Site-specific risk assessment and management of point and diffuse sources - Environmental Deterioration and Contamination: Problems and their Management - page 365

pollution to surface and groundwater, and the subsequent formulation of management
strategies for mitigating against their impacts where ecological and water quality is at
risk. The few attempts to quantify the importance of diffuse mine water pollution at a
watershed scale have found a substantial proportion to originate from diffuse sources
(e.g., Younger, 2000; Mayes et al., 2005).
Mine waste is one of the largest waste streams in the EU (29% of all waste,
about 400 million tonnes annually), mainly in the CEE countries, but no coherent
information is available on these potential contaminant sources in spite of the fact
that many of them are toxic. The protection of water (WFD, 2000) and soil (Soil
Thematic Strategy, 2006) requires spatial and watershed-based information on mine
waste. Consequently, a new Directive on the management of waste from the extractive
industries was proposed by the Commission (Waste from extractive industries, 2003).
The directive focuses on the aspects of waste management, prevention of soil and water
pollution and the stability of waste management facilities in a long-term perspective
covering the time span from licensing to active operation, closure and remediation of
mineral extraction sites (Sommer & Jordan, 2004).
The PECOMINES (2003-2005) project worked out the concept of a standardized
regional inventory of waste sites from mineral mining in CEE countries in relation to
watershed areas.
Both open pit and subsurface mines are typically divided into three categories
in terms of the actual activity status: active, inactive and abandoned. Abandoned and
inactive mining operations contribute the largest amount to nonpoint source pollution.
Mining operations can be grouped into five major categories in terms of their
respective resources. As detailed in Chapter 4 these are oil and gas extraction, coal min-
ing, metal ore mining, nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying. Mining operations
within the above categories can be classified into three levels:

1 extraction of the material,

2 mineral processing to separate its most important component and beneficiation

(increasing the value of the material by physical or chemical means) and

3 manufacturing of finished products from the material.

Chapter 4 provides an overview on the environmental problems caused by all sectors
of mining.
Primary pollutants from the mining of coal and minerals are airborne PM, acid-
ity, alkalinity and toxic metals. Failure to re-vegetate or reclaim inactive, abandoned
surface mines and mine waste dumps contributes to nonpoint source pollution.
Dust with a wide range of PM is emitted from both mining and mineral processing,
as well as during transport of processed ore, mine waste, etc. typically from nonferrous
metal mining, coal mining, iron, bauxite as well as radioactive minerals mining. Dust
as primary contaminant is easily deposited on water surfaces, soils and plants and
there is a high possibility of it being inhaled by living organisms. Radioactive dust
and volcanoes are good indicators for dust transport and they show that dust can be
transported over the globe, creating a global environmental problem.
Catastrophes and accidents connected to mining (e.g., coal mines and erupted oil
wells, burning for years without any chance to stop) are also priority air pollutants.