HydrogeologyIforMINE8760

SchoolofMiningEngineering

Dr WendyTimms w.timms@unsw.edu.au https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/drwendytimms April2012

Overview HydrogeologyI
Watercycle&surfacehydrology waterbalancecomponents,waterusers 2. Subsurfacewater(hydrogeology) porosity,vadose zone,aquifer,aquitard,aquicludes specificyield,storativity 3. Excess&shortagesofminewater classesofwater,sitewateraccounting 4.Waterquality salinity,acidity(AMD),metals,organics,microbiological biologicalmonitoringofwatersreceivingdischarge wastecontainment&closure 5.Basicmonitoring 6. Casestudies nosignificantimpact&significantimpact 7. Casestudy GympieEldoradoGoldMine 1.

SuggestedReadings:
Hair,I,2003.Groundwaterissuesintheminingindustry.AusIMM WaterinMining Conference,Brisbane,1315October2003. Hebblewhite,2009.Outcomesoftheindependentinquiryintoimpactsof undergroundcoalminingonnaturalfeaturesintheSouthernCoalfield An overview.UndergroundCoalOperatorsConference,UniversityofWollongong.

Textbook

(ifyouwantmoredetail!)

Domenico andSchwartz,1998.Physicalandchemicalhydrogeology.2nd Edition,New York:Wiley

Sourcesforthispresentation
Mainsources: www.nwc.gov.au UNSW www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au SCCGGroundwaterManagementHandbook http://www.sydneycoastalcouncils.com.au/node/71

1.Thewatercycle
95% of global unfrozen fresh water is groundwater

Factsheet GroundwaterMyths https://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/re sources/fact/groundwater_myths.html

1.Thewatercycle
Groundwaterisanintegralpartofthewatercycleorhydrologicalcycle Groundwatermovesveryslowly 150m/yearthroughtheBotanysandaquifer,and<1mper yearthroughsandstone.

1.Waterusebyminingincontext

95%ofglobalunfrozenfreshwaterisgroundwater 21%ofAustraliaswateruseisgroundwater 2%Australianwaterusebymining 67%ofAustralianwaterusebyagriculture 21%ofagriculturalwaterisgroundwater 15%ofagriculturalwaterusebycotton

1.Waterusevs.productivity
CSIRO&UniversityofSydney,2005 http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Environment/PopulationSustainability/BalancingAct.aspx
10000

1000

Litresvs.%GNE/GNT logscale

100

10

direct per % GNE/GNT

1.Wateruse detailsformining&CSG
25

Butyoucanteatmoney (orrocks) andyoucantcookwithout energy (orminerals)

Litres vs. % GNE/GNT linear scale

20

15 direct per % GNE/GNT total per % GNE/GNT 10

1.WateruseinNSWmineralsindustry
WateruseintheNSWmineralsindustry: http://www.nswmin.com.au/PolicyandAdvocacy/Environment/Water/Water/default.aspx Watersources Watermanagement Regulationofwateruse Waterdischarges Effectsofminingonwaterresources

CaseStudy SpringvaleCoal Delta ElectricityWaterTransferScheme CaseStudy Northparkes Mine:Rio TintoFloatingModule reduce evaporativelosses

3.Minewater leadingpractice
Rapidchangesandadditions! AustralianGovernmentinformationformining: http://www.ret.gov.au/resources/resources_programs/lps dpmining/pages/default.aspx Aguidetoleadingpracticesustainabledevelopingin mining (Laurence,2011 UNSWMiningEngineering&ACSMP) http://www.ret.gov.au/resources/Documents/LPSDP/guid eLPSD.pdf Leadingpracticesfortheminingindustry water management(Gibsonetal2008) http://www.ret.gov.au/resources/Documents/LPSDP/LPSD PWaterHandbook.pdf

