Risk-based Regional Scale Screening of Groundwater Contamination from Abandoned Mining Sites in Serbia - Initial Results

摘要

Mineral mining is recognized as one of the main human activities that influences groundwater and can lead to changes in quantity and quality of groundwater resources. The impact of ongoing and abandoned mining operations on groundwater resources has largely been assessed on a local scale and such assessments have generally been site-specific. However, a number of recent studies of the impact of mining operations on surface water and groundwater resources address the entire catchment area. Apart from the guidelines for the inspection of closed and abandoned mining waste facilities, arising from the "Mining Waste Directive", several methods have been developed to characterize the environmental impact of mining on a regional or national scaleThis paper describes methodology focused on screening of groundwater pollution risk induced by abandoned mining sites on a regional scale. The presented methodology is based on a concept developed for groundwater pollution risk mapping, with suitable modifications to highlight and quantify the processes and factors related to the interaction between mining operations/mine wastes and groundwater. Risk screening methodology was undertaken on the basis of an assessment of groundwater pollution potential expressed via groundwater vulnerability, which was followed by characterization of abandoned mining sites as potential hazards. In preliminary groundwater pollution risk screening, the value of the hazard index was multiplied by the groundwater vulnerability index, resulting in the risk index.Presented methodology was applied on the example of 59 abandoned mining sites across Serbia, related to various types of ore deposits. Initial results show that this methodology can be successfully applied to identify mining sites that pose a high risk of groundwater pollution, as well as to pinpoint catchments and groundwater bodies that are potentially at risk.