Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 21.6
Flowchart to Develop Completion
Criteria
INPUT FROM
PROCESS STAGE
FEEDBACK LOOP
Company, government,
stakeholders, data on
spoil characteristics etc.
Set long-term
rehabilitation
Source:
Nichols 2006
Develop draft completion criteria
Implement cost effective best
practice rehabilitation procedures
Continuous
improvement feedback
Conduct monitoring
Take into account :
Monitoring research
stakeholder views
Refine completion criteria
No
Suitable for formal
completion criteria?
Ye s
Adopt formal completion criteria
Incorporate into mine
operations plan
In some cases, the attainment of
one or more specifi c acceptance
criteria, represents a regulatory
milestone.
that the succession processes are underway, that will lead to a sustainable ecosystem. In
some cases, the attainment of one or more specii c acceptance criteria, represents a regula-
tory milestone, usually signalling the conclusion of the maintenance period for rehabili-
tation and/or the time for transfer of ownership. Acceptance criteria should be objective,
readily measured and reproducible. Because of the inherent variability in any natural sys-
tem, statistical acceptance measures are preferred to absolute (pass or fail) criteria. Stages
involved in developing acceptance or completion criteria are shown on
Figure 21.6
.
The selection of acceptance criteria warrants careful consideration as criteria that are
inappropriate or insufi cient may mean that the i nal rehabilitation does not achieve its
objective(s). On the other hand, overly onerous acceptance criteria may be impossible to
achieve, even if the overall objectives are achieved.
With agricultural systems, acceptance criteria should be based on measures of produc-
tion and quality compared to local agricultural practice. Year to year variation should be
taken into account. For example, a crop yield should be compared with local crop yields
in the same year. An acceptance criterion might therefore be 'a yield of 90% of the average
yield (for a particular crop) in (a specii ed local) locality in the same season'.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search