3.Minewater potentialimpacts
Rapidchangesandadditions! NSWGovernment draftguidelinesforAquifer Interference(March,2012) http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/Watermanagement/Law andpolicy/Legalreform/Legalreform NationalWaterCommission: Potentiallocal&cumulativeimpactsofminingon groundwaterresources (SKM20102011seriesofreports) http://nwc.gov.au/rnws/groundwaterprojects/strategic aquifercharacterisationtoquantifysustainable yields/potentiallocalandcumulativeimpactsofmining ongroundwaterresources

1.Energycostsforwatersupply
NeedtoconsiderfullLCA(lifecycleassessment)includingcostsofinvestigation,capital, operatingexpensesanddesignlife.
Location Sydney Water supply Deep groundwater (fractured sandstone, 60 m head, 25 ML/day) Shallow groundwater (sand aquifer) Desalination Shoalhaven transfers Recycling purified wastewater Deep storage in Warragamba dam Stormwater harvesting Orange County, US Desalination Colorado River transfers Managed aquifer recharge system
* For ~125 ML/day plant Sources: Sydney water website, Greg Leslie UNSW (2005), WRL data

kWh per kilolitre ~0.4 <0.1 4.9* 1.9 1.0 <0.14 ? 3.5 4.0 1.8 1.2

2.Waterbelowtheground
Groundwaterisfoundinpores,cracksandcrevicesunderground Groundwaterisinthesaturatedzoneofthesubsurface

Vadose water Soilwater Unsaturatedzone Watertable Capillaryzone Saturatedzone

2.Waterstoredinporousspaces

Relationship between Porosity and Specific Yield Material Gravel Sand Silt Clay Sandstone Limestone, Dolomite Porosity (%) 25 - 40 25 - 50 35 - 50 40 - 70 5 - 30 0 - 20 Specific Yield (%) 15 35 20 45 <5 <1 5 15 57 Volume (L) in 1 m of aquifer 150 - 350 200 450 < 50 < 10 50 150 50 - 70

2.Terminology
Aquifer saturatedsedimentsorrockfromwhichgroundwatercanbeextracted Aquitard saturatedsedimentorrockoflowpermeabilitywhichwatercanflowslowly Aquiclude impermeablesedimentorrockthroughwhichwatercannotflow Artesian borewithapressuresurfaceabovethegroundallowingwatertoflowwithoutpumping

2.TypesofAquifers

Unconfinedaquifer Watertabledefinesboundary betweenunsaturatedand saturatedzoneatwhichpressure isatmospheric Confinedaquifer Groundwaterrisesinaboreabove thetopoftheaquiferasa pressureorpotentiometriclevel Perchedaquifers

Source: SCCG Groundwater Handbook

$Valueofgroundwaterstorage

1 km2 30 m Aquifer thickness

5m Water-table range

30% porosity

Dynamic volume = 1500 ML per km2

~$2 million per km2 @ $1.25 /KL

+ Environmental Values for Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems + Social Values such as amenity of Centennial Park

3.Excesses&shortagesofminewater
Typesofwateratminesites Runoffwater,groundwater,environmentalwaters(receptorsfordischarge) Supplywaterfitforuse drinking,washing,operations Processwater,wastewater possiblyrequirestreatment Recycledwater treatedfitforpurpose agrowthopportunity! Entrainedwater inproductandwaste(virtualwater) Waterisoftenacriticalfactorforminingproductivity Delaysduetoexcessofwater dewateringnoteffectiveorfloodingofpit Shortageofwaterforprocessing,dustsuppressionetc. Eg.Rangermine,NT,productionstoppedformonthsduetofloodingofpitduring Cycloneandyearsofaboveaveragerainfall,significanteconomicimpact. Eg.$100millionperdayoflostproductioninQLDcoalmineswith20112012floods

Sourcesofcontaminatedwateronminesites
Pitandundergrounddewatering Processwaterstorage Seepageoroverflow Pits

Monitoringwastewateratminesites

Physio-chemical monitoring Use of on site & laboratory water testing selected parameters Identification of specific tracers Identify presence of toxic species

