Establishing effective mine closure criteria for river diversion channels
| Autor: | Andy Markham, Alissa Flatley |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Mine planning
Environmental Engineering River restoration 0208 environmental biotechnology 02 engineering and technology General Medicine 010501 environmental sciences Management Monitoring Policy and Law 01 natural sciences Natural (archaeology) Floods Mining 020801 environmental engineering Current (stream) Rivers Ecological planning Environmental science Closure (psychology) Hydrology Water resource management Waste Management and Disposal 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Communication channel Environmental Monitoring |
| Zdroj: | Journal of environmental management. 287 |
| ISSN: | 1095-8630 |
| Popis: | Rivers are frequently relocated into new artificial channels because of mining activity. Current mine closure criteria do not adequately address river diversion practices causing an absence of guidelines and management of river diversion channels post-mining. During mine operation, river diversion channels are designed to convey large floods with an emphasis on channel stability and effective flow conveyance. After mine closure, it is now important for river diversion channels to behave more like a natural river system and imitate the characteristics of surrounding watercourses. Developing adequate closure criteria for river diversion channels is both a geomorphic and river restoration challenge. River diversion channels frequently perform poorly by creating problems during mine operation and can cause subsequent long-term legacy issues. This paper identifies the geomorphic and environmental issues of defining and implementing mine closure criteria for river diversion channels and suggests ways to improve current practices. Significant difficulties include the competing objectives of short-term channel stability and the long-term inclusion of environmentally favourable natural features, the difficulties of adequate hydrological prediction, limited understanding of regionally appropriate river characteristics and competing objectives from varied stakeholders. Effective river diversion closure criteria should include extensive hydrological, geomorphic, and ecological planning with long-term guidelines established early in the mine planning process. Lastly, river diversion closure criteria should undergo continuous revision as our understanding of river restoration develops. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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