Closure guidance has increasingly recognised the risks and opportunities surrounding pit lakes, and these should be considered in closure planning 

Pit lakes have long been a legacy of large-scale open cut mining. However, pit lake closure plans have historically been developed (if at all) very late in the life of the mine. At this late stage, remediation and reuse options are more limited. This lack of early and thorough consideration in closure planning has resulted in thousands of abandoned and unrehabilitated pit lakes globally, either filling or already filled.

As typical of most closure planning, risks related to pit lakes are primarily considered in the context of long-term post-mining use. Long-term vision is needed when considering the complexity of the issue and the changing relevance of aspects of pit lakes over time. Nevertheless,  there can also be a number of short-term risks.