Biological monitoring Use of aquatic fauna assemblages Toxicity testing of effluent Bioaccumulation of contaminants Such tests give a more realistic assessment of the effects of waste water on aquatic biota

To establish water quality criteria for protection of aquatic ecosystems need to measure a wide range of parameters initially

Factorsassociatedwithbestpracticeprinciples Methodsofwaterrelease
Undertake stream gauging and measure flow Collect rainfall and evaporation data Make precise catchment delineation Understand other sources of water eg ground water Catchment runoff coefficients Such data needed to quantify loads of constituents and apply water management procedures

Factorsassociatedwithbestpracticeprinciples Waterdischargecriteria(ANZECC2000)
Following commencement of mining: Go through ANZECC process and determine environmental values Determine suitable sampling sites Acquire baseline data http://www.environment.gov.au/water/policy -programs/nwqms/ Characterise waste water (ICP MS scan) Undertake detailed catchment modelling Undertake pre-release toxicity testing Undertake aquatic assemblages survey Undertake bio-accumulation studies with organisms

3.Minesitewateraccounting
Inventoryofwaterstorageandflowsinallpartsofoperations Wateraccountingrequiredfor: efficientoperation riskmanagement regulatoryapprovals communityrelations Softwarepackagesavailable GOLDSIMTM,OPSIMTM Newwateraccountingtoolsavailableonweb: WaterMiner,WaterValueTool,CumulativeImpactsAssessmentTool https://www.cwimi.uq.edu.au/OurResearch/Tools.aspx

4.Waterquality&mining
Classificationofwaterquality(commonminewaterissuesinred) Grosspollutantseg.Leaves,cigarettebutts Suspendedmattereg.turbidity,TSS pH acidityoralkalinity Temperature Salts eg.Sodium,sulphate,chloride oftenasignificantissueinAustralia Metals eg.Arsenic,lead Organicseg.Polycyclichydrocarbons(PAH),BTEX Dissolvedgases Microbiologicaleg.E.Coli Leadingpracticeguidelineformanagingaciddrainage(2007) http://www.ret.gov.au/resources/Documents/LPSDP/LPSDPAcidHandbook.pdf

5.Basicgroundwatermonitoring
Factsheetonbasicmonitoring https://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/resources/fact/diy_monitoring.html Groundwaterlevel automatedpressureloggers Groundwaterquality rangeofparameters Groundwateruse flowgauge Monitoringboredesign&installation Whatsampling&monitoringequipmentisneeded? Howoftentomonitor? Groundwatersampling&analysis afieldguide (GeoscienceAustralia,Sundarametal,2009) http://www.ga.gov.au/image_cache/GA15501.pdf

5.Basicgroundwatermonitoring
Factsheet on basic monitoring https://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/resources/fact/diy_monitoring.html

Monitoring bore (or piezometer)

Pumping bore

Watermonitoringaroundaminesite

Surfacesites Targetsmultipleaquifersat variousdepths

Controlsites up&downhydraulicgradientbeyondimpactofmine Sitesbetweenmineandsensitiveareas(eg.wetlands) Longtermbaselinesitesvs.replacesitesthatarelostduringproduction

Sitewatermanagement

6.Casestudies nosignificantwaterimpact?
Veryfewreportedcases why?Whatisnotsignificant? BrokenHillmines,Kalgoorliemines muchofAustraliaswealth GunnedahPrestoncoalmines u/g&openpitfromfarmersdiscoveryin1895until1998 whenreservesexhausted LakeMunmorahcoalmine miningunderlargewaterbody Potashmining,Canada deepundergroundminingalongsidewheatcropping Diavik diamondmine,northernCanada cutoffwallswithin~12mdeeplake

6.Casestudies significantwaterrisks
Reportedcasesareapparentlyincreasing why? Whatissignificant?

