Environmental Engineering Reference
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Figure 10.13 The PECOMINES approach for the assessment of closed and abandoned mining waste
sites (following Sommer et al., 2006).
in the case of point source pollutions, the emissions and risks are forecasted locally for
every pollution source and not in the context of the watershed it belongs to.
Similar to the general risk management practice, risk management of diffuse pol-
lution from mining involves two main tasks: risk assessment and, in the case the risk is
higher than the acceptable level, risk reduction to the acceptable level by various risk
reduction measures.
The risk assessment approach is pessimistic: if uncertainties arise, we overestimate
the risk. This means that the statements non-risky or the risk is acceptable will not
involve high uncertainties. A more detailed assessment may confirm that formerly risky
elements can change into non-risky.
After identification of the main hazards and the risk components, the quantitative
risk of the dominant components will be calculated. In the case of diffuse pollution
from mining, the surface water and the aquatic ecosystem of the watershed are usually
at risk. The risk of any of the human land uses (agricultural, residential or recreational)
could be assessed.
6.3 Conceptual risk model of diffuse pollution from base
metal ore mining
The basis of watershed-scale risk assessment of diffuse pollution from mining is the
conceptual risk model showing the linkage between diffuse sources, transport path-
ways and receptors within the watershed (Figure 10.14), and integrating the transport
and exposure models.
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