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Measures and management challenges

Measures to reduce pressures from mining activities for surface waters include re-use or recycling of excess water, diversion of run-off systems, or the use of reagents or chemicals with a low environmental impact, drainage systems, removal of suspended solids or liquid particles, or removal of dissolved substances by e.g. adsorption or nanofiltration. For groundwater, physical barriers, drainage systems techniques, or covering techniques are listed as effective measures to protect aquatic ecosystems (EU, 2018). These measures are part of the BAT (best available techniques) for the management of waste from extractive industries, which need to be implemented in EU Member States targeted by the Extractive Waste Directive (EWD) (2006/21/EC). According to Article 5 of the EWD, operators have to submit an extractive waste management plan (EWMP) as part of their permit applications.

After closure of mines, restoration is foreseen to rehabilitate impacts of former activities to soil and water. Many countries have national plans, like the rehabilitation for the Avoka river in Ireland ([5]) or  the Landscape Evaluation Tool for Open Pit Mine Design in Greece (Mavrommatis, and Menegaki, 2017). In Saxony, Germany, numerous post-mining lakes were created as part of the brown coal refurbishment. Most of these lakes are already being used for tourism purposes ([6]).  

Current mining activities are strongly regulated by Member States under National Laws. In most countries, Water Acts and Water Laws include protection of waters from mining activities. Additional legislations and regulations are implemented for the protection of groundwater, e.g. decree on activities that affect the quality of groundwater in Hungary or the Groundwater Exploration Act in Sweden (Endl, and Berger, 2016). The legislative instruments on international and national level regulating the current mining sector should ensure that the objectives of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC) are achieved (WRc, 2012).

Measures under the WFD also aim at reducing water abstraction related to mining which is commonly used to control quantitative impacts from quarrying activities but could also be of use for deep mining (underground mining). Measures controlling substances are specific to individual substances, diffuse pollution or point source pollution. For example, to reduce diffuse discharge from saline waters into groundwater, K&S company in Germany covers the salt tailing piles and uses chemical transformation processes to treat the waste water. It is estimated, that this will reduce the proportion of saline wastewater by 20 % ([7]).

Data on implemented measures under the WFD and under the EWD are rare. In the context of the WFD, information on mining is part of different reporting obligations, e.g. WFD emissions inventory, pressures characterisation of water bodies or the failing of Environmental Quality Standards for e.g. heavy metals caused by mining activities for chemical (priority substances) or ecological status assessment (river basin specific pollutants). If mining activities cause significant pressures putting at risk the achievement of WFD objectives for surface water or groundwater, measures need to be included in the RBMPs. In the context of the EWD, mining operators have to draw up an extractive management plan (EWMP) as part of permit applications. Among other issues, EMWPs should cover the monitoring of surface and groundwater quantity and quality and the management of excavated material as well as mining waste (EC 2019f). Due to the relevance of both Directives to the assessment and management of water risks due to mining, a more synergistic way of gathering information and developing management strategies and measures for mining activities would be beneficial. 

[1] Source: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/mining-and-water-quality?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects; 14.05.2019

([2]) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/02/fracking-banned-in-uk-as-government-makes-major-u-turn

([3]) Source: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/oil-gas-and-coal/shale-gas_en

([4]) Source:  https://www.academia.edu/4412537/Poster_of_Analyses_of_Estonian_oil_shale_resources

([5]) Source: http://www.mineralsireland.ie/MiningAndTheEnvironment/Rehabilitation.htm

([6]) Source: https://www.bergbau.sachsen.de/8193.html

([7]) Source: https://www.kpluss.com/en-us/sustainability/environment/water/


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