LongwallcoalmininginSydneyBasin Impactsoncreeks&groundwaterisagrowingconcern NSWPlanningAssessmentCommissionreports Bulliseam,SouthernCoalfields,Wyong SCS,2007.Literaturereviewlongwall mining TEC,2007.Impactsofcoalminingontheenvironment Mills,2008.MineSubsidenceTechnologicalSociety,UniversityofWollongong Reading Hebblewhite,2009,AusIMM Coaloperatorsconference

Casestudies significantwaterrisks
Reportedcasesareapparentlyincreasing why? Whatissignificant?

RumJungleuraniumminerehabilitation,NT Mined19531963,rehabilitation19821986:$18.1million,2009:$8.3millioncommitted AciddischargewithCu,Pb,Ni,U,exceedcurrentguidelines,increasingleakageofcaps. EnvironmentalPollution,158(2010)12521260 Lusi mudvolcano,Indonesia Explorationboredrillingin2006,anearthquakeandmudvolcanoerupting200maway,stillflowing in2011,buryingvillagesandfields.Causesandliabilityareunresolved,poordrillingpracticesappear tohavesignificantlyincreasedrisks MarineandPetroleumGeology27(2010)16511657&16581675 Mineclosurebeforereservesexhausted 3%mineclosuresduetoflooding/wetweather 6%ofprematuremineclosuresduetoenvironmentalissues Reading Laurence,D.JournalofCleanerProduction19(2011)278284

Thankyou

Youarewelcometoemailqueries,caseexamplesandfeedbackto w.timms@unsw.edu.au

CaseStudy GympieEldoradogoldmine
GympieEldoradoGoldMineanundergroundmineandmill NearbyGympie21000peoplemixedeconomy,rangeofnonminingactivities Miningencountersgroundwaterwith0.9MLpumpedtoMaryRiver INCOprocessdestroyscyanidebeforepumpingtostorage

ExcessWaterAccumulation
Gympieexperiencedwetweatherfor2yearsfromAugust1998 MidFeb1999equalrecordfloodadded259MLtotailingsdam(capacity450ML) ApproachtoMinisterforMines7April1999whorequestedscientificstudies,close consultationwithstakeholdersandothergroupstodevisecontrolleddischargeplan

ApproachTaken
Draftplandevisedbyauthors CompanysoughttooperatewithinthenewANZECC(2000)guidelines Arsenic,cyanide,mercuryandotherheavymetalswellwithinANZECC1992 guidelines ConsultationwithcommunitygroupsJulySept1999gavefeedback FinalplanapprovedSept1999for350MLover9monthperiodcommencing October1999

Concentration (g/L) of antimony upstream, at the point of discharge and downstream.

180 160 140 120 100 80 ANZECC GUIDELINE FOR ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION = 30 ug/L 60 40 20 0.12 0 17.73 2.09 0.31 157

100m upstream

Pipeline

0m downstream Water source

10m downstream 50m downstream

StudiesPriortoRelease
Pre release testing of waters Laboratory studies using 2 crustacean species Daphnia carinata Paratya australiensis Bioassay data supported a dilution of 1:20 causing no adverse effects Comprehensive identification of contaminants Antimony a limiting constituent Nitrate may be limiting Proposed a safe dilution of 1:20

Studiesundertakenduringrelease Commencementofrelease
Release water was pre-mixed tailings and mine dewatering 2:1 Quality monitoring of results In stream validation 2 tests applied Laboratory bioassay with Paratya In situ bioassay Characteristics of discharge Conductivity profile Chemical analysis of test and discharge water

Summary General features of discharge Significance of controlling physico-chemical variables Significance of bioassay and in stream validation

Conductivity measured upstream and downstream of discharge point. Positive values are upstream and negative values are downstream from discharge.
1200

1072 Conductivity (us/sec)

1000

800

600

435
400

380

312

309

312

336

319

313

316

314

349

200

+100

+30

+15

+10

-5

-10

-20

-50

-100

-500 -1000

Distance in meters (not to scale)

Concentration of gold upstream, at the point of discharge and downstream

4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0

3.29

gold (ug/L)

0.29 0.04 0

100m upstream

Pipeline

0m downstream 10m downstream 50m downstream water source