Environmental impact of tailing dams pdf

As can be deduced by definition, the lca is a tool that can be used to evaluate the environmental loads associated with a product, taking into account its full cycle. The design, construction, and operation of tailings dams is a major consideration for most new mining projects, as well as for many existing operations vick, 1984 it is economically advantageous to site the impoundment close to the mine, but this imposes. The guidebook for evaluating mining project eias reflects many years of experience evaluating the environmental impact assessments eias for proposed mining projects around the world. The breach of the fundao dam at the samarco mine in 2015 killed 19 people and was declared the worst environmental disaster in brazils history. Investigation of environmental impacts of tailings dams.

The impacts of tailings dam failures on biodiversity can be both immediate and long term figure 17. An extensive 2001 study pdf by the international commission of large dams and the united nations environmental programme found that, on. Assigning low priority to the safety of tmfs has been shown to be a seriously flawed approach, as neglect of tailings dams has often been shown to be a major or significant contributing factor to the poor international record of tailings dam failures and incidents. Extraction of the targeted resource results in the concurrent production of a significant volume of waste material, including tailings, which are mixtures of crushed rock and processing fluids from mills, washeries or concentrators that remain after the extraction of economic metals, minerals, mineral fuels or coal.

The construction of large dams completely change the relationship of water and land, destroying the existing ecosystem balance, which in many cases, has taken thousands of years to create. The impact of mining on the environment in gwanda district zimbabwe. The pollution from the waste rock dumps and the tailings needs to be contained and the sites rehabilitated. The environmental impact of seepage from gold mine tailings. One column had a tailings layer placed on top of soil and tailings to model the effects of a dam failure on a contaminated floodplain. The environmental impact of seepage from gold mine tailings dams near johannesburg, south africa submitted inpartialfulfilment oftherequirements forthedegree facultyof naturalandagricultural sciences. The operational phase of a dam is dynamic and is likely to include expansion of the dam, raising of the dam height andor addi tion of dams.

What differs tailing dam accidents and other anthropogenic sources of metals is the. Aug 01, 2002 it is now necessary to design and build tailings dams to store these waste materials for the modern mining industry. The consequences of tailings dam failures can be catastrophic for communities and ecosystems in the vicinity of the dams. Environmental impact assessment of dams and reservoirs.

Stability concerns are raised in part by the use of tailings material in tailings dams embankments. Human health and environmental damages from mining and. The leader of the tasmanian wilderness society, dr bob brown, later became a member of the tasmanian parliament, an australian senator and the parliamentary leader of the australian greens political party. The dangers of tailing dams on the planet clean mining. Tailings often contain hazardous substances that can contaminate food chains, drinking water and the environment. This is an internationally recognised standard that will ensure we reduce our negative impact upon the environment. Vale declined a request for comment, referring instead to its press releases. Today environmental impact assessment eia is known as one of the most important tools for decision makers in the construction of civil and industrial projects towards sustainable development. Request pdf the environmental impact of cavnicului valley tailing dams in the maramures county, cavnicului valley there exist three tailing ponds belonging to the cavnic mining company from c. Towards better environmental management and sustainable exploitation of mineral resources joanna lindahl. Coal ash, while not a type of tailing, is a coal burning byproduct stored the same way, and carrying similar environmental risks.

Tailings dams rank among the largest engineered structures on earth. In this paper, the tailings dams and their possible environmental impacts are investigated by considering the design parameters, the possible dam failures and the stabilisation of the waste materials. Integrated tailing dams management in baia mare area, romania. Sep 06, 2017 the tailing slurry changed drastically the doce river watershed and caused several environmental services come to a halt. Lower water quality leads to increased water treatment costs.

Tailings dam construction design of slime is likely to slide and cause the dam to break away. Currently there are around 40,000 large dams which abstract the worlds rivers, completing changing their circulation system this is not going to occur without dire. The syncrude mildred lake tailings dyke in alberta, canada, is an embankment dam about 18 kilometres 11 mi long and from 40 to 88 metres 1 to 289 ft high. Below, we will take an indepth look into the generic impacts of hydroelectric dams. Tailings dams are some of the largest manmade structures in the world. Page 2 compiling existing damage cases epa has conducted previous studies identifying human health and environmental damages caused by mining and mineral processing waste management activities. The word tailings is generic as it describes the byproduct of several extractive. The risks posed by tailings dams to the population.

The impacts of the samarco iron tailing spill along more than 650 km, between the dam and the plume of the doce river in the atlantic, were assessed by the determination of. By the end of the experiment, the ph of the pore waters in this column had fallen from c. The environmental impacts of one of the largest tailing dam. Dams are indeed a modern marvel of human engineering and innovation.

