SustainabilityDevin N. Castendyk, L. Edmond Eary Water quality of pit lakes is one of the most critical environmental issues facing the global mining industry. As ore grades decrease and operators strive to improve efficiency, the number of active pit mines will continue to outpace their underground counterparts in the years ahead. How will these water resources be protected for future generations while the mining industry continues to meet society's growing demands for raw materials? The key to solving this dilemma is accurately predicting the water quality in advance of open pit mining. That's the purpose of Mine Pit Lakes. The third in a series of six handbooks by the Acid Drainage Technology Initiative-Metal Mining Sector (ADTI-MMS), this volume includes the latest thinking from dozens of internationally respected experts from Canada, Germany, Australia, and the United States. You'll learn both the theory and science of predicting pit lake water quality and get insights into the best practices of pit lake management. This book is an indispensable resource for mining professionals and environmental regulators who are considering new open pit mines or are developing monitoring programs or closure strategies for existing ones. |
Common terms and phrases
acid mine drainage Acid Rock Drainage alkalinity Australia bacteria Berkeley pit Berkeley pit lake biological bioremediation Boehrer Castendyk Chapter chemical chemocline closure coal concentrations conceptual model Conference on Acid contaminants density depth dissolved DYRESM Environ environmental epilimnion evaporation existing pit lakes Exploration Fe3+ Figure flow future pit lake Gammons geochemical geochemical models geochemistry groundwater groundwater inflow holomictic hydrologic hypolimnion impact inputs lake surface lake water quality layer limnology meromictic meromixis Metallurgy metals mg/L microbial minerals monimolimnion monitoring Montana Nevada numerical nutrients open pit mines organic carbon outflow oxidation oxygen parameters pit backfill pit lake model pit lake predictive pit lake water pit walls potential precipitation predictive models processes pycnocline pyrite pyrite oxidation rates reactions Reclamation redox runoff salinity samples sediment Society for Mining stratification sulfate reduction sulfide surface area surface water temperature tion treatment vertical wall rocks water balance water column Western Australia zone