Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10230-022-00868-5 |
Licence  |
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| Title (Primary) | The future direction of pit lakes: Part 2, Corporate and regulatory closure needs to improve management |
| Author | Vandenberg, J.; Schultze, M.; McCullough, C.D.; Castendyk, D. |
| Source Titel | Mine Water and the Environment |
| Year | 2022 |
| Department | SEEFO |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Page From | 544 |
| Page To | 556 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Keywords | Mine closure planning; Regulatory change, Sustainability; Beneficial end use; Expert commentary |
| Abstract | Pit lakes may present significant risks to ecological and human receiving environments but can also provide beneficial end use opportunities. The understanding of many processes that influence the magnitude of these risks and opportunities remains limited, and even where our understanding is adequate, the application of that knowledge is not consistently applied. From initial planning to long-term closure, regulation and corporate management of pit lake closure can be improved to realise more sustainable pit lake legacies. In this two-part manuscript, we recommend focus areas for future research by academics (Part 1), and strategies to structurally improve the practice of pit lake closure for mining industry regulators, corporate sustainability officers, global practice leads, and site mine closure planners (Part 2). Here we identify barriers that often limit the understanding of pit lake processes and closure practices and suggest ways that corporate leaders, closure practitioners, and regulators can improve pit lake management. Recommended corporate changes include: conducting risk assessments at an early planning stage; funding pit lake research and trials; allowing data sharing and case study publication; avoiding the simplifying assumption of a fully mixed pit lake when making predictions; integrating climate change into pit lake predictions; improving the quality of technical reporting; generating industry guidance for pit lake rehabilitation; maximizing opportunities for subaqueous, in-pit disposal of mine wastes; creating a positive legacy through beneficial uses of pit lakes; and verifying predictions using long-term monitoring. Recommended regulatory advancements include: raising expectations of corporate pit lake closure planning and execution; acknowledging good pit lake closure examples; balancing the need to simulate long closure periods with expectations of model reliability; considering the value of pit lakes as future water resources during permitting; and requiring closure costing and bonding commensurate to closure risk. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=26064 |
| Vandenberg, J., Schultze, M., McCullough, C.D., Castendyk, D. (2022): The future direction of pit lakes: Part 2, Corporate and regulatory closure needs to improve management Mine Water Environ. 41 (2), 544 - 556 10.1007/s10230-022-00868-5 |
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