Tailing disposal methods and tailings dam construction design. Commonly built across a river to store irrigation water and to produce electricity through hydropower, dams have proven to be very useful to humanity. During the beneficiation of valuable metals and industrial minerals. Authorities, tailings management facility operators and the public are invited to apply these guidelines and good practices, which are intended to contribute to limiting the number of accidents at tailings management facilities and the. Tailings dams are designed and operated differently to conventional dams. There is a based assumption that, one of the important factors of environmental pollution, is a pollution caused from earthquake impact on tailing dam stability, i. Dec 19, 2017 tailings dams continue to be environmental hazards long after mine closures. Characteristics, failure, environmental impacts, and remediation. Water storage, transport, and distribution environmental impact assessment of dams and reservoirs kyohei baba and toshio hirose encyclopedia of life support systems eolss bibliography icold 1980, bulletin 35 dams and the environment. Pdf the impact of mining on the environment in gwanda. Tailing dams risk analysis and managment pavel danihelka eva cervenanova content. What is the environmental impact of dams and reservoirs.

Safety guidelines and good practices for tailings management. Once the likely characteristics of the tailings are determined from mineralogical examinations and pilot plant tests, the necessary design requirements can be identified to mitigate liability and impact. To test the decision tree and to understand the impact of a tailings dam failure a 3d model for. By using these guidelines, governments and industry are fostering the protection of the environment and human welfare in our region. Icold 1985, bulletin 50, dams and environment notes and regional influences. Jan 07, 2015 the environmental impacts of hydroelectric dams vary greatly depending on the size and location of the facility and therefore assessment of the impacts should be carried out on a casebycase basis. Jan 29, 2019 tailings dams are structures that hold mining waste, which, for environmental reasons, must be properly stored. Tailings are distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material that overlies an ore or mineral body and is displaced during mining without being processed. Geoseismic environmental aspects affecting tailings dams. Priyadarshana encyclopedia of life support systems eolss 4. The failure of a number of waste dumps and tailings dams over the last decade has directed public attention to the potential hazard and severe environmental and safety impact created by mine tailings disposal, and has brought concerns on the need for more appropriate design, construction and management of tailings impoundments. As the mining activities enlarge, the amount of waste materials readily increases. The environmental impacts of one of the largest tailing. The environmental impacts of one of the largest tailing dam failures.

This article deals with the results of a survey carried out in sardinia on both active and abandoned tailings dams, and we also discuss the geological impact of tailings dams of two mines. Photo courtesy of csiro scienceimage licensed under cc byncnd 4. The procedure usually adopted in such cases is to separate the tailing into coarse sand and fines in a classifier, and to use the coarse product to build up the wall. Environmental problems caused by dams your article library. The environmental impact of cavnicului valley tailing dams.

The chief waste stream is tailings, which are often stored in impoundments behind dams, which can fail, with ensuing environmental, human health and economic impacts. Investigation of environmental impacts of tailings dams request pdf. It is now necessary to design and build tailings dams to store these waste materials for the modern mining industry. This paper presents an analysis of the tailing ponds from a physical and chemical stability point of view. Environmental impacts of mining can occur at local, regional, and global scales through direct and indirect mining practices. The environmental impact of seepage from gold mine. Most adverse social and environmental impacts of dams were, till. Find out more about the environmental impact of building dams. The estimated numbers of hydropower dams that are high consequence dams according to ridas2 are about 100.

Appendix f1 tailings storage facility design report. Tailings are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore. Article pdf available in environmental engineering and management journal 10. The tailing slurry changed drastically the doce river watershed and caused several environmental services come to a halt. For the proper operation and maintenance of a dam, see an owners guidance manual for the inspection and maintenance of dams in new york. Geological impact of some tailings dams in sardinia, italy.

Proceedings of the first international conference on multiple objective decision support systems modss for land, water and environmental management. Extraction of the targeted resource results in the concurrent production of a significant volume of waste material, including tailings, which are mixtures of crushed rock and processing fluids from mills, washeries or concentrators that remain after the extraction of economic metals, minerals. It is the largest dam structure on earth by volume, and as of 2001 it was believed to be the largest earth structure. Apr 25, 2017 while impact assessment tests are conducted around an area before the building of a dam, most of the environmental impacts caused by dams and reservoirs can only be manifested in the longterm. Each of these types of impacts of dams can be inevitable in their entirety, reducible or totally avoidable. Almost three hundred tailings dam failures have been reported in the last hundred years. Bhp has applied to expand the olympic dam mine in sa, but with the recent failure of tailings dams, caution must be taken, writes dave sweeney.

Olympic dam expansion project tailings storage facility design report p 7 of 105 1 introduction 1. Figure 1 decision tree to assess the loss scenarios for failures of tailing dams. Timothy butcher environmental site assessment 10272008 throughout the past few years, the negative impacts of dams have become so well known that most countries have stopped building them altogether and are now forced to invest their money into fixing the problems created by existing dams. Assessment of the environmental impact of tailings in the. Generally it refers to one or more colocated tailings dams 2. Failures are usually caused by extreme events precipitation. Impacts of tailings dam failures on biodiversity and. In the maramures county, cavnicului valley there exist three tailing ponds belonging to the cavnic mining company from c.

