IMWA—International Mine Water Association

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979     

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA—International Mine Water Association founded in 1979     

IMWA–International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA–International Mine Water Associationfounded in 1979     

IMWA –International Mine Water Association founded in 1979

Membership Application Form

IMWA –International Mine Water Association founded in 1979     

Intelligent Mine Water Management Tools—eMetsi and Machine Learning GUI

Mine Water and the Environment - Digital technologies have helped ensure that mining-influenced water (MIW) is treated and managed effectively in water treatment plants. This paper presents two new...     

Hydrogeochemistry of the Getchell Underground Mine––Part 1: Mine Water Chemistry

The Getchell underground operations in Northern Nevada intersect groundwater associated with marble and hornfel lithologies and a sulfide bearing ore hosted within a 30-km long shear zone system. The deposit is classified as Carlin-type gold mineralization. A distinct feature of the mineralization is the high proportion of arsenic sulfides present in the ore and associated altered wallrock. This results in an intense arsenic enrichment, with some zones containing as much as 30% arsenic, and 0.5–2% arsenic throughout the mineralized envelope. Most of the groundwater in the area is well buffered by the calcareous host rocks and show a macrochemistry of Ca-Na-HCO₃. Along the shear zone and in zones within the hornfel host rock, the waters are less alkaline and more saline, and have a chemistry of Na-Mg-Ca-SO₄-HCO₃. This latter water type occurs in sulfide-bearing zones. Arsenic speciation analysis and theoretical predictions demonstrate that higher arsenic concentrations are associated with reducing conditions, with higher Na/Ca ratios, and with low concentrations of Fe. In these waters, As occurs as arsenite, along with trace concentrations of mono-methyl arsonic acid and di-methyl arsinic acid. Natural attenuation of As appears to occur along groundwater flow paths due to co-precipitation and adsorption onto hydrous ferric oxide particles. However, elevated As is still a notable feature of groundwater quality throughout the Kelly Creek basin. This elevated As occurs in bedrock groundwater during underground mine development, rather than in near-surface alluvium groundwater. Due to this and the protracted history of mining, it is not possible to define a true background value for water quality in the area other than acknowledging that bedrock groundwater is mineralized and has little association with seasonal recharge and water quality in the alluvium cover.     

In Situ Mine Water Treatment: Field Experiment at the Flooded Königstein Uranium Mine (Germany)

Within the WISMUT environmental remediation programme, the rehabilitation of the former uranium mine at Königstein is a very special case due to its use of underground leaching and its location near the Elbe River. The mine water is acidic, oxidizing, and polluted with uranium and other contaminants, and must be pumped to the surface and treated. In-situ water treatment approaches have been investigated to optimise further flooding and shorten the period of conventional water treatment. In 2010/2011, a field-scale experiment was carried out: about 120 t of alkalinity were successfully injected into the partially flooded mine. Tracer signals and geochemical reactions achieved general expectations. Based on the results, a site-specific technology concept was developed to flood the mine to its natural decant level.     

Mine Water Literature in ISI’s Science Citation Index Expanded™

Abstract.   Scientists in most countries are assessed by the number of papers published in journals that are cited in the Science Citation index. This article reviews the mine water related entries in the Science Citation Index Expanded and discusses the results. Mine water relevant literature is spread over more than 900 journals, with 13 of them accounting for 25% of all relevant papers. No journal focused on mine water relevant issues can be found in the Index.     

Dynamic Characteristics of Water Inflow from a Coal Mine’s Roof Aquifer

The static and dynamic inflow of water from the roof aquifer changes as mining progresses. We used a second-order dynamic model to describe the water inflow process. The parameters of the water inflow model were solved using actual drainage from roof aquifers at nine working faces in the Yuanyanghu mining area of the Ningxia Autonomous Region, China, as well as the peak water inflow values, their locations, the equilibrium values of water inflow, and their initial occurrence locations. The parameters of the second-order dynamic model of water inflow were inversely calculated. The peak values of water inflow without drainage were also calculated. The results indicate that pre-drainage of roof water significantly weakens the intensity of water inflow during the mining process, reducing peak values by more than 72%. The characteristics of the water-conducting fractured zones determine the major drainage locations, while the water-rich and water-conductive nature of the direct discharge aquifer affects the water inflow equilibrium values and initial occurrence positions. The results show that the model parameters and characteristic values of water inflow are determined by the hydrogeological nature of the roof strata, water-conducting fractured zone(s), and mining speed.

     

A Review of Mine Water Rebound Predictions from the VSS–NET Model

Mine water rebound predictions made in the late 1990s and early 2000s were critically reviewed in light of subsequent monitoring data and available literature. The VSS–NET physically-based groundwater model simulates the rebound process by representing both laminar and turbulent flow; the latter is observed in mined out voids, including shafts, adits, and underground roadways. We found good agreement between modelled and predicted rebound rates at a coal mine (Whittle Colliery) in NE England. The rebound from an abandoned tin mine in Cornwall, England (South Crofty), which closed in 1998, took place more rapidly than initially predicted by the VSS–NET model; however, by back-fitting the storage coefficient, the observed rate was matched by the model. In a third case study from a coal mine in South Wales, we managed to reproduce the flow rate from an adit reasonably closely following rebound. However, at a fourth site, a better fit to the rebound curve was obtained using a simpler, lumped model. These studies show the value of using models to predict rebound and discharge from flooded mines, which is important since these mines can produce a long-term legacy of pollution and can cause serious environmental impacts downstream.