Environmental and safety incidents concerning tailings dams at. Tailings dams are structures that hold mining waste, which, for environmental reasons, must be properly stored. Depending on who you talk to, tailing dams are considered an engineering marvel and mining necessity, while others declare them as an unnecessary hazard and major environment threat. Stability of tailings dams, focus on water cover closure diva portal. The closure phase of a dam can o ften exceed the operational phase of the dam. Aug 01, 2002 investigation of environmental impacts of tailings dams as the mining activities enlarge, the amount of waste materials readily increases. Tailings are distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material that overlies an ore or mineral body and is displaced during mining without being processed the extraction of minerals from ore can be done two ways. During this work unep and dha became aware that environmental impacts from tailings dams occur more frequently than is sometimes thought, and that the. The failure of the samarco tailing dam was preceded by a smallmagnitude seismic sequence within the mine area, around the time of the collapse 55. Designing safe and stable tailings dam structures with. Stability concerns are raised in part by the use of tailings material in tailings damsembankments.

Environmental impacts of dams can be both adverse and beneficial. Request pdf investigation of environmental impacts of tailings dams mining has been one of the key sectors for industrialisation of the world for centuries. Download limit exceeded you have exceeded your daily download allowance. Dams have had such an impact on the world that more than half of the worlds major rivers had dams constructed on them by the end of the 20th century 1. Characteristics, failure, environmental impacts, and remediation article pdf available in applied geochemistry 51 december 2014 with 10,578 reads how we measure reads.

Design and evaluation of tailings dams 2 more recently, concerns have been raised about the stability and environmental performance of tailings dams and impoundments. Impacts can result in erosion, sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, or the contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by the chemicals emitted from mining processes. On a global scale demand for the products of the extractive industries is ever increasing. Storage of waste materials or tailings disposal has become a serious matter for the mining industry due to its enlargement especially for the last 30 years. The environmental impacts of tailing ponds generally result from their low ph, low organic matter, scarce or nil vegetation and large amounts of potentially toxic elements ptes acosta et al. The impacts of the samarco iron tailing spill along more than 650 km, between the dam and the plume of the doce river in the atlantic, were assessed by the determination of toxic metals. Design and evaluation of tailings dams epa web archive. Operation, supervision and maintenance manual for each tailings. A tailings storage facility, is not yet a formally defined term. The conclusion is that the tailing ponds of vranicioara and plopisrachitele constitute. Mine tailings dam failures major cause of environmental.

A case study of blanket mine 1maligana mathe and 2anthony phiri 1,2 zimbabwe open university, faculty of. These safety guidelines and good practices for tailings management facilities promote good practices that will help avoid accidents at such facilities and minimize the effects of any accidents that should still occur. However, it also builds on a study by my predecessor. Implications of earthquakes on the stability of tailings dams tobias rudolph, wilhelm g. These processes also have an impact on the atmosphere from the emissions of carbon which have.

Four of these documents were used as the basis for preparing damage cases for this document. However, scientific studies have highlighted a few of these environmental concerns. Aug 10, 2018 this method cuts down on dust problems, and at least in theory, the impoundments are engineered to let excess water flow out without leaking tailings. Mining has been one of the key sectors for industrialisation of the world for centuries. Environmental impact assessment eia of a gold mine tailing through the multicriteria decision making tool article pdf available december 2018 with 534 reads how we measure reads. Brazils deadly dam disaster in brumadinho was preventable. Consequently, there is a need to improve environmental practices in the operation of both existing and new dams. Tailings are mixtures of crushed rock and processing fluids from mills, washeries or concentrators that remain after the extraction of economic metals, minerals, mineral fuels or coal from the mine resource e. Pdf integrated tailing dams management in baia mare area. Pdf environmental impact assessment eia of a gold mine. This method cuts down on dust problems, and at least in theory, the impoundments are engineered to let excess water flow out without leaking tailings. This year dams are on target to be become en iso 14001.

A summary of potential impacts of tailings dam failures on biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. There are an estimated 3,500 active tailings dams currently in existence globally and some of these dams represent the largest engineered structures on the planet. Implications of earthquakes on the stability of tailings dams. Dams have intended and unintended impacts, though positive impacts can be both intended and unintended. Examples of historical accidents introduction to risk theory risk analysis principles basics of application of risk analysis to tailing dams safety conclusion examples of historical accidents at least 221 serious tailing dams accidents reported by unep. The incident has caused significant legal and financial repercussions to the company. In total, more than 10 000 hectares in the copperbelt is covered with mineral waste and. About 43 million m 3 of tailings 80% of the total contained volume were unleashed, generating mud waves 10 m high, killing 19 people and causing irreversible environmental damage to hundreds of watercourses in the basin of the doce river and. Canadian dam association dam safety guidelines 2007 